Stand-up comedy is especially hard to break in to.

As a writer I can keep writing despite the difficulty of getting a publishing contract. There are enough zines, magazines, and journals both print and online that will accept my stuff. With comedy you sort of NEED an audience—not only to become well known but to hone your craft. You HAVE to see what works and what doesn’t. It is very subjective.

As part of an arts group in Chicago, I had an account with an online platform where you could send out arts announcements, find out about residencies or calls for submissions. It was a type of clearing house associated with the City of Chicago arts and tourism, from which I received several grants. Anyway, I put a call out for comedians to practice their set before a live captive audience: the men at our homeless shelter’s day drop-in program.

We didn’t really have a name. When I came every week and Franck and Andre made an announcement that Ms. Jane was here, they called it the talking group. It was so casual that it was about nothing. I’m not a psychologist or social worker or even a religious crusader. It wasn’t about proselytizing or reforming the participants, more about giving me a chance to meet them and help with socialization. For all of us.

Sometimes I just needed a sounding board for my own thoughts, a way to remember that I still matter. Hopefully for them too.

One time I invited some Moody Bible School student who were volunteering at the shelter to sit in. We were talking about the recently passed legislation that would come to be called Obamacare. One of the young students, a guy, was spouting off how horrible it was for the country. Truthfully I think he was echoing nonsense he'd heard from the adults around him as, of course, he was under his parent’s insurance and had never struggled being on his own and navigating health care. The participants watched as I asked the kid to let the men share their own stories and perhaps just listen.

Anyway, I thought the talking group would be perfect for an up and coming comedian in order to hone their material. I got 2 or 3 responses right away.

I met the candidates at the door and ushered them into the labyrinth of the shelter where we’d recently added rooms for single men with fragile health, basically giving them hospice shelter. (Eventually the alderman supposedly “a Christian” would put the kibosh on this and force us to stop offering respite for these men, see LINK).

The men in the talking group were a hard nut to crack. I explained to them what the guests were there for and they seemed game for the experience. At first it was very awkward. But the comedians learned how to warm up the audience and what jokes worked and what didn’t. To be honest a lot of the material fell flat. It’s hard to get a group of people used to sleeping on the streets, who don’t have money for food or healthcare to laugh. All in all, I think the group was pretty generous with their response.

The comedian certainly gave us something to talk about.

The talking group lasted a lot longer than my plan to bring in comedians, whose interest fizzled out in time.

co-workers at CCO