Not even a tornado can stop Zach Smith from being funny. In fact, it might even help.
The Oklahoma City-based comedian was performing at The Looney Bin in Tulsa as part of a satellite competition to get into The World Series of Comedy when a tornado hit the city.
Rather than take cover, Smith stayed on stage, doing five minutes of storm-themed crowd work with the audience. He didn’t win, but because of the storm, he was invited to move on to the next round in Las Vegas anyway.
“It was a stroke of luck from the sky,” he said.
Smith is scheduled to perform Sept. 25 in Las Vegas. Now he just needs to pay for it.
“I’m getting married two weeks later in Branson, Missouri, so I’m trying to come up with ways to help alleviate the pressure,” he said. “It’s expensive to get out there and stay there.”
Performing is a good way to be seen by comedy show bookers from across the country, a big step for a comedian looking to make it a full-time job. The five-night event includes seminars, meet-and-greets and other networking opportunities.
But at a cost of $800-$1,000 to fly out and stay at a hotel, Smith said he’s hoping he has a rich estranged aunt who will die soon.
“You know, she’ll leave me a haunted house and I have to stay there for a night to get the money,” he said. “That’s my plan.”
Once he’s there, though, Smith said he’s a natural at saving money on the road.
“If I get to Vegas, I’ll just buy ham, bread and whiskey and sit in my hotel room for the rest of the week,” he said. “Or I’ll take a Crock-Pot. You have to get permission from the maids in the La Quinta for that, though.”
The Crock-Pot comic met his bride-to-be, Laura Trokey, while doing a show at The Looney Bin in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“We hit it off, and we’ve been together ever since,” she said.
Trokey said she was proud of Smith for maintaining his composure during the tornado and is excited for him to go to Las Vegas, though she still wonders how a twister followed them from Oklahoma City to Tulsa.
Smith said he’s just concerned with making it out to the competition, representing Oklahoma City and marrying the love of his life.
And if a tornado happens to touch down in Nevada, he knows how to squeeze a few laughs out of the audience in between screams.
Print Headline: Lucky strike, A storm carries comedian Zach Smith to The World Series of Comedy in Las Vegas.
This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2015.