A comedian walks into a volcano…
In 2023, scientist turned stand-up comedian Ben Miller was the artist in residence at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park – the first stand-up comedian ever selected for the programme. He’s bringing his show to town this month, exploring volcanology, entomology, Hawaiian history, space volcanoes, cats, cookies and more.
The programme Miller took part in usually selects painters, poets, musicians, any type of traditional artist, but certainly not a comedian. Based in New York City, he has a degree in Materials Science and Engineering. When he first saw the residency opportunity online and applied for it, he certainly didn’t think he’d be accepted.
“You’re there for a month and they put you up. You get to interact with park rangers, a bunch of scientists, explore the National Park and then learn a bunch of stuff,” Miller says.
It was the first time they’ve had a comedian in the programme and people would often question where his easels were and what he’d be painting as part of the programme. Instead, he wrote jokes.
“At the end of the residency, you’re supposed to put on a one hour performance or showcase. It was a very unique experience. Most comedians that you see doing an hour of jokes, it takes them, let’s say, two to three years to write, develop and hone that material, and I had exactly one month to do that.”
He explains that the final show was in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, which is a less than ideal stand-up comedy setting. It was an interesting experience for him, describing the audience at the time as polite. Since then, he’s been honing his material and is excited to bring it to New Zealand.
“I’ve tried to add different parts to the show based on the different places I’m going. I went to Iceland in September so I wrote some Iceland volcano jokes for them. I’m in the process of learning and writing about New Zealand as well, so I hope to add that to the show.”
Back in Hawai’i, He spent most nights gazing into the fires of Kīlauea, the burning lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, and spent the days exploring the national park, learning from volcanologists, entomologists, archaeologists, and local Hawaiians about the science, culture, and history of Hawai’i, all information he’ll be sharing at the show.
“I live in New York City and it’s all just big buildings whereas Hawai’i is just a lush and beautiful place, and there’s life all around, under your feet – in New York City the only life under your feet is the subway rats, definitely a little bit less charming.”
If you’re hesitant to head to a stand-up comedy show for fear of being haggled, no need to worry when it comes to Miller’s show. He says he’s already written the jokes and doesn’t need to make fun of anybody.
“If you’re worried the show’s too nerdy, I promise it’s not. It’s been written for general audiences, tested out at comedy clubs around New York City. It’s not like there’s a pop quiz at the end, you don’t have to learn anything if you don’t want to.”
Ben Miller’s Volcano: A Science Comedy Show will be at Te Atamira on Saturday, 14 March, at 7pm. For tickets and more information, head to teatamira.nz
