First off, chill. Relax. Don’t be scared.
Who We Are and What We Do:
- Off the Wall is the University of Maryland’s only student group devoted solely to stand-up comedy.
- We were founded in February 2008 by Justin Cousson, Atif Myers and Brittany Borghi. The first members recruited for the group were Steve Shafran, Terry Hayes, Adam Fishbein and Joe Welkie.
- Justin Cousson is the group’s current president, Lou Applebaum serves double-duty as Vice President and Treasurer.
- Off the Wall held six open mic nights in Spring 2008, as well as two showcases – one in the Stamp Student Union Atrium and another for the Artomatic Festival in D.C. The group also performed at Art Attack XXV on McKeldin Mall. In Fall 2008, we held five open mic nights as well as three showcases – at the Grand Ballroom Lounge, the Zeta Psi Frat House and the Stamp Student Union Baltimore Room.
- Comics involved with Off the Wall have performed at numerous venues in the area, including the DC Improv, Magooby’s Joke House in Baltimore, The Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia, the Gotham Comedy Club in New York and the Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival.
Joining Off the Wall:
- To audition for Off the Wall’s feature shows and become a part of the core group that plans the shows and runs the promotional machine, you simply sign-up for a spot at one of our open mics and let the group know you’re interested in getting more involved, as the group meets monthly for joke-writing workshops.
Where We Are:
- Off the Wall shows are primarily held in the Queen Anne’s Hall Multipurpose Room (the basement lounge)
- Queen Anne’s Hall is located between Somerset Hall and Anne Arundel Hall – it’s also somewhat behind McKeldin Library.
- If you knock on the door, the CAs at the main desk will buzz you in. The Multipurpose Room is located right at the foot of the staircase.
- Off the Wall showcases have also been held in the Stamp Student Union Atrium and the Grand Ballroom Lounge. The location of these shows will be noted on the site under “Flings, Things and Happenings.”
Audience Members:
- Our shows always start promptly at 8:02. Because we like to keep our venues fairly intimate, you’ll want to get to an Off the Wall show at least fifteen minutes before that to make sure you’re not in a scramble for seating.
- Laugh, love, and get comfortable.
- If you dig what you see, feel free to join the Facebook group so you can get the latest updates on all the group’s shows.
Open Mic Rules:
- We’re at a strict five-minute rule for performers. Someone will be in the back of the venue giving you a finger count (“3 fingers = 3 minutes,” “2 fingers = 2 minutes” “waving cell phone = wrap it up/one-minute”) Be respectful of the time, as ignoring the signals is the easiest way to guarantee not getting an invite back.
- Generally on a show that’s a feature show/open mic, we have six open mic spots available that you can snag by showing up early to any show. For the open mic challenge shows, there are fifteen spots, and you’ll want to sign up in advance by firing off an e-mail to UMDOfftheWall@gmail.com.
- Be social. Stick around for the show and don’t just bolt after you’ve gone up.
- There are no restrictions on content. The only jokes that are offensive at Off the Wall are the jokes that aren’t funny.
- If you’ve signed up for an open mic spot, bring five people to the show. We try to keep a good crowd, and you want to have people who already dig you there, don’t you?
Local Spotlight Rules:
- If you’re a comedian from outside of UMD and you’re looking to do a feature spot at Off The Wall, write to UMDOfftheWall@gmail.com with a link to an 8-10 minute video of your set. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can, but keep in mind we rarely schedule shows more than two weeks in advance.
Videotaping Policy:
- We will tape your set if you ask before the show, so get in touch with the host for the night or just find Justin. The rates are as follows:
- $5 – We’ll tape your set and put it on Youtube or give you a CD with the compressed file so you can do it yourself.
- $10 – We’ll tape your set and give you a DVD that you can play on any DVD player with your performance on it.
- $12 – We’ll tape your set, put it on YouTube, give you a DVD, and a CD that contains the raw video file in both uncompressed and compressed (ready to upload anywhere) versions.
- If you want to tape your own set, all we ask is that if you use a tripod, set up in the back of the room so as not to obstruct anyone’s view.
