Building Community through Laughter: Comedy & the Good Life
Comedy & the Good Life
An interactive public philosophy program that explores the relationship between comedy, community, and the good life.
PROGRAM SYNOPSIS
A live comedy performance & post-show talk-back with professional comedian and philosopher Rodney Norman.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Comedy, community, and philosophy go hand in hand — especially when comedian and philosopher Rodney Norman is on the mic! In this fun “thinky” comedy show and post-show talk-back program, get ready to laugh and ponder BIG questions about life.
Known for his hilariously unassuming, dead-pan, and delightfully disarming vulnerability, Rodney’s humor blends clean, family-friendly comedy with an infectious & uncontainable amount of joy replete with philosophical wisdom.
Laughter without a tinge of philosophy is but a sneeze of humor. Genuine humor is replete with wisdom.
— mark Twain, Quoted in Mark twain and i
Through raw, honest stories from his life that are belly-laugh inspiring & relatable to all, audiences will be invited to think about things like friendship, courage, justice, humility, happiness, love, and community. Post-show conversation will build on and explore some of the themes present in Rodney’s comedic work and Q & A.
Free and open to the public. Doors open at 6pm. Show starts at 6:30pm, with an opening act by local comedian Kaiser Leib.
Post-show talkback with Rodney Norman to follow performance, facilitated by community philosophers Marisa Diaz-Waian & Mitch Conway.
Event Details
Sunday, June 7th (6pm-9pm)
Doors Open @6pm
Show starts @ 6:30pm
Opening Performance: Kaiser Leib
Headliner Performance: Rodney Norman
~ Post-show talk-back w/ Rodney to follow ~
Cash Bar.
FREE. Limited capacity. Registration requested to ensure seating.
Inspired by a serendipitous meeting with visiting artist and philosopher, Rodney Norman, who shared our vision about the importance of community & the ability of comedy to help foster and strengthen it, we designed our “Building Community through Laughter” program. A partner program to our Art as Transformation project (which examines how art and good living are connected), our Building Community through Laughter project does the same through the lens of comedy.
ABOUT RODNEY NORMAN
Rodney Norman is a stand-up comedian, philosopher, motivational speaker, actor, writer, photographer, and all-around hilarious human & bringer of joy and good vibes. Known for his hilariously unassuming and often dead-pan style of humor, he began his career at 4-years old (with a love of acting) and his professional stand-up career in 1998. Winner of the Rhode Island Comedy Festival, a featured comedian in the Boston Comedy Festival, and performer at WiseGuys Comedy Club in Las Vegas and elsewhere, Rodney’s humor blends clean, family-friendly comedy with deep thoughts, and is rife with philosophical wisdom.
- Holds a B.S. in Philosophy from Utah Valley University, a background that heavily influences his comedic material and motivational speaking engagements.
- Before his full-time comedy career, Rodney did carpentry work and served as a Field Radio Operator in the United States Marine Corps.
- One of his most well-known characters, based loosely on his grandfather and comedic legend Foster Brooks, is “Leonard McCrunstky,” often referred to as the “world’s most worst motivational speaker.”
- In 2010, Rodney did a commercial produced by the Salt Lake County Storm Water Coalition promoting environmental awareness in Salt Lake City called “We All Live Downstream.”
Event Venue & Community Conversation Facilitators
Our comedy show and post-performance talk-back will take place in The Ming Opera House at the Jackson Street Shriner’s Temple and will be facilitated by community philosophers Marisa Diaz-Waian & Mitch Conway. Our gig is scheduled for Sunday, June 7th (6:30pm – 9:00pmish).
- Program Director/Co-Facilitator – Marisa Diaz-Waian, Community Philosopher & Founder/Director of Merlin CCC
- Program Co-Facilitator – Mitch Conway, Educator & Community Philosopher, Merlin CCC
Our “Building Community through Laughter” program offers community members an opportunity to laugh, heal, learn, think together & be inspired. As Mark Twain said: “The true and lasting genius of humor must be antiseptic.” At a time when tensions are high and civil discourse is low, we see our project as an important kind of medicine & vital contribution to the health and vitality of our community.
Marisa diaz-waian, merlin ccc founder & Director
We are grateful to our grantors & community partners for their support of our organization, philosophy in the community, and this project.
