Comic's Night features brainchild routines

Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, comedian Doug Dreary rocked on his heels and stared out at the audience in front of him after he took the stage a little after 8:30 p.m. at Max’s Place. 

He led with a joke about his poor penmanship, telling a story about how he was pulled out of class as a kid to improve his handwriting.

“I wish that time would have been spent on something with a more promising future,” Dreary said. “Like alchemy or VHS repair.”

Laughter echoed throughout the room after Dreary paused to let the line sink in, and with that bit Comic’s Night was off and running.

Max’s Place hosts Comic’s Night every Tuesday. The evening offers short sets of stand-up comedy featuring local up-and-coming comedians.

Founded by comedian Mike Tucker, the night features several comedians performing five to 10 minute sets of original comedy. The evening is capped off by a headlining comedian, who performs a 20- or 30-minute set.

Comedians Kenneth Armstrong and Bob Nugent took over the event a few months ago when Tucker’s career started taking off, and Armstrong said the turnout remains solid for the shows week after week.

“When you’re a stand-up comic working in the same crowd all the time, the crowd tends to dwindle because people don’t want to see the same set over again,” he said. “We usually get a good crowd of around 20 to 50 people.”

Comics featured in the weekly show are usually from Bloomington, but Armstrong said they are occasionally able to attract comics from larger cities.

“People usually contact Bob on Facebook, and mostly all our acts are local or from Indianapolis or Cincinnati,” he said. “They’re usually guys we work with on the road. We all go around doing our own shows and end up becoming friends.”

Comics featured in Tuesday’s showcase performed in a variety of styles. Comedian James McIntyre read most of his jokes off of the back of grocery store receipts, while Jon Hancuff passed a list of his jokes around and had audience members call them out at random.

Armstrong said the differences in styles and genres between the comics help keep the show exciting and fresh, and that it’s fun to see everyone’s own special style.

“It’s always different,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re going to see. All our guys are very personable, likable guys. It helps make the show very personal, and people love it.”

With the upcoming Limestone Comedy Festival this summer, featuring up to 40 comedians, nearly 10 of who are local, Armstrong said the future of comedy in Bloomington looks bright.

“The comedy scene in Bloomington is really growing right now,” he said. “The Bloomington stand-up scene is as good as the Indianapolis or Louisville scene right now. It’s great for people to come out and support us.”