By Sarah Calvin
Sunday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. — KILLINGTON—In a monthly collaboration between the Woolen Mill Comedy Club and local restaurant Still on the Mountain, a night of comedy comes to Killington on Sunday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. The headliner will be Matt Dundas, a Maine-based comedian and father who has performed at festivals and comedy clubs across the U.S. Woolen Mill Comedy Club co-founder Collen Doyle will open.
Although the Woolen Mill Comedy Club has brought comedy performances to Still on the Mountain during ski season, the summer comedy series signifies a more permanent partnership. Woolen Mill co-founder Matt Vita says a lot of comedy is a vibe, and he appreciates the intimacy afforded by performing in a smaller venue like Still on the Mountain.
“Small intimate spaces, just for the energy of a comedy show, are great,” said Vita. “A lot of comedy’s connecting with an audience. When you’re in a small room like [this venue, the comedian is] a little more than an arm’s length from where the audience is sitting. You can see everybody; you can have these fun interactions. There’s a certain playfulness to a small room that’s like fun for a performer.”
Doyle and Vita love to bring big talent to smaller stages and audiences at the Woolen Mill and other host sites, such as Still on the Mountain and their annual Vermont Comedy Festival. The most recent headliner at Still on the Mountain was Sharon Simon, a New York City-based comedian who echoed Vita’s appreciation for performing in smaller venues.
“I love interacting directly with people,” said Simon. “People go to see live comedy because they’re there for the experience that’s happening in that moment. This was amazing because people in Vermont are curious and interested and not very judgmental, so it gives a chance to try new things and experiment and recover like, you know if that’s all a joke and they don’t like it, it’s okay. They’ll let me recover. They’ll let me move on.”
Vita also hopes the Woolen Mill’s expansion to other venues will help cultivate the local comedy scene, inspiring younger or newer performers to try their hand at it.
“Come out [to a show], see what we’re doing, introduce yourselves,” said Vita. “I would love to see the interest grow because it’d be great to cultivate more local talent.”
For more information and tickets for Sunday’s show, visit the Woolen Mill Comedy Club Facebook page or its Eventbrite page.
