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ANDRES SMITH ’17, Comedian

You’ve performed in an improv comedy group since your first term and as a sophomore you started a standup comedy club. How do the two compare?

In improv everything is made up on the spot and it’s all very collaborative. Standup is very prepared, very meticulous and very individual, which I like. It’s a completely different type of comedy. Unlike Dartmouth’s two improv groups, which have a single audition period, Dartmouth Standup gives students the opportunity to try performing at any point.

Where do you get your material?

I have a very anecdotal style. For example, I make a lot of jokes about how I was overweight in high school, and people love it. But if I were to make generalizations about people who are overweight, a lot of people would find that offensive. I’m also way too invested in pop culture, so I’ll make fun of movies and TV tropes just to sneak in as many references as possible.

Have you always been the funny guy?

When I was a kid and all through high school I tried to force myself to be the clown, because I’ve always loved making people laugh. But I’ve really worked on pulling back from that. Comedy has been good for me in that way. I can be funny in a defined space, then be a real human outside of it.

Do you see yourself pursuing comedy after you graduate?

I do a lot of writing and I would love to write and produce TV shows and movies. That would put me in a city where I would have plenty of opportunities to perform.

What’s next in your comedy career?

I have this silly fantasy where a director sees me walking down the street and says, “Hey kid, you’ve got spunk. You’re ready for the pictures.” But I’ve learned there are no short cuts. The more time and effort I put into this, the more good things will happen. Unless I was meant to be an accountant, in which case bad things will keep happening and I’ll become an accountant. I hope that’s not the case, because I am no good at math.