Posters plastered in the elevators, along the hallways and on doors in Taylor Place read, “SEX: Now that I’ve got your attention … Are you funny and want to be part of the ASU Downtown Comedy club?” Funny. But the signs didn’t last long.
Miscommunication between administration, the community assistants and security caused these announcements to be torn down after one day. Only two remain, taped to the door of the perpetrator’s dorm room, lonely remnants of a pretty clever idea. So what exactly happened to the club in question?
Christopher Clabaugh, a public relations freshman on the Downtown campus, has always been interested in comedy. Back in his hometown of Humboldt, Iowa, Clabaugh practiced his craft in talent shows, where he both participated and emceed. Jumping from a small-town stage to the ASU spotlight was an easy decision for Clabaugh, but the split campuses got in his way.
“When I first heard about Tempe’s comedy club, I was really interested, but I realized the distance to travel there was too hard. I wanted to start something similar downtown,” Clabaugh says.
Although he's itching to get ASU Downtown Comedy started, most of the first semester was dedicated to paperwork. Clabaugh had to write a constitution; register on Orgsync, ASU’s student clubs and organizations website; schedule meetings; and coordinate with the “officials of Taylor Place,” as he puts it.
“We haven’t worked on shows,” Clabaugh says. “It’s been mostly logistics so far. I wanted to get people into a rhythm like Tempe, really using Tempe’s comedy club as a model for downtown.”
Despite the registration obstacles, Clabaugh hasn’t let the group’s slow start stop him from being a comedian.
On Jan. 20, Clabaugh took his first stab at college comedy, participating with six other comedians from Stand Up vs. The World, the stand-up division of Tempe’s ASU Comedy.
Complete with a full house, a warning sign about content and adult humor, an American flag and a lone microphone stand, the stage was set. A string of comedians took to the mic one-by-one, some lukewarm, others bringing screams of mirth. Then Clabaugh walked up for his turn. He brought the applause.
“I was a little nervous,” Clabaugh says. “It was a big night to start up my college stand-up career, but I pulled it off. I felt amazing afterwards.”
Jake Davis, a communications senior, is the director of Stand Up vs. The World and has been working with Clabaugh to create the downtown club. Interested in comedy since he was 14 and a part of the then-called “Comedians Club” of ASU since his sophomore year, Davis says he has faith in Clabaugh’s ambitions.
“In this industry where no one has faith in you, one of my goals is to give everyone a legit shot. Chris really earnestly wanted to be a part of this, and I had total faith,” Davis says.
He's also optimistic about what ASU Downtown Comedy can do for the campus.
“This really gives people something to do on a random night of the week where maybe there wasn’t anything before,” says Davis. “Stand Up vs. The World is very excited to expand to the downtown campus.”
This semester Clabaugh plans on getting the show running. He has divided the group into three divisions: improv, skits and standup. Once the group finds its rhythm and a stage, Clabaugh hopes to schedule a show every week.
Blane Ferguson, a journalism freshman, heard about the club through the aforementioned posters and contacted Clabaugh through Facebook.
“I just love to make people laugh. I hope they’re not lying to me, but I’ve been told that I’m funny, so I think this would be the best avenue to do that,” Ferguson says.
With big plans under way, Clabaugh wants ASU Downtown Comedy to bring the campus to life.
“I want to bring good night-life downtown and keep everyone entertained. I want to help grow this campus with light-hearted comedy, and I think this would be a big benefit.”
Reach the reporter at kristen.hwang@asu.edu
