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08-31-2009, 10:12 AM
http://www.ocolly.com/don-t-curry-be-happy-with-osu-comedian-1.344218
Don’t ‘Curry,’ be happy with OSU comedian
OSU student pursues stand-up comedy, shares stories
By CJ Grimes
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Share this article Published: Monday, August 31, 2009
Erika Curry, a film studies senior, has 11 stand-up comedy performances under her belt. She made $13 at her first perfomance at Mike’s College Bar, and she still has those $13 framed on her wall. She said being the oldest grandchild in a large family helped her develop her love of attention. She has performed for OSU Freshmen Follies, Camp Cowboy and the Oklahoma Gay Pride Association.
A heckler’s voice ringing out across a dimly lit bar can bring even the most prepared comedians to their knees.
Erika Curry, a film studies senior, knows this feeling all too well.
Curry recounted the experience of her first paid gig at Mike’s College Bar, which in her opinion, did not go so well.
“I bombed it,” Curry said.
Curry, underage at the time, had the chance to perform in front of an audience of professional comedians at Mike’s.
Curry nervously took her place on stage, positioned six feet above the rest of the audience. The lights were turned down low, but Curry could still see the faces of all those waiting to be entertained — which only intensified the uncomfortable knot in her stomach.
If all the pressure and anxiety wasn’t enough, Curry also had to face a performer’s worst nightmare — the heckler.
“That’s REALLY funny, Erika,” the drunken and hoarse sounding voice shouted from the darkness.
The inebriated “friend of a friend,” as Curry called him, continued to yell even after she left the stage.
But Curry’s grandmother found a liquid cure for the unruly audience member. She found after buying him more alcohol was enough to pacify him for the remainder of the show.
Curry left the bar that night in the pouring rain embarrassed and hurt.
But she did have a little to show for it.
“They paid me a whopping $13,” Curry said. “I still have those bills framed and hanging on my wall.”
Curry, a Sterling native, has been doing stand-up comedy for about two years, and things have improved since her first performance.
This month, Curry opened for Michael Palascak, a Comedy Central-featured comedian, in the Student Union Little Theater.
Curry has 11 stand-up performances under her belt.
Another show she remembers took place in a bar in Memphis, Tenn.
While there with her mother, Curry quietly began to make fun of two singers performing on stage.
An audience member who heard Curry’s comments called her out and she ended up going on stage that night unprepared.
Curry’s other performances include those for OSU’s Freshmen Follies, Camp Cowboy and the Oklahoma Gay Pride Association.
Curry began her career at an early age, reciting jokes from HBO specials and Saturday Night Live skits.
Erika’s mother, Tina, said Erika was always a funny child and was involved in skits and pageants.
Tina remembers one of her daughter’s funnier childhood moments.
“Erika was 2 years old and was really excited about this swimsuit,” Tina said. “So she put it on over her clothes and began prancing around.”
Being the oldest of the grandchildren in a large family helped Curry developed her love for attention, as she puts it.
Her grandmother and her mother have been encouraging Curry throughout her career.
Curry said the family member who influenced her career in comedy most is her Uncle Cary.
“He is really funny and is a great story teller,” Curry said. “He really inspired me to start stand-up comedy.”
Curry also had her own reasons for doing comedy.
“A lot of people say girls aren’t funny,” Curry said. “I’m here to prove them wrong.”
Don’t ‘Curry,’ be happy with OSU comedian
OSU student pursues stand-up comedy, shares stories
By CJ Grimes
Print this article
Share this article Published: Monday, August 31, 2009
Erika Curry, a film studies senior, has 11 stand-up comedy performances under her belt. She made $13 at her first perfomance at Mike’s College Bar, and she still has those $13 framed on her wall. She said being the oldest grandchild in a large family helped her develop her love of attention. She has performed for OSU Freshmen Follies, Camp Cowboy and the Oklahoma Gay Pride Association.
A heckler’s voice ringing out across a dimly lit bar can bring even the most prepared comedians to their knees.
Erika Curry, a film studies senior, knows this feeling all too well.
Curry recounted the experience of her first paid gig at Mike’s College Bar, which in her opinion, did not go so well.
“I bombed it,” Curry said.
Curry, underage at the time, had the chance to perform in front of an audience of professional comedians at Mike’s.
Curry nervously took her place on stage, positioned six feet above the rest of the audience. The lights were turned down low, but Curry could still see the faces of all those waiting to be entertained — which only intensified the uncomfortable knot in her stomach.
If all the pressure and anxiety wasn’t enough, Curry also had to face a performer’s worst nightmare — the heckler.
“That’s REALLY funny, Erika,” the drunken and hoarse sounding voice shouted from the darkness.
The inebriated “friend of a friend,” as Curry called him, continued to yell even after she left the stage.
But Curry’s grandmother found a liquid cure for the unruly audience member. She found after buying him more alcohol was enough to pacify him for the remainder of the show.
Curry left the bar that night in the pouring rain embarrassed and hurt.
But she did have a little to show for it.
“They paid me a whopping $13,” Curry said. “I still have those bills framed and hanging on my wall.”
Curry, a Sterling native, has been doing stand-up comedy for about two years, and things have improved since her first performance.
This month, Curry opened for Michael Palascak, a Comedy Central-featured comedian, in the Student Union Little Theater.
Curry has 11 stand-up performances under her belt.
Another show she remembers took place in a bar in Memphis, Tenn.
While there with her mother, Curry quietly began to make fun of two singers performing on stage.
An audience member who heard Curry’s comments called her out and she ended up going on stage that night unprepared.
Curry’s other performances include those for OSU’s Freshmen Follies, Camp Cowboy and the Oklahoma Gay Pride Association.
Curry began her career at an early age, reciting jokes from HBO specials and Saturday Night Live skits.
Erika’s mother, Tina, said Erika was always a funny child and was involved in skits and pageants.
Tina remembers one of her daughter’s funnier childhood moments.
“Erika was 2 years old and was really excited about this swimsuit,” Tina said. “So she put it on over her clothes and began prancing around.”
Being the oldest of the grandchildren in a large family helped Curry developed her love for attention, as she puts it.
Her grandmother and her mother have been encouraging Curry throughout her career.
Curry said the family member who influenced her career in comedy most is her Uncle Cary.
“He is really funny and is a great story teller,” Curry said. “He really inspired me to start stand-up comedy.”
Curry also had her own reasons for doing comedy.
“A lot of people say girls aren’t funny,” Curry said. “I’m here to prove them wrong.”