Alumnus wins comedy competition
December 5, 2003
UW alumnus and former Daily editor Drake Witham won the Seattle International Comedy Competition at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn last week, in the last round of the month-long competition.
The top prize was $3,000 and a three-day run at The Comedy Underground.
"I was really excited and surprised," said Witham. "There are a lot of people who have won this in the past whom I respect."
Every November, 30 comedians are chosen to compete in the competition, based on open auditions conducted by a panel of judges. Comics from as far away as England come to Seattle hoping to win the contest.
Over the course of 22 comedy shows in various venues around the Seattle area, 10 semi-finalists are chosen. These 10 are then cut down to five finalists, who battle for the title.
The competition has been a Seattle tradition since 1980. The lineup of past comedy champions includes 1992 winner Bill Radke, who hosts National Public Radio's popular show Rewind, and 1997 winner Mitch Hedberg, a regular on Late Night with David Letterman and That 70's Show.
Witham's performances at The Comedy Underground began last night and will continue with two shows today and two tomorrow. He describes his act as something everyone can relate to.
"I just talk about my experiences in the working world," said Witham. "I try to see the humor in everyday things."
A few years after Witham graduated from the UW in 1996 with a degree in political science and communications, he left the Puget Sound for a job with the Dallas Morning News. After three years with the newspaper, he decided to change course and pursue a career in comedy in Los Angeles.
"It just got to a point where I wanted to try something different," Witham said. "It's been a struggle, but you get the pay-off everything you perform."
Witham's ties to the UW go deeper than his degree; his father, UW drama professor Barry Witham, won a Distinguished Teaching Award in 2002.
"I never performed until I got older. I almost avoided going into performing because it was his thing," Witham said of his father. "I do think I got a lot of my sense of humor from him."
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