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 Views,
Reviews, and Interviews
by Dianne R. Davis
diannerd@aol.com
Photos by Dianne or Burt Davis
Humor
Boot Camp - No Joke!
Thousands of people travel to Las Vegas each year to be entertained and
to laugh. In early December, a dozen adults got together in Vegas to
learn how to make others laugh. No, they aren’t a bunch of young
aspiring comedians. Some are business people who are required to speak
publicly as part of their jobs. Others are folks who just want to be
funnier. They all paid hundreds of dollars to attend a Humor Boot Camp.
And at the end, they all said it was worth it.
Who can teach humor and can it be taught? I went to O’Sheas Casino on
the Las Vegas Strip to find the answer. I was witness to the difference
a few hours of intensive instruction and workshops can make. And I even
wrote a joke!
Darren LaCroix and Vinnie Favorito
This past October, I saw Vinnie Favorito’s hilarious comedy show at
O’Sheas on the Vegas Strip. After the show, I met a friend of Vinnie’s,
Darren LaCroix. Darren looks, well, like the “A” student who didn’t date
much. And his odyssey will bring us to the Humor Boot Camp which he and
Vinnie conducted.
Darren’s ridiculous idea
Many years ago, Darren told me, he had what he calls his “ridiculous
idea.” He was listening to a tape by Ryan Tracy and heard him say, “
What would you do dare to dream if you knew you wouldn’t fail?”
“Bing, I’d be a comedian”, he thought. Here was a man who in high school
was considered the least likely to ever be funny. But he followed his
dream, read every book he could find about comedy, took every class, and
grabbed every chance he could to perform. In 1992, he stepped on stage
in Boston. Eighteen months later, he turned professional. Further down
the road, he became a public speaker extraordinaire. In 2001, Darren
competed against 25,000 contestants from 14 countries, to become
Toastmaster World Champion of Public Speaking.
Clark Wells took his turn at "Stage Time" with Darren LaCroix explaining
a technique
Dr Steward Weiss listened intently to advice from Vinnie Favorito
Now, Darren teaches comedy to CEO’s, business people, aspiring comics,
and, in this case, writers. Vinnie Favorito has been doing stand-up for
more than 20 years and was one of Darren’s mentors.
Which brings us to the class. I arrived in the afternoon of the first
day. The other dozen or so students were seated in the theater at
O’Sheas where Vinnie performs. They were listening intently and writing
notes in their 72 page workbooks. Obviously, this Humor workshop was
serious business.
Tag Team
Darren and Vinnie operate like a tag team, each with their own approach
to comedy. At the end of the first day, students attended Vinnie
Favorito’s comedy show. They learned from a master. The next morning it
was back to work. The intensive days included lecture, stage time,
pairing off into groups of two or three for various exercises, and more
stage time. Students were critiqued by the Boot Camp leaders and by each
other. And there was applause and more applause as the students
supported each others’ efforts. We became cheerleaders, clapping after
mandatory exercises on stage.
One student was called to stage to say “I’ll be right there.” But he had
to do it with anger. The next guy was told to deliver the line, “I
believe that,” but with disbelief. “Be conscious of delivery,” we were
told. “Ya gotta sell it,” Vinnie said.
I met Eric and Gretchen, an engaging - and engaged- couple. He is a
trainer, she is an entomologist. Gretchen found the seminar to be
fabulous and said that, “I didn’t see how in two days you could make a
big difference, but in three hours, wow. I’ve learned techniques to add
humor to my business.
Cathy, a member of Toastmasters and Champion’s Edge had traveled from
Ontario, Canada. “I’ve done stand-up, I’ve done roasts, but I want to
feel more at ease with what I do. There are so many ideas to process.”
After day one of the two day program she called it, “Absolutely
wonderful.”
So, you’re wondering what we learned and how we learned it. Notice I’ve
switched to “we.” I got into it. It is compelling. Maybe there’s a
stand-up comedian in all of us. When they divided the class into groups
of three and invited me to be the third member of a group, I jumped in
willingly. I ran up to take a turn at having stage time. No more the
reporter, the observer. I craved that laughter, that drug-free high that
comes from an appreciative audience.
Vinnie Math
We learned “Vinnie Math” from Vinnie Favorito. “The best comedy and
humor,” he told us, “comes from real life- the husband, the kids, the
friends. He took us on the road from premise to set up to segue to tag
and call back. Diagramming jokes. Dissecting jokes. Hey, this comedy is
serious business with flow charts and components.
There’s got to be something to it. Vinnie Favorito has spent 20 years
making people laugh . He has his own show in Las Vegas on the Strip. He
obviously knows his business. After seeing his show three times in two
months, I would state for the record that he knows what he is talking
about. And he was able to teach a lot of it to his willing students.
Darren LaCroix
Then there’s Darren LaCroix. Darren recently relocated to Las Vegas
because he has more opportunity to speak and teach without having to
travel. He loves what he does. He makes money and helps people.
Dr. Stuart Weiss came from New York specifically for the Humor Boot
Camp. “I saw Darren speak at a conference a few weeks ago and decided
that he had what I wanted” Weiss speaks to people in the Health Care
system about Disaster Management and recognized the need to find ways to
inject some humor into his presentations.
The workbooks have plenty of space for what the instructors term
“keepers”, those light bulb thoughts that you don’t want to loose.
“Commit to it.” “The more you do it, the more believable it becomes.”
“Paint the picture. Make it a visual.”
Vinnie instructs the students on laying out the opening jokes and
building trust. Then Darren is back on stage talking about finding the
mentor at a corporation before you speak there. Look for ways to connect
to the particular group. Aha. Another keeper.
Vinnie applauds, prods, points out students’ strengths and weaknesses.
Darren talks about technical aspects. “Usually you can say it better in
fewer words.” Aha. Another keeper.
At the end of the two day intensive training, the students graduate and
receive their diplomas. That’s well and good, but what they value more
is the knowledge they received.
At the conclusion of the Boot Camp, I asked Dr. Weiss what he was taking
away. “Humor is a process that I can actually utilize,” he said. “They
have demystified humor.”
Sara Blumenfeld flew in from Texas to take the class. “I help Realtors
increase their referrals by providing proven tools and techniques that
are easy and inexpensive. I also speak on personal development topics
such as goal setting and achievement. My speeches tend to be passionate,
but have very little humor. This class has changed me.” She said. “
Being able to add humor will make a huge difference in my talks.”
Sara felt that,“the incredible combination of Darren LaCroix and Vinnie
Favorito provided a unique perspective on humor styles. After attending,
I am confident I now have the skills I need to easily and effectively
add humor to any speaking situation. I even feel funnier!”
The Graduating Class of Humor Boot Camp
And after sitting in on the class and even being invited to participate
in some of the “stage time”, I feel funnier too.
Darren La Croix and Vinnie Favorito will be repeating their Humor Boot
Camp on February 2 and 3, 2008 in Las Vegas. For more information, check
out www.humorbootcamp.com .
Red Rock
Chili Company Dishes Out Good Chili in Henderson
The first time my then-boyfriend took me to his hometown, Cincinnati,
Ohio, to meet his parents, we went directly from the airport to the
Empress Chili Parlor. There, Burt introduced me to the five-way. For
those of you who are not among the initiated, it is composed of Chili,
onions, cheese, spaghetti and beans. I ate it all. I passed the test. He
married me.
Okay, you are wondering, what does this have to do with Las Vegas and
vicinity. Well, the other day he noticed a coupon in the Review Journal
for a new chili place called Red Rock Chili company. Guess where we went
for dinner.
It’s a tiny little shop at 9500 South Eastern between Serene and
Silverado Ranch. They have regular chili, Caribbean chicken chili, hot
rock chili, vegetarian chili… Well, you get the idea. Burt ordered the
Cincinnati chili. Big surprise there. You can get chili with potatoes,
spaghetti, nachos, burritos. It’s a long list. There are fresh salads to
go with your chili as well as a number of sides.
The shop has less than a dozen little tables and it isn’t very well lit.
But if you come for good chili, you don’t care about that, do you. I
ordered chili without beans on spaghetti.
It comes a la carte or for another $1.95 you can have the meal which
includes salad or fries and a drink.
There are coupons running in the Las Vegas Review Journal that provide a
buy one get one free, But hurry. They expire the end of December. The
franchise has multiple locations in California, but this is the first
one in Nevada and its right in my back yard in Henderson.
If you are a chili lover, check out the Red Rock Chili Company. The web
site is www.redrockchili.com .
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