New York comedian finds laughs in everyday life

Dave Waite performs this weekend at Connxtions Comedy Club in South Toledo.

Dave Waite will use fodder from his few years in the mainstream workforce to make audiences laugh this weekend at Connxtions Comedy Club.

"I was only in the work force for about eight years. I do talk a lot about the times I worked at Delta and worked in offices and was a substitute teacher," Waite said during a phone interview from Cincinnati.

He switched careers four years ago when he found himself at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder, unhappy, and ready for a change. "I always thought I was funny. I don't think people told me I was funny, but I always thought I was," he said.

Waite's home is New York, but most of the time he lives in hotels throughout the nation while performing. His humor comes primarily from observation and his life. "I talk a lot about myself and my life experience and observations about things people don't usually observe."

His four years on the road and on the stage are proving to be a better career course, he said.

"I think it's going pretty good: this year I won the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta. I was on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show in May -- that was the best day ever. In July, I got to go to Montreal for the Just for Laughs Festival."

Opening for Waite is Chicago native Ryan Budds. The comedian/writer frequently performs at The Improv and Zanies in Chicago. He has opened for Bobcat Goldthwait, Zach Galifianakis, and Christopher Titus.

Dave Waite will perform at 8 p.m. today and 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Connxtions Comedy Club, 5319 Heatherdowns Blvd. Ryan Budds will open each show. Tickets are $8 for today, $12 for Friday, and $15 for Saturday performances. Information: 419-867-9041 or connxtionscomedyclub.com.

Season of the Arts

The Blade is seeking the 2012-2013 area theater lineup for the Season of the Arts section. Submissions for theater listings should include the theater's name, address, phone number, email address, and a contact person's name and phone number.

Also include a chronological list of the 2012-2013 productions and the venue if it differs from your theater's stage.

Send items titled "2012-2013 Theater" to jnjaim@theblade.com by Wednesday.

Comedians Jam

ANN ARBOR -- Twelve Detroit area comedians will take the stage at 8 p.m. today for Comedy Jamm at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase in Ann Arbor. The acts will range from beginning comedians trying to see if they've got the right stuff to seasoned performers testing new material to funny people auditioning for a gig in the Showcase.

Comedy Jamm will be performed at 8 p.m. today in the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 314 East Liberty St., Ann Arbor. Advance tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Information: 734-996-9080 or aacomedy.com.

Student Plays

The University of Toledo student thespians' creativity under pressure will be tested Saturday when they present 24 Hour Plays, a collection of one-act plays written, directed, and performed by students within a 24-hour period.

The production will last about two hours and will include five or six 10-minute plays.

"24 Hour Plays," a series of short one-act plays, will be performed 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Center Theatre of the Center for Performing Arts at the University of Toledo Theater, 2801 West Bancroft St. Tickets at the door are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students. Information: 419-530-2375.

Please send theater items at least two weeks in advance to jnjaim@theblade.com.