Globetrotting comedienne and entertainer Chelsea Hart has returned to her hometown of Kenai to offer a comedy writing workshop with the Kenai Performers today.
Hart said that the workshop will be an opportunity for aspiring comics to learn how to solidify their routine and start producing material for their acts. Students should bring about three minutes worth of material to go over for the workshop, she said.
The Kenai Performers have offered comedy and improv classes in the past, and this is Hart’s first time leading one of these workshops. Hart believes that there is a lot of talent on the Kenai Peninsula. She is excited to be able to foster that talent as a way of giving back to the community where she grew up.
The multitalented Hart has spent the last five years touring across Europe, but not originally for comedy. Instead, she was focused on opera. Hart has been singing arias from England to Bosnia and almost everywhere in between.
She began doing comedy about three years ago, and fell in love with it instantly. She says that comedy is so enjoyable because there are no limitations, and she can do anything she wants with her act. Hart recalls taking an improv class with Carol Ford and the Kenai Performers when she was a teenager. She didn’t realize it at the time, but that class planted the seed for her comedy career later in life.
The writing workshop will be taking place from 12-3 p.m. today.
Registration is $30 and spots are limited to 10 students. According to Hart, about half of the spots have already been filled. After the workshop, there will be an open mic show where the students will be able to perform their newly crafted routines. Anyone can sign up for the open mic, even if they do not participate in the workshop. Registration for the open mic starts at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 6:30.
The show will be open to the public and will be “pay what you want,” meaning that the audience can donate however much they would like at the end of the performances.
Both events will be taking place at the Kenai Performers building on Kalifornsky Beach Road, behind the Subway.
• By BRIAN MAZUREK, Peninsula Clarion
