Comedian Jamal Newman’s Stand-Up is a “Mad Experiment”

The comedian, improviser and podcaster talks comedy and improv ahead of free Harold Night shows at Washington Improv Theater.  

We spoke with 11 of D.C.’s performing arts professionals to learn more about how they set the scene. Check out the rest of the roundup here. 

Jamal Newman knows his way around a stage, a mic and a screen. 

“They all talk to each other,” he says. “They’re all tools in your bag you can pull from.” 

If that’s so, Newman is one-man Home Depot. 

We caught up with Newman to talk performing in D.C., his interest in comedy and his tips for watching improv.

District Fray: What does performing comedy in D.C. take?
Newman: It has to be super smart, because audiences are super smart. Every kind of person is here; so many different audiences are here. You’re not going to get away with being lazy and not knowing what’s going on in the world — with just begging for a laugh. You have to be open to feedback, to the audience not responding to something you thought was funny in your head. 

What keeps you interested in comedy?
To me, the fun of doing stand-up is trying a bit, seeing where it hits, where it doesn’t, changing it up and going back. It’s like this mad experiment. I have a nugget of an idea and I have to go on stage to actually shape it. I can’t shape it at home by myself. I can’t shape it talking to my friends. I have to go on stage, present the rough draft, probably let it get annihilated and then find and sharpen the pieces that were actually good. Over and over and over.

What do you like about Washington Improv Theater’s free Harold Nights?
A Harold is a format. It’s essentially an improvised three-act play. We tell the audience to give us a word and then we create it in front of them. It can be unforgiving, but it’s one of my favorite forms of improv comedy. It works every improv muscle: two-person scenes, group scenes, active listening, finding the relationship, activating game, callbacks and following patterns. 

If I’m unsure about watching improv, what would you suggest?
If you’ve only seen your friend’s show, it was probably nerve-racking because they were probably terrible. Seasoned improvisers who have confidence on stage, who know what they’re doing, who know how to perform with each other is a different experience. You as an audience member can relax. 

Catch Jamal and the all-Black improv team Lena Dunham at the Washington Improv Theater. The full schedule is available at witdc.org. Follow him on Instagram @hell0newman and check out his weekly Top Chef podcast, @podchefpodcast.

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Chad Dexter Kinsman