Creig Ewing is a comedian and show producer from Louisville, Ky.
He is the force behind Louisville Laughs, putting on shows at Aloft Louisville Downtown and scheduling the Wednesday night Laughs in the Lounge open mic at The Caravan Comedy Club.
With businesses opening up, Louisville Laughs is adding Sunday shows at Planet of the Tapes, The Bard’s Town, an open mic at Ten20 Craft Brewery and more announcements to come.
The initial Planet of the Tapes Second Sunday Showcase is June 13 at 7:30 p.m. featuring nationally touring comedian Tim Northern. Tickets are available here.
And as a reward for reading this far, you can use the Promo Code PLANET to get $3 off general admission tickets for Sunday’s show, which are regularly $8.
Creig recently put off his afternoon nap to answer questions he asked himself.
Louisville Laughs: What made you decide to start putting on shows?
Creig Ewing: Who else was going to book me? Plus, I thought I would get my bar tab covered. I was wrong.
What is the best feeling in comedy?
A full room of people enjoying themselves and people laughing at a new joke you’re trying out are the best feelings. … So I am told.
What’s the most frustrating part about booking shows?
People like to wait until the day of the show to buy tickets. So it’s nerve-wracking to not know if you’re going to be performing in front of six or 60 people.
Tim Northern is on Sunday’s show at Planet of the Tapes. How do you know Tim?
When I started in comedy, one of the first opportunities I got was to perform in The Tim Northern Comedy Festival. Tim, who has been doing comedy for years and been on network TV, is very encouraging to the Louisville comedy scene. The festival, to him, was all about supporting and showcasing Louisville comics.
The next year I started working with Tim and others to put on the festival and produce shows and open mics. Covid put everything on hiatus, but we are back putting on shows and people are really ready for comedy.
Tim also is one of those comics who has really smart jokes that I wish I had written.
What tips do you have for new comics wanting to get stage time?
Go to open mics and work on your material. You only get better by being on stage. Don’t fall in love with your jokes. Always be willing to tighten them, rework them or add tags.
Be a good audience member. If you’re at an open mic, stay to listen to the other comics. Laugh. Network a little after.
Go to comedy shows to support others. If someone offers you a spot, don’t say you can do 20 minutes if you only have five. Be reliable.
Also, watch what you put on social media. If you seem like a jerk on your Facebook page, who is going to want to put you on a show?
How do you write a joke?
Take something that is true and lie about it.
Sometimes people have a true story that is funny, and they feel compelled to tell the whole story. Shorten it. Get to the funny parts. Embellish. Go over the top.
A five-minute story with a punchline at the end is going to lose the audience before you get to the punchline.
When someone tells a long stories with no laughs, Tim Northern says, “That guy was up there telling truths.”
You can find Creig on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
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