Those wanting a few hearty laughs should mark Feb. 24, on their calendars and plan a night out at Joe Beeverz Bar and Grill in the city where stand-up comedian Mike Dumbra will be performing.
Dumbra, who was born in Rochester, NY, and has lived in Alberta since 2008, to get married and raise his daughter, said life is where he gleans his material.
“Lately I sit back and look at the world thru my daughter’s eyes. The seven-year-old perspective is not only refreshing but flipping hilarious,” he explained.
But there is always the challenge of keeping material fresh, topical and of interest to not just an audience, but to the performer himself.
“I mostly work the crowd, and whatever really works stays in the act, so I have an easier time than others do when it comes to keeping things fresh,” said Dumbra.
Of course Dumbra has years of experience to draw on.
“I started acting, singing, and dancing when I was six, but even then, it was always about the comedy role,” he said. “In December of 1986, I was dared to try stand-up. I entered a Yuk-Yuks contest, came in third, and have done comedy ever since.”
Looking back Dumbra said his first comedy routine is a blur, but it did work.
“My first time onstage doing stand-up, I remember not having a clue what I was supposed to do except get laughs in whatever way possible and I remember going into the crowd for my second joke and getting an applause break and thinking I’d be okay,” he said. “Then I remember sitting with my parents waiting for the results and the headliner that night making me stand up and telling the crowd I had a future in the business.”
But what drew Dumbra to stand-up in the first place?
“I enjoy the freedom to say what I want,” he said. “No script if I don’t feel like it. I decide what’s in the show and when it’s in the show. The freedom to switch up at any given moment and the rush that I get when an entire room is following my lead was the start of a 30-year addiction.”
Along the way other established comedians have become inspirations.
“When I started the Canadian comics were my inspiration. In my hometown we had a Yuk-Yuks and it was the Canadian guys you learned from,” he said. “To me they were that much funnier because they had to work so much harder to get a shot at the States.
“Now, I look to the new comics for inspiration. There is so much new talent that is so hungry to try different things and invent different approaches towards comedy. I love that.”
Being a comedian does mean many nights on stages all over the place, and that creates challenges when you are also a Dad.
“My greatest challenge now is to still tour while raising a seven year old on my own,” he related. “It’s as close to impossible as anything I’ve tried in my life. My overall challenge has always been to be just as funny, if not funnier, than I was in the show before.”
