6/29/09

It's everyone's classic nightmare--you're giving a speech in public and suddenly you realize you forgot to wear clothes. But Andy Ofiesh, the 41-year-old software developer who started Naked Comedy Showcase, living that nightmare every month at Central Square's Improv Boston is what gives him and the comedians on his roster some of their best and funniest work. There's even a point in the show when audience members are invited to strip and tell a joke on stage--so anyone has a shot at naked stardom. In a conversation over the phone Sunday, he fleshed out (so to speak) the history behind his birthday suit spectacular.

So, Andy, what's this show all about?

A.O.: Really, my motivation in doing the show is sharing the experience with other people. And it's a great gimmick; it draws people in.

How did the idea for a naked comedy showcase evolve into the official Naked Comedy Showcase?

A.O.: It's kind of a long story. In 1998, I took a class in stand up comedy at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. I just took the class to meet women or be more social, 'cause I wasn't really dating or anything so I thought, alright, I need to get out there. That totally didn't work. But I really liked stand up comedy. At the same time, I went to a weekend workshop that was "clothing optional."

Where was that?

A.O: In Western Mass. A place called Earthdance. Actually, most of the stuff they do there isn't necessarily clothing optional. The workshop was about relationships and intimacy, and again I thought I might go there to meet women. The point is that on Saturday night they did an entertainment program where anyone could get up and entertain everyone. And I did it naked and it was the best thing I've ever done. It was like, "This is why I was brought here." Then I had it in my mind, I need to get a show like this, forever. Then in summer 2005, I did the first Naked Comedy Showcase.

Seems like a long gap between the idea and the realization. What took so long?

A.O.: I had to learn to do stand-up comedy, and it took me awhile. It's also part of being a part of the Boston comedy community, getting to a place where I could approach a venue like Improv Boston and have enough credit for them to say that's a good idea. You can't just say, "Hey, I took this naked retreat; can I come do my crazy idea?"

How do you recruit comedians to come do the show?

A.O.: Everyone I like in comedy gets asked. Everyone that knows me who I don't think is awful. I get a lot of no's. People think I'm joking. Sometimes people say, "Wow that's interesting, that would really push my boundaries. I'm intrigued."

It seems like a pretty scary idea. Have you ever had any comedians get up there and completely freak out?

A.O.: A lot of the freaking out happens before. They go through everything. Totally freak out before they get out there. And then when they hit the stage, all of that's over. Every time, they go from freaking out to going, 'This is okay. I'm not dead, I'm not getting eaten by a lion. It's okay.' As soon as people experience the respect that the audience universally has--I can say maybe one drunken audience in Scotland wasn't so respectful. But 90 percent of the time, the audience is loving and willing to respect. When people are confronted with that, it feels great. When you go through the hoop of fire, you come out feeling like a rock star.

Do you think being naked pushes people to get more on their game? More than if they're clothed?

A.O.: I don't know if it makes people funnier, but there was one particular woman I did a show with. This woman really wanted to do it, but she was terrified, obsessed over trimming [her private area]. And, uh, you know was really kind of, at one point I almost told her, 'Are you sure? I think maybe this isn't a good idea for you.' She had a lot of stage fright in other comedy shows. On stage, she never looked comfortable. And it was me and other two really experienced comedians backstage. As soon as she hit and told one joke, our jaws dropped. I saw the other two comics as my jaw was coming down and oh my God, we've never heard her sound that good. And she killed. She totally had the audience in the palm of her hand. She said, 'As soon as I told one joke, I was present. I was able to think and hear the audience and I felt like I had good timing and I knew what I was doing.' And I got a call later in the week, the she did another gig. And it didn't carry over.

You said you once performed in Scotland. Have you taken this show on the road? Where have you gone?

A.O.: New York, at the People's Improv Theater, once a month as well. In 2007, I went to the international Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since the late '80s comedy has been huge there. I did the naked show every day for a month. It was crazy. And the show wasn't well received. Got great promotion. It was just a cultural difference. I never quite got a critical mass on getting buzz with critics and other comics. It needs to be an event, but it was just like a regular show. And because it was every night, there were usually just 20 people. You need that energy. I learned a lot from it, great experience. Helps me appreciate what we have here.

What's the difference between a New York and a Boston audience? Which do you like more?

A.O.: There's a lot fewer of my people in New York--friends of friends who see the show. Also, in New York you get enough people in the room who've already seen a lot of crazy, f*ed up things that day. "Eh, naked comedy, whatever." A little more jaded. But typically we get good audiences in New York. Whereas in Boston, 99 percent of the time, the audience is really hot. In New York I get more comedians who are like, "Stage time. I need stage time! I have to be naked? Well, alright."

It seems like you're pretty popular with the college crowd. Besides the obvious assumption that college kids basically like nudity, why do you think the show appeals to this demographic?

A.O.: I think because it's out there. When I was in college, I was looking for anything that was outside of the norm. You leave home to go to school in some strange city, it puts you on some sense of adventure, and rather than go out to see the movies, let's try this new thing that nobody else has ever done.

When I came to see the show, I was surprised and kind of refreshed at the imperfect bodies that were up there, that you're not used to seeing. Like one guy joked about his psoriasis. Can you talk about how your show challenges all kinds of body assumptions?

A.O.: Yeah. You're getting a real random collection of bodies, rather than bodies that are being shown to you, because of how they look. That's the same thing with a nudist resort. Some of them are actually gorgeous but enough of them aren't that you get an understanding. It's a taste of reality, really.

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