This Hoo’s a Hoot
Comedienne makes finals of national college competition
By Sarah Graham
Kathleen O'Brien improvises at a club on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall
Photo by Jack Looney |
Kathleen O’Brien (Educ ’08) has the right stuff.
Despite having no real background in stand up-comedy, this English education major landed a gig that veterans would kill for—a spot at this year’s Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. Widely seen as "a feeder system for finding new comics," she says, this Colorado festival featured the National College Comedy Competition finals on May 31 in addition to the usual lineup of established comics.
O’Brien beat out top performers from more than 30 colleges earlier this year by winning audience votes and wowing judges, and was soon on her way to Aspen as one of four national finalists. Aside from college tours and the open-mic circuit, O’Brien explains, the Aspen festival is the best place to get material in front of talent scouts and agents, and she accomplished that even though she didn’t win (Tim Ball of Duke University got the most votes).
Though she suffers from occasional pre-show jitters, O’Brien says she loves the spotlight. "We used to do shows as kids," she recalls of her days growing up in Montclair, Va. "We were always performing." While stand-up was in the back of her mind, she didn’t give it serious thought until a friend from an improv class at U.Va. told her she ought to try out for the college competition. The seed sprouted quickly, and O’Brien soon found herself mining her everyday life for material.
Her current routine, which can be viewed on www.rooftopcomedy.com/events/college, stemmed from a friend’s insistence that she go on match.com. "I figured I’d sign my Grammy up first. I mean, she’s 82, so she’s got less of a window to find true love." O’Brien’s friends thought the story was hilarious, and it soon became the backbone of her first stand-up routine.
While she makes it look effortless, the budding comic swears by practicing in front of friends, family and herself. "I spend a LOT of time in front of the mirror," she says with a laugh. Practice aside, O’Brien seems to be a natural when it comes to timing and delivery. She killed the crowd on the downtown mall in Charlottesville with a single-woman-at-a-bar-during-a-dentist’s-convention improv scene.
O’Brien cites Conan O’Brien as an influence, admitting that she "only liked him at first because he had the same name." With a nod to her father’s objections to some of her condom jokes, she hopes to keep the routine PG. "I have a 12-year-old cousin who I hope could watch the show," she says.
Though she didn’t win at the Aspen competition, O’Brien was thrilled by the experience. "They treated us like VIPs the whole time," she says. "I got to meet lots of professionals in the industry, and even played poker with a bunch of people from Comedy Central." Hanging out with Jimmy Dore, a comedian who’s had his own comedy special on the channel, gave her further proof that success can be had in this competitive field.
With the Aspen show behind her, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of famous U.Va. alumna Tina Fey (who won an Emmy for 30 Rock) and land a spot at Second City improv in Chicago and, eventually, that comedic icon Saturday Night Live.
But before all that, of course, she still has to help her Grammy find true love.
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