DYLAN COUR
STAFF WRITER
The Alma College Union Board (ACUB) this past week brought comedian Samuel Comroe to campus. Comroe was a finalist this past season on America’s Got Talent, and is now touring the country with his show.
Students were excited to see Comroe perform at Alma after watching him compete all last season on the show. “I did not recognize his name right away, but once I realized that it was him, I was ecstatic. I watched him throughout the whole last season of America’s Got Talent and he was one of my favorite performers,” said Chapin Kartsounes (’21).
Other students were just excited to get out of their rooms and laugh during this terrible winter weather. “Although I cannot make it to every event held on campus, I do enjoy having the opportunity to get out and do something. Every event I have made it too has not left me disappointed. I also really like that ACUB brings in so many outside performers so that I can expand my horizons,” said Susan Doumont (’20).
America’s Got Talent has been running on national television since 2006. Since then, the show has expanded and created several other branches in countries around the world. The show in America has ran for 13 seasons now, with rotating judges and hosts. The show takes place in 3 stages. First you have the auditions round, in which the judges decide whether or not to put someone through to the next round. The second round is judge’s cuts, where they slim down the pool once more, and finally the show moves to the live shows where viewers themselves finally get to vote on contestants.
Comroe competed on America’s Got Talent and was able to get to the final four. Unfortunately he was unable to pull out the victory. But since the show, he has been able to tour around the country doing what he loves. Even though he has to leave his wife and new daughter at home, Comroe stated, “I love touring. It’s always fun to perform for different crowds and see everyone come out.”
About half way through his show, Comroe opened up to the audience for a bit of a Q and A session as a way to avoid the awkward questions after the show. Students had quite a lot to say. Particularly, students wanted to know what it was like to start in comedy. Students were interested in how hard it is to gain an actual audience for shows as a start-up comedian.
“My favorite part of the show was when Comroe opened up a section of his show for Q and A. I asked him why he had worn a particular piece of clothing, and while he was shocked, he poked fun at it for the rest of the show, and it was just a lot of fun,” said David Parnell III (’21).
When asked why he originally got into comedy, comedian Sam Comroe said, “I really just did not want to be that guy with Tourette’s. I wanted to be funny and make people laugh. I actually started this whole thing at 17. I was an introvert who wanted to break out of his shell, and my dad had always really been into comedy. So it was an easy choice.”
“Your beginning shows are always your worst. I’ve been doing comedy for about a decade now, and I can say that about 800 shows out of 1000 have been for ten people or less,” said Comroe. Comroe also said, “Most of my jokes come from my own experiences. I take all the negativity that occurs in my life and try to turn it around to something I can make fun of in order to make others laugh.”…
“Most of my jokes come from my own experiences. I take all the negativity that occurs in my life and try to turn it around to something I can make fun of in order to make others laugh.”
Comroe also commented on some of the inspirations he had both in life and in comedy. “My biggest inspiration in comedy is really anyone who is willing to get on that stage and put themselves out there. I know what it’s like to start out and how hard it can be, so I really empathize with them. I also get a lot of my inspiration from my family.
