Crabtree advances in comedy competition
It’s a waiting game as votes are submitted and tallied in the AE Comedy Tour
By Rachana Dixit, senior writer
Posted on February 22, 2007

Awkward silences are generally associated with feelings of confusion, frustration and downright discomfort. But on the evening of Feb. 12, senior theatre major Daniel Crabtree proved that these gauche moments aren’t always a bad thing.

Crabtree, who donned a green button-down shirt, blue jeans and a baseball cap on the Wilson Hall Auditorium stage 10 days ago, stood in front of his audience in complete silence for more than a minute as part of his AE Campus Comedy Challenge stand-up routine.

He said he did it to draw his audience in. And when the first line of his set, “I’ve never met a deaf person with Tourette’s … but I want to,” was finally said, he was sure all ears were on him. 

“I like [starting with silence] if I can,” Crabtree said. “I think in stand-up comedy they have a lot of superfluous dialogue.”

It seems his delivery technique worked. University Program Board Public Relations Chair, senior Amie Kesler, was one of many students who thought Crabtree’s performance was especially unique. UPB brought the challenge to campus and also sponsored “So You Think You’re Funny?” several weeks earlier.

“The way he opened, he had a lot of confidence,” Kesler said, adding that he was very much “in character.”

“It was so different from everyone else,” she said.

Crabtree, having won the challenge’s first round at JMU, has now advanced to the regional bracket of the tour, where he is competing against two more jokesters from different universities. Currently, he holds 37 percent of the vote against Michael Bolz of Marquette University and Joey Olson of the University of Minnesota, who each hold 38 percent and 25 percent of the vote, respectively.

Though he is no amateur on stage, Crabtree said he never really gave stand-up comedy a serious thought, having only done it once at a TDU “open mic” night about two years ago. He said he always knew he wanted to be a performer or a comedy writer, with his comedic inspirations ranging from Eddie Izzard to Mitch Hedberg and Ricky Gervais.

But the tour has allowed him to examine his future a little differently.

“The coolest part about this is I get to check it out as a viable career option,” Crabtree said. “I had a blast doing it.”

While Crabtree seemed quite at ease on stage and thrived in his character’s awkwardness, which he said was not planned, he added that good stand-up does not always come so naturally.

“Anytime I think of something funny, I write it down,” he said, adding that some of his best stuff came from physics class because he was “zoned out.” He also said he sets time aside each day to think of jokes and comes up with several versions to see which is funniest.

“Comedy is very specific,” Crabtree said. “It’s not always easy.”

But the real question lies in Crabtree’s humor itself: does he think he’s funny?

“The hardest part is admitting that you’re funny,” he said. “I’m hilarious 24/7. I’m also modest.”

Crabtree said most comedians have to know they’re funny; otherwise their jokes won’t fly with their audiences. And when those awkward silences come along, they aren’t the good kind.

“You have to put everything on the line,” he said. “Nobody likes a safe comedian.”

Time will tell as to whether this approach will lead him to victory. The winner, who will be determined by March 21 through online votes, will perform in Cancun, Mexico.

“I definitely think I have a shot,” he said. But, whether he wins the national competition or not, he added, “[The tour] has given me a chance to take comedy more seriously.”

To find out more about the AE Comedy Tour and to vote for Crabtree, go to aecomedy.com.