Professional jokester offers stand-up tips
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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The course allows students to test their stand-up skills before an audience.
"I thought it was a cool idea when he called and offered to do it," said Scott Rogers, who runs the academy for performing arts, usually geared to film, TV and theater. "It's our first session on stand-up comedy."
Bumatai — a seasoned comic who has revived his live-show career with appearances midweek at Brew Moon and Saturdays at the Hoku Hale Showroom of the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel — said the time was right for him to share his secrets.
"The secret is that there are no secrets," said Bumatai. "Just keep it clean, make sure you have some emotional feeling about the jokes, and pace yourself."
A good joke, said Bumatai, often is in front of the performer's nose. "You need to have ownership — feel strongly, good or bad, about your subject," he said. "And recognize what is a joke.
"Everybody tells jokes. But this goes beyond just delivering a gag after having a few beers in the party in the garage."
Bumatai said would-be comedians often don't know how to set up a gag or introduce themselves, or how to use comic timing. He'll share tips on these skills, along with building self-confidence and dissecting a joke.
Bumatai's class runs 7-9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays through May 6, at the Academy of Film and Television, 1174 Waimanu St., Suite A. Tuition is $400 for the session.
At 8 p.m. each Sunday from April 20 through May 11, students will be encouraged to show their stuff before an audience at Brew Moon — kind of an "oral exam" to see if any progress has been made from the previous week's class. The Brew Moon performances are part of Andy's Brother Ray Bumatai's Mental Tilapia comedy show.
"Careers will open and close in that one two-minute sequence," said Bumatai. We're not sure if he was joking.
For information, call 596-8300, or go online at americanfilmactor.com or andybumatai.com.
