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Thursday, Feb. 20
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

"Home away from home": Comedian Dwight Simmons reflects on his roots at The Comedy Attic

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Dwight Simmons was a junior at IU when he participated in his first open mic night at The Comedy Attic. Now, 15 years later, he is continuing to make a name for himself in the comedy world while headlining his own shows.

As a student at IU, Simmons had seen comics like Amy Schumer perform at The Comedy Attic, which Schumer listed as one of her top ten comedy clubs in the country in an interview with USA Today. It was the performances by comedians like Schumer that got Simmons interested in getting into stand up in the first place.

“You know, it piqued my interest in like, ‘Hey, I think it would be cool to get up there and try that,’” Simmons said. “And having a place on my college campus where I could go up, you know, once or twice a month to try out new silly jokes was really helpful.”

While Simmons started doing comedy in college, he didn’t participate in any of the comedy groups IU has to offer. Simmons was more interested in getting into standup than trying his hand at sketch comedy or improv, which are two more group-focused forms of comedy.

“You write your jokes by yourself. You're performing by yourself. You’re revising by yourself,” Simmons said. “The camaraderie really comes with seeing how people's sets grow over time. And you know, that in itself, makes it its own little group.”

Though he doesn’t perform at The Comedy Attic’s open mics anymore, Simmons hasn’t stopped performing at the comedy club. Mat Alano-Martin, the booker for the club’s Thursday night series, has seen Simmons perform many times at The Comedy Attic.

“As a headliner he's been part of the club's regular schedule for the last few years and he recorded his last special there,” Alano-Martin said. “He's a great dude and we're lucky to have him be a part of The Comedy Attic family.”

On top of the typical shows he’s done at The Comedy Attic, Simmons also recorded his comedy special “Who’s The Master?” — a 37-minute long project Simmons produced and released himself on YouTube — in July 2023. When it came to the special, recording it in Bloomington at The Comedy Attic was an important part of the process for Simmons.

“Most comics throughout the country will agree that The Comedy Attic has incredible audiences. It's a great room to do stand up, because you can fit quite a few people in there, but you never lose the intimate feeling that is necessary for a great comedy room,” Simmons said. “So, you know, the Comedy Attic is accommodating, versus me doing it in Peoria, Illinois, and hoping that the audience is good.”

But “Who’s The Master?” wasn’t the first comedic project Simmons worked on. Simmons recorded and released his first comedy album, “Pacifist Aggressive,” 10 years ago. The album, which is currently on SoundCloud, is an accumulation of jokes he had performed over the past seven years.

“You know, most people say it takes 10 years of stand up before you record your first hour. And that's true. Looking back, I should have taken more time to do it, but I did, like, the process of, like, all right, making a goal and going after it,” Simmons said. “It's changed the way that I've looked at my career. Sometimes you press the gas, and sometimes you just need to, like, chill out and take some extra time.”

Currently Simmons’ shows are dedicated to working on new material for his next comedy special. This creative process has evolved over time for Simmons, allowing for material to come more naturally instead of sitting down and writing it all out.

“Lately, I've been more open to letting myself experience real life and be in tune with how things make me feel, even if they're, you know, not funny, and being like, hey, there's something interesting there. Maybe I can make it funny,” Simmons said. “I think comedy is trending in that direction where people want that connection with the person on stage.”

Looking to the future, Simmons is dedicated to growing his career and to keep making a name for himself in the comedy world. However, his love for The Comedy Attic continues to stay strong.

“I didn't realize how good I had it until, you know, I left Bloomington and started doing real shows on the road,” Simmons said. “I'm happy to call it a home away from home. So, I feel very grateful that that's where I started, and that's where I get to come back to”

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