Seniors crack last jokes at stand-up comedy show

The Buckeye Standup Comedy Club will honor its graduating seniors during the last show of the semester Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Fourth Street Taproom & Kitchen. Credit: Courtesy of Leon Brodsky

Senior stand-up comedians will reflect on the funny side of their college careers as they prepare to take the stage one last time as Ohio State students. 

Buckeye Standup Comedy Club is an organization for students looking to get involved in stand-up comedy, offering club members the opportunity to perform sets at open-mic events around Ohio State’s campus and various venues in Columbus, according to its student organization page. Seniors will be able to get behind the mic one more time during the Fourth St. Comedy Show Thursday at 7 p.m., according to the group’s Instagram.

Leon Brodsky, a fourth-year in neuroscience, said he joined the organization in October 2021 in hopes of discovering a new hobby after his friends encouraged him to try stand-up because of his good storytelling skills. Brodsky said he watched popular comedians who inspired him to get into the mindset of a stand-up comedian.

“I figured I’d give it a shot, and Buckeye Standup kind of helped me find my footing,” he said. “They help me to work on my delivery and really honing in on my material and to the point now where shows are things I really look forward to rather than be intimidated by.” 

Zach White, a fourth-year in physics, said during his time in the organization, he learned to write entire bits by starting off with a small idea and putting pen to paper until it resembles a performance. 

Brodsky said much of his material comes from life stories — especially from his parents, who are both Russian immigrants. He also keeps a journal with him to write down jokes he thinks of throughout the day.

“No matter if I believe it’s going to be a good joke or not, I can get it on paper so I’m at least working towards something every day,” Brodsky said. “I often find myself even weeks later looking back to that old material and working on developing it and putting it in my shows.”

Although Brodsky said he wishes he had discovered Buckeye Standup Comedy Club earlier in his college career, he said he is glad to have found the organization at all. He said he hopes his comedy inspires other people to try stand-up and to find material, even as he passes the torch to newer members of the organization. 

“It’s really not as scary as it looks, and I know that, for me, I was inspired by a lot of other people when I watched them do stand-up, so I want to have a similar effect,” Brodsky said. 

White has met some of his best friends through the comedy community at Ohio State and said they have shaped the way he approaches his own comedic style. 

“It’s a really great group of people to hang out with because it’s a bunch of weirdos,” he said. “I think you genuinely have to be a kind and empathetic person to, like, not be bad at comedy.” 

Following graduation, White said he plans to move to Washington, D.C., and continue doing stand-up. However, he said having his last stand-up show as an Ohio State senior is bittersweet. 

“It’s the same I feel about graduating,” White said. “I’m sad to not be in college anymore, but I’m excited to see what’s next.”

Although Brodsky’s post-graduation plans are still up in the air, he said he would love to pursue stand-up comedy in some capacity, no matter the city.

“I want to go to open mics, and I want to network with different comics in different cities,” Brodsky said. “The goal is I, a year from now, get booked for shows.”

Brodsky said the stand-up comedy organization has taught him many things he will be able to implement both onstage and in the real world after he graduates, such as public speaking and keeping messages concise and purposeful. 

“Now I have this hobby that I genuinely love and I look forward to working on every time I get the time to,” he said. “I’m really excited to see where that will take me after college because it’s something I definitely intend to pursue.” 

The Buckeye Standup Comedy Club’s final show of the semester will take place at the Fourth Street Taproom & Kitchen, located at 1810 N. 4th St. Admission will be free and open to all.