Around Town
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Veronica Porras, an aspiring local comedian, knows all about being in the right place at the time. Her luck led to an invitation by her idol, superstar comedian Dave Chappelle, to open for him recently at his show at the Punchline comedy club in San Francisco.
A funny thing happened to Porras at comedy club
By Jennifer van der Kleut
To be a successful comedian takes a dynamic personality, a great sense of humor and perseverance.
Veronica Porras says sometimes a really great notebook helps, too.
Porras' notebook helped land her the opportunity of a lifetime, performing her original comedy routine on stage at one of San Francisco's most prominent comedy clubs, opening for the legendary Dave Chappelle.
Porras, 28, a Los Gatos resident who spends her days working in accounting at ILOG Inc., started her amateur comedy career last fall. Since attending classes at the San Francisco Comedy College, she has been pounding the pavement, performing at as many open mic nights as she can and appearing at local clubs.
Porras says she has always been a fan of comedy, and after graduating from San Jose State University and getting a job, she was able to get out and see more local shows. Online, through her MySpace page, she began networking with local comedians. She began working closely with local comedian Justin McClure, helping him promote his shows, and eventually began thinking about her own routine.
Since many of the comedians she knew had graduated from the San Francisco Comedy College, she enrolled in the program herself. Porras says the classes helped teach her how to tailor her routines to the audience, how to break the ice with a good line, the basic formula for a good joke, how to hold a microphone, how to recover if she flubs a joke and how to improvise.
All of that certainly paid off the night she found herself on stage at the renowned Punchline comedy club in San Francisco, opening for her idol, TV and movie star Dave Chappelle.
"It was one of those pure luck, right place, right time kind of things," she says.
Porras subscribes to the online announcements list for the Punchline. On April 9, she received a special last-minute notice from the club that Chappelle would be performing there that very night. She snatched up tickets right away and headed up for the 10 p.m. show.
Over the past several years, Chappelle has become one of the most famous and highest-paid comedians in the business. In addition to movies such as Half Baked, ConAir, The Nutty Professor and You've Got Mail, Chappelle starred in his own TV show on Comedy Central, Chappelle's Show, which combined his original stand-up routines with sketch comedy. The show was a huge hit.
"It was just awesome watching him perform; I'd never seen him live before," she says.
After the show ended, Porras says Chappelle's security guards escorted him backstage. She headed to the restroom while her friend waited outside.
When she emerged from the restroom a few minutes later, the club had emptied, except for the staff, a few stragglers--and Chappelle.
There he was, chatting with fans just a few feet away. Excitedly, Porras walked over to see if she could get her idol's autograph. Chappelle happily agreed.
She pulled out her "joke notebook" from her purse as a hard surface for him to write on. Porras faithfully carries her notebook around wherever she goes so she can jot down a joke whenever one comes to mind. Chappelle noticed it.
"He said, 'Hey, I have the same notebook. What is this?' and he actually began flipping through it! I was so embarrassed," she says. "I told him, 'It's my joke notebook. I'm an aspiring comedian, but I'm just starting out!'"
Chappelle asked her how long she'd been working on her comedy, which was about seven months. She also told him she'd attended the comedy college nearby.
"He said, 'That's great! Tell you what--I'll give you some stage time tomorrow night before my set,' " she says. "I couldn't believe it. I just stared at him and said, 'Are you serious?' But he said, 'Sure thing, I'll hook you up.' "
Before Porras knew what was happening, she was booked to open for her idol the very next night. Before she left, Chappelle shook her hand and said, "Can't wait to see your set."
Porras performed some of her signature jokes, making fun of the Dear Abby-style radio show "Delilah," and admitting sheepishly how she once paid $700 for a hooded sweatshirt made by Project Runway reality TV show winner Jeffrey just so she could meet him.
The audience's applause was like music to Porras' ears as she left the stage. Afterward, Chappelle came on, and it was another unforgettable moment when, halfway through his set, he asked the audience to give her one last round of applause for the great job she did.
After the show, Porras got one last hug from her hero as he said goodbye and told her again what a great set she performed.
Porras' experience with Chappelle has strengthened her resolve to keep working hard on her dream of being a successful comedian. She now dedicates several nights a week to her budding career. She can be seen regularly Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Clubhouse in San Francisco, which is attached to the college; Tuesday nights at Rudy's in Palo Alto; and periodically at the Graeme Matthew Studio in San Jose, where she is scheduled to appear on May 31. However, Porras is most looking forward to appearing with her good friend McClure at one of the Bay Area's hottest comedy clubs, The Improv in San Jose, on May 30.
If all goes well, her performance with Chappelle might turn out to be more than just once in a lifetime.
For information on Veronica Porras' upcoming appearances at the San Jose Improv and the Graeme Matthew Studio, visit www.myspace.com/veronicaporras.