Comics Should Buy Local: Think Global
A comic's look at Dave Schwensen's Comedy Workshop in Cleveland Ohio

June 2003

by Dawn Holley

I attended the May 2003 session of Dave Schwensen’s Comedy workshop.   Our workshop consisted of a group of souls I can sincerely say was the most diverse in age, content and styles of comedy I’ve seen in a group of less than 100 comics. Since we were less than a dozen, our per capita diversity far exceeded the 2002 California  Comedy Conference in Palm Springs. 

When I say diverse I mean our group was comprised of a  geriatric wig-wearing black woman, a gay cop, a mullet-haired rocker, a male nurse, a saleswoman, a network engineer and a bagel shop manager, just to name a few.  This doesn’t even include the poodle-haired woman in loud pants writing this article. 

‘How could Dave coach this group for a show at the Improv in just 3 sessions?’ you might ask. Or maybe you're wondering why he didn’t take this circus on the road. 

Well, he coached this group with amazing amounts of enthusiasm, compassion and patience.  As each participant did their set, he opened up discussion and critique of the set to the group.  This created a team dynamic.  It was very useful and gained momentum as the workshop progressed.

There are many things I like about the content  and objectives of  the workshop.  The one I appreciated the most at the end of the workshop, was probably the one I appreciated least at the beginning. 

Let me explain.  For every question in our workshop, Dave has a real life story to answer it.  That’s every question, campers.   He has experience in all aspects of the comedy business,  more than most working comics.  He has this because he worked many years booking the Improv in New York and then California.  So, yes he was a comedian, but then he became the guy all comedians wanted to know.  He’s a barrel of experience just waiting to be tapped.  So we could listen to an hour and a half or more of stories.  Why would this poodle-haired comic not appreciate all this information at the beginning?  Because she was chomping at the bit to get up and tell jokes. 

I don’t know if any other attendees shared this view, but this comic is grateful to her new comic buddy, Roxane Larimore -- who she met in the workshop, for saying, “I love the stories, I just listen and soak them up like a sponge.”   So after the first session, poodle-hair here assumed the same attitude and enjoyed learning from all of Dave’s adventures.

He loves the work behind making live comedy and it reflects in all he does before, during and after the workshop. 

In addition to providing a good amount of information during the workshops, Dave provides some comic interviews each week in between via email.  Paper copies are distributed too, for those who haven’t joined the e-masses.  All attendees are encouraged to join a mailing list that provides periodic announcements and information about regional and national comedy opportunities. 

If you have aspirations to be good at comedy and you want to be professional on and off stage, take Dave’s workshop.  He’s a lucky find for comedians anywhere. In Ohio, he’s a comedy treasure in our own backyard.

Copyright © 2003, Dawn Holley