Lucas Bohn Details Journey from Teacher to National Comedian

A few years ago, Lucas Bohn was trying his luck as a standup comedian, booking gigs here and there, but not making the leap he wanted. One day while watching the show Tosh.0, he was really impressed with what the comedian was doing: taking videos and doing standup about them.

“I said to my friend, ‘This could be simplified, and it would be so much more effective,’ and I decided to just do it,” Bohn says. “I created a story using photos, which I tell through standup comedy as I do a PowerPoint presentation.”

The images originally came from his own collection, which has grown with shots from friends, family and things he’s found on the Internet.

“Every time I do a show, I have fans who will send me photos, and when they do, immediately, the standup in me takes over,” he says. “Sometimes the jokes are pretty obvious, but sometimes it can take some time as I analyze it and figure out what can be funny. I love it.”

From May 3 to 13, Bohn will be at the Drafthouse Comedy Theater in downtown DC, with his performance Lesson Plans to Late Night. The shows, which combine live standup comedy with stories from when Bohn was a public school teacher and uses actual examples of student work displayed on a video screen, will take place May 3-6 and 11-13.

“I thought there was an opening in this niche, and people just started to show interest. I started selling out theaters and working on cruise ships and in more clubs.”

Bohn first tried comedy while in college at Coastal Carolina University studying to become an elementary school teacher. He never expected it to turn into a career. Over the years, Bohn has performed with notable entertainers like Jimmy Fallon, Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart, and was nominated for “Comedian of the Year” in 2013 by Campus Activates Magazine.

“I thought you had to be so intelligent and so driven just to survive in this business,” he says. “I took a comedy writing class, but didn’t think I would pursue it for real. In 2010, I did a college showcase and booked a bunch of work and had to decide if I should stop being a teacher and focus on comedy full-time. I took the risk.”

Lately, it seems that a lot of comics are jumping on the image/joke marriage. Amy Schumer’s latest Netflix special saw the comedian using slides in a hilarious way, and other comedians are experimenting with photos in their acts.

“This is where it’s going. I never thought I was a prodigy or savant, but to me, why wouldn’t you embrace technology with standup? I recently got a performing arts venue and theater agent, and in 2018, I have already booked multiple shows in over 1,000-seat venues. This show is just one of those things that just sells. It’s funny, entertaining and visual.”

His hope is that one day he can follow in the successful footsteps of a show like Defending the Caveman, bringing Lesson Plans to Late Night to a Broadway stage.

“It’s such a fun show to do,” Bohn says. “If you like comedy and you like something that’s different, this is the show for you. It’s not like anything you are going to see anywhere else.”

For more information and a complete schedule of show times, visit here.

Drafthouse Comedy: 1100 13th St. NW, DC; 202-750-6411; www.drafthousecomedy.com