LaughFest Up and Coming

Maybe it's not the most exciting accolade, but being listed in Men's Journal as the best place to take a chance on a crazy idea seems apropos this week. Today, LaughFest begins with an attempt to break the world record for simultaneous rubber chicken tossing, followed by 10 days of laughter events in nearly 50 venues, 110 of them being free. LaughFest has approximately 1000 volunteers at the ready. Let's not forget that this is LaughFest's inaugural year. A few days ago, I had an opportunity to talk to two Grand Rapidians who have been involved in the comedy scene for a long time, and how they're contributing to the festival.

I met standup comedian Jerry Donovan at a coffeehouse to talk to him about his opinions on LaughFest. I knew Donovan was in charge of putting on the Irish Comedy Showcase on St. Patrick's Day at The B.O.B. He came wearing an Ireland sweater and scarf, so he was easy to pick out among the other patrons. Personable and talkative, Donovan speaks about the thriving comedy scene he's found in West Michigan, and his involvement with LaughFest.

"My wife is a three-time cancer survivor, and we were familiar with Gilda's Club," Donoavan says. "When LaughFest came along, we said, 'whatever you need from us, whatever you need us to do, we'll do it.' We had no idea it was going to be as big as (it has become)."

After bouncing ideas back and forth with Gilda's President and CEO Leann Arkema, Donovan settled on a St. Patrick's-themed event. He decided to bring in a number of comics, not just a few, and produce two shows running simultaneously. As a comic finishes a set on one stage, they'll dart over to the next stage for a set. Both will take place on the third floor of The B.O.B., at Dr. Grin's and the room across the hall, referred to as 'The Tent' throughout LaughFest. The show begins at 8 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $10.

While not all of the comics are Irish, Donovan says it's an Irish-based comedy show. "The theory," he says, "is that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish. A lot of the material will be about St. Patty's day."

Also appearing will be Irish dancers from the Arden Academy of Irish Dance, as well as Liam the Giant Leprechaun.

Donovan was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and moved to Grand Rapids 12 years ago. He began doing standup comedy in March of 2005 and hasn't ever looked back.

"Grand Rapids is truly a hotbed for standup comedy," he says. "There are a tremendous amount of venues where you can get all kinds of stage time. I used that to my advantage to develop myself as a performer."

Donovan travels all over the country, making people laugh in clubs, at fundraisers and corporate events. He kept the crowds entertained in between takes during the filming of "Touchback" in Coopersville, MI this summer.

"One thing I always kind of go by is that comedy is in the ear of the beholder," he says. "What's funny to some may not be funny to others."

This sentiment echoes something Arkema said when I spoke with her about the genesis of LaughFest. When they broke away from comedy, and started thinking about laughter, they began to develop the festival, branching out into various forms of merriment beyond the traditional ideas of a comic.

At Dog Story Theatre, River City Improv will provide a small, free performance on Saturday, March 12 at 8 p.m., and a full two-hour show at the Ladies Literary Club on Friday, March 18 at 8 p.m. for $10.

Performer Rick Treur describes the show as, "short-form improv comedy," similar to the television show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" Each night at Dog Story, there will be improv with several River City cast members performing. At 10 p.m., there will be an open improv, where audience members will get to try their hand.

"It's not just about making one-line jokes," Treur coaches. "It's about trying to find the truth in comedy, trying to support the other people who are on stage. It's trying to make them look good, which makes the scene go smoother."

He says using the "yes, and" method is a good place to start.

"It's a way of supporting your teammates," he says, "by saying 'yes' to whatever is being thrown to you, and the 'and' is building, raising the stakes, and taking it to the next level."

River City Improv has been around for 17 years, starting in February of 1994.

"I think (LaughFest) will have a lot of great opportunities to see some great comedy," Treur says. "We're able to laugh a lot more, which has been the whole point -- laugh because of its healing power. It's also fun because we've been supportive of Gilda's and have done improv shows out there (before), and so it's fun to be able to be involved with LaughFest."

A brief glance over the schedule of events for LaughFest will show how a community has pulled together to make this happen. It's not just about the headliners, it's about the vastness and variety of the events and the willingness of venues to open their spaces to the idea. If LaughFest was ever a "crazy idea," you wouldn't know it.


J. Bennett Rylah is the Managing Editor of Rapid Growth Media.

Jerry Donovan's headshot provided by Nick Stokes

Rick Treur's headshot by Tina Derusha