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COMEDY
L.A. Comedian Mike Citera
love watching live comedy, knowing that I will be witnessing something dynamic and that the comedians can artfully take the most mundane subject matter and transform it into a three-dimensional world where everything is funny. Comedians have the ability to see between the lines of everyday life and find the nuances that we take for granted. I sat down with L.A. comic Mike Citera, to learn about what it takes to be a success in comedy. Citera tours and headlines clubs all over the country, and it’s clear that comedy is something that came naturally to him. “When I was 15 I did stand-up at a summer camp talent show, and that went fantastic,” he recalls. “I started to go into New York, experimenting at shows and open mics in Manhattan.” Having found his calling at a young age, Citera kept the momentum going while attending Ithaca College in upstate New York and made the move to Los Angeles to devote himself to a full-time career on stage. The move was a natural transition. “The day I got here I was like, ‘Yeah, this is where I want to live,’” he says. “I got off the plane, and I went to In-N-Out, I went to a beach, I went to a comedy club and thought, ‘I love this town, this is me.’” With his boyish charm and good looks, Citera wins audiences over the moment he steps on stage. Watching him perform feels like watching a friend casually tell jokes to another group of friends. Citera is aware of the small steps it takes to win over an audience. “On stage I smile a lot so I always look like I’m happy and having fun, and it makes the audience feel more comfortable,” he admits. “If a comic is smiling and laughing along, it makes them more endearing.” It’s a known fact among comedians that people laugh when they’re surprised. However, a comic has to connect to their audience before surprising them. Once Citera has established that oneness, he takes the crowd for a topsyturvy ride. “I have a lot of stories in my act about reckless things that I did because I just don’t say ‘no’ to stuff. Bad stuff happens, but it’s funny later,” he admits. “At the time it’s pretty disastrous. I wind up on a lot of adventures I shouldn’t be on.” The life of comedian can be rough. Establishing a career can take decades, and once that career is up and run-
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ning, comics spend all their weekends touring. It’s a road few can travel, but for Citera, the dedication to his craft pays off regularly. “It’s the most elating feeling in the world to be in a good set where you’re fully connected with the audience, where they’re eating up your every word and they’re in the zone. It’s like having 150 friends listening and hanging out for the 45 minutes you’re on stage. It’s a feeling of ultimate acceptance when all these people you don’t know are just eating up what you say,” he describes. “Even from an audience member’s perspective, when I’m watching somebody amazing on stage really working it, you’re just in awe. It’s such a cool artform because they’re taking you on a journey just by talking, or sitting in a chair or standing with a microphone. It’s very simple. If you go to see a really great show, you get as much out of one person talking as you would at a full Broadway production.” —Ariel Kashanchi
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Photo Credit: Jocelyn James/Living Out Loud LA
On stage I smile a lot so I always look like I’m happy and having fun, and it makes the audience feel more comfortable Mike Citera performs July 15 at Irvine Improv and July 18 at the Comedy Store. For more information, visit mikecitera.com.
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