Nick Wevursky, a standup comic in Rutland County, has always had a talent for finding humor in everyday life. Growing up across small towns in the Green Mountain state, he balanced activities like tending horse farms and snowboarding at Stratton, where his sister was a pro. Even as a kid, he loved making people laugh, whether by joking into a wooden spoon or charming snowboard pros. His passion led him to Los Angeles, where he embraced open mics, TV production, and film projects. Now back in Vermont, Wevursky continues to bring his unique humor to the stage, navigating what it means to be funny in an ever-changing world.
Q&A with Nick Wevursky
Can you start by telling us a bit about who you are and what you do? What are you currently involved in professionally?
Well, I’m a standup comic here in Rutland County, Vermont, who was born in Springfield, grew up mostly in South Londonderry (Weston, Cavendish, Ludlow, as well). I spent most of being a kid doing a weird mix of stuff, like most Vermonters. One day I’d be taking care of a few local horse farms, next day I’d be reading, and hopping around the rivers out back, or falling up down the local ski hills. One of my sisters was a professional snowboard racer, so I mostly grew up chasing her, and the other pros around Stratton trying to get them to teach me stuff. I was always the little punk in the background tryin’ to be funny so I could garner enough good will to learn a McTwist from the rad ones like Ron Chiodi (thanks Ron). I’m just a standup comic mostly, but that led me into other work too. I worked for a few years in TV production, helped while making stuff like “Lip Sync Battle” learned how real sets work. I helped a buddy of mine shoot a movie back in L.A. called “Alta California” that’s working its way through the festival circuit, and I’m really proud of helping make that movie. Andrés Taboada is the hilarious writer/director, and a guy I met doing open mics out and about on the WestSide of Los Angeles when I was starting out. Seeing friends like him make amazing art really motivates me, and keeps me out telling jokes night after night. Comedy is a world of creative, sensitive people all trying to Rumpelstiltskin their pain and life experiences into feel-good gold, so the more you become involved the more you want to stay.
How did you get started in comedy? Can you share some details about your early experiences and what inspired you to pursue this path?
Almost as soon as we were married, my extraordinary wife Kara and I moved out to Los Angeles. We were both bartenders by trade, and so while looking for a job I interviewed to be a doorguy at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach. I was already crazy in love with standup since I was a kid, so to get paid to watch it by the beach was a fantastic way to land on the West Coast. Somewhere, there is a videotape of me walking up and down my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Don’s kitchen counter, telling jokes into a wooden spoon. I think I was 3? So I think I’ve always wanted to be a comic. It wasn’t till years later, in L.A. watching comics like George Wallace, or Gary Shandling at the CMC try, and retry jokes until they worked that I really fell in love with day-to-day craft of something I had up until then always seen as these crazy out-of-reach, polished gems. To me standup “Specials” were something people in this world just had in them, and it wasn’t until I realized how hard everyone works that a life in standup might be something accessible to me as well.
My entire family is funny and we all loved watching anything that made us laugh. As a kid I was always drawn to the “funny” version of everything (movies, books, comic books—”The Tick,” “Deadpool,” famous people like Shaq, etc.) and I eventually realized I just wanted to make it a lifestyle rather than a workplace interruption. The first day I got paid $5 for only telling dick jokes instead of being yelled out by some dink manager, I was bonded to comedy for life. Back when I was on the track and field team, I was getting my first bachelors at UVM and I was on the team with comic Carmen Lagala who was an incredible athlete. One day Kara and I went to an open mic at the Half Lounge in Burlington and Carmen was the host. To see someone I had only known as a focused athlete be hilarious throughout the course of the mic was a real glass-ceiling breaker for me. I didn’t know I was allowed to do comedy. Then watching the rest of the open mic, I saw some people who had no idea what they were doing and it made me slap my hand onto the cocktail table and say “Well, I can do that!” And being the incredibly courageous man I am, I waited several years until I moved 3,000+ miles away from anyone I had ever met, went underground, under a bridge to a place called Echoes Under Sunset, and performed my first set to a crowd of high, drunk and mostly disinterested fellow comics (after signing up and immediately getting in my car to leave a couple of times). Only 10 sets later Maria Bamford was the comic on stage after me and I realized I was in way over my head.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when you were starting out in comedy, and how did you overcome them?
Besides stuff like stage fright, not having any jokes, the seemingly impossible mission to listen or watch myself after recording *SHUDDER?* Or the L.A. open-mic comedy being a mostly a nightmarish gaggle of gentrified high-school cliques who focus on almost anything other than being funny? I guess my biggest challenge was the skateboarding. I got hit by 4+cars on my electric Boosted Board in LA just getting to mics. I still have a little bit of asphalt in my elbow, so I carry around those days with me in more than just my heart. Getting over stage fright is the one people always ask me about the most, and once I don’t have it I’d be happy to share pointers. Some of the best advice I heard on the topic is that I guess there is no real physiological difference in the body between fear and excitement. So you just need to keep lying to yourself that it’s “exciting” to fail in front of strangers, not “fear-inducing” or “terrifying.” Honestly writing about it gives me anxiety, so it’s not like it doesn’t exist in my brain, I just try and reframe the fear and just get out there and enjoy the fail. Finding good clubs and places to perform is a huge part of that, too. When we first moved back to Vermont from L.A. in 2020, I was going to the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington a lot for their open mic because it’s such a welcoming place to fool around on stage. I’m naturally an introvert which I understand to mean I gain energy by being around only a few people and tend to expend it out with a lot of people. I love performing but it also takes a lot out of my social abilities, and finding places that recharge you is huge. I grew up playing a lot of sports and really approached a lot of my problems in standup like an athlete. Trying to just be funny on stage is so scary when you start. So I would break it into achievable goals, which helped. Nothing helped like meeting other comics. Once I started to meet people I could just share stage anxieties with it became easier mic by mic. The first compliment I got on a joke kept me chugging for years (thanks Nick Taravella). There are so many people out there who just said a nice word to me, or shared a trick-of-the-trade, drove me to/from a mic, and that stuff really helps a comic who is new and sucked. Art Hernandez gave me my first $5 for filling in as a host at the Cinema Bar, and I’ll never be anything but thankful to that dude. A lot of standup fills me with terror, but pretty much all of it gets immediately squashed by just getting on stage, and making myself just do it. Everyone finds their own tricks, and goals to set to keep themselves on course and I think finding those things yourself is very important.
Can you describe a pivotal moment or turning point in your career that significantly impacted your journey as a comedian?
After trying off and on for years, the first time I ever got to go up at the Comedy Store in L.A., I got picked to go up first, on April Fool’s Day 2018. The idea of walking on any stage at the store felt like I was about to pitch at opening day at Fenway. As soon as I saw my name on the list my stomach sank because I knew there was nowhere to run, and nobody else thought it was cute to signup in purple ink, that was all my dumb-idea. April 1st was also the first of the days they were filming for Showtime’s “The Comedy Store,” so there were several cameras on tripods, & cameramen with steady-cams walking around. Adam Eget (the booker at the time) was there notebook in hand ready to suss-out new talent, so it was way more pomp and circumstance than any usual night. I got on stage in front of the cameras, Adam and six people in the audience and proceeded to bomb horrifically while the other comics crossed their arms, pissed not to be picked. My nerves definitely let me know I wasn’t ready at the time, but I finally could say I had gotten up at the Original room. Going up at the Store was kind of a “happy nightmare,” but it wasn’t the only turning point I had. Right before I left L.A., I had the best set of my open mic career at Labwork at the Improv on Melrose. I was doing jokes about a recently deceased basketball player that went great, I was improving new lines, and I was killing among other comics, which felt surreal. While I was on stage I had this weird out of body experience where I could see the entire crowd at the same time—while I was still talking — I had a quick conversation with myself saying “Holy crap, you’re doing it, this is what comedy is, you’re finally killing on stage at the Improv” and as quickly as that gushing feeling of self-fulfillment came, it was washed out by the thought “Hey bud, you’re still on stage and talkin,” which immediately shot me back into the moment and I finished out my set. A short while later the world shut down globally and everyone was told not to congregate for 16 months, which seemed like divine intervention for my self-esteem reaching too high a level at the Improv.
How has your comedy evolved over the years? Have there been any key influences or changes in your style and approach?
When I started out I was trying to physically write out every word and my jokes came across much more stilted and theatrical. Watching guys like Ian Bagg at the CMC really helped me stay true to the more improvisational, free-flowing bartender I grew up being. Ian always kills, and does it without pacing the halls like some of the other comics at the club. Legendary comics like Gary Shandling were brilliant, but for me watching them from a distance in the sound booth or in the halls, some of the comics seemed almost tortured by the exactitude of their writing. Everyone has their own style and should find it, but seeing Ian Bagg just casually stroll on stage and trust that he’s funny was something I found very motivating and comedically pure. After years of trying I’m starting to become more comfortable myself with not having a set I have to stick to, knowing I have jokes in my head to pull from, and that the most important thing is to try to stay in the moment with the audience, often the plan is no-good.
What does a typical day or week look like for you now? How do you balance performing, writing, and other aspects of your career?
I write everyday, which some days means pages, and most days means a scribble. A big part of writing for me is getting into a fun playful space mentally, so often I’ll go to the mountains and play. I snowboard during the winter and skateboard to stay in shape during the off season, fishing, hiking and being in the mountains really helps me reset and allow my thoughts to coalesce. Performing is definitely tougher in Vermont than in California so I try to really make the most of when I do perform. Thanks to tons of amazing local show producers like Collen Doyle & Matt Vita at the Woolen Mill Comedy Club, I’m able to work out material when I host or feature. As time goes by though I find the need to produce my own shows becoming a necessity in order to get the longer form stage time it takes in front of varied audiences in order to build a show worth touring or someday presenting to the (mostly likely unwitting) comedy special gods.
Can you discuss your creative process? How do you come up with new material, and what does your writing process entail?
I work on standup everyday, but it’s taken me years to sharpen and then dull my process. After graduating from college and going through so much schooling in “proper” (sorry to the editor for all the grammatical mistakes, who knows I went to school?) writing, I find a lot of my jokes need to be mulled or meditated upon while doing other stuff to get my real thoughts, and not ‘hack-Nick’s’ thoughts. I’ve written so many jokes which don’t even make me laugh, so I try to focus and write down whatever makes me ACTUALLY laugh, or a turn of phrase my brain glues on to, or things that make me feel sudden changes in my emotions. Pretty much all of it is a crazy man’s notes until I try it on stage and try to be startled into being funny. Over the years I’ve tried tons of different ways to capture my thoughts, writing long form, quick notes, having prompts etc. it all works, but nothing works as well as just writing down what makes me laugh. So a lot of “writing” is really just figuring out how to quickly portray an image I have in my head quickly enough for everyone to get at the same time. Trying to explain exactly how I do that would be impossible, because a lot of the time I get it wrong, just ask someone who’s seen me on stage.
How do you handle performing in different venues and for various audiences? What strategies do you use to connect with diverse crowds?
I’ve always considered comedy to be akin to a Rubik’s-cube where each side is a different major element of a good show; the crowd, the jokes, the performance, the mood etc. The best part of comedy is that it’s always shiftin,’ – even on a good night I think I’ve only ever gotten two ‘faces’ of the cube aligned at the same time before the cube self-altered. I try to perform like one of my friends is in the back of the room and I’m telling them the jokes then I pivot when the audience hates it. I pivot a lot. Different venues are generally tougher than different audiences, because of all the weird variables like room noise/lighting/attention-grabbers. Generally people are just people and if you’re being funny they’ll respond. Unless they’re other comics. There’s a fine line between worrying too much about the differences in audiences, and becoming blind to their needs so I’m always trying to realign. The best part about standup is how quickly you get a response to an idea, so it’s not like I always have to go home before I can correct a joke, I can often notice what I missed in the moment and then change the joke so everyone there is on the same page.
What has been the most rewarding experience in your comedy career so far? Are there any specific moments or achievements that stand out to you?
Being told my jokes matter to someone who’s done a lot more for the world than I ever could is easily the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in comedy. I was able to meet an amazing man named who along with a few other amazing regulars (thanks table 1) are at the Woolen Mill Comedy Club in Bridgewater comedy almost EVERY Saturday night. One of those regulars, V.L. Coffin, served multiple decades in the military and told me and a few other comics that it was our comedy that helped him get over fears of being in public after his years overseas. Now he’s running for state rep. and getting out into the public at honey festivals and stuff to shake hands, which would terrify me to get out and do. The idea that even one of my jokes helped V.L., well, I can’t even think of a second moment, because helping a man I look up to is not-at-all why I got into this bartending without the side work (comedy), but it sure as shit does stand out to me and probably always will. There are some days when I’m not really in the mood to perform, but seeing in the audience people like V.L. always kicks my ass into gear, because it reminds me other people need me to be funny too.
What advice would you give to aspiring comedians who are just starting out? Are there any common pitfalls they should avoid?
This sounds antithetical to what you want to hear when staring out but, don’t take too much advice. Relax; and know the audience almost always WANTS you to be funny, so be funny. Everyone bombs, it hurts so fucking much but keep going. Just keep going, and pay attention. You’ll find it. Or you’ll start an improv troupe.
How do you stay motivated and continue to develop your craft? Are there any particular habits or practices that contribute to your success?
Motivation is easy, believing is hard. I love comedy and the only way to stay in a game is to keep playing. But bombing on stage always hurts so I’d do stuff to keep going in spite of the bomb. When I was just starting out, I had to make a little excel sheet to record my sets, with all sorts of stuff like length of set (almost always 3-5 minutes), where it was, the host’s name, all sorts of unimportant data. I just had to do SOMETHING that wasn’t performing or writing, that was still “doing comedy” to help me feel like I was keeping momentum. Now that I’ve been practicing for almost a decade, I give myself tasks within my sets that make me focus on particulars. If I’m feeling scared of delivering a bit, I’ll make myself do it in the eyes of a guy I think will hate it, so at least I can find out which one of us is right. The only consistent habit I have that helps is getting on stage, at any one point in time I may have a few habits to help me continue to work on a part of the craft, but they do change as my goals shift on stage. Recording and watching my sets has always helped considerably but it’s always a struggle to watch openly, and not just throw tomatoes while cursing at the screen.
What future projects or goals do you have in the works? Is there anything specific you’re excited about or looking forward to in your career?
I really love restaurants and bars, and I recently put on a show at Brix Bistro in Rutland, which was an amazingly fun time thanks to the other comics Liz Glazer, and Eric Drieblatt. The chef made an amazing three-course meal, and I think a lot more local shows of that caliber will be on both and hopefully Southern Vermont’s horizon. I try to put everything coming up on my website www.WEVURSKI.com so people who are interested can stay informed about upcoming shows. I like the idea of showcasing together the talents of both local restaurant workers with comics in order to allow a time and space for people to go out having fun together. While I imagine real success isn’t exactly around the corner, I’ve been trying to just enjoy every time I step on stage. As much as I love creating comedy, the idea of just putting out material to garner views/followers or just attention seems horrific. To that end, most of my focus is just on writing stronger and becoming a better comic. The ability to travel and see the world while making people laugh is really the goal, so as long as I keep reminding myself that wherever I am is good for now. I’m starting work on compiling and writing an hour so I can start working as a headliner more. One of my bigger goals in the future is to get over to Edinburgh to do the Fringe festival, if we’re not embroiled in WWIII by that time.
