Brent Morin’s ‘Therapy with Laughs’

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Photo: Brent Morin - Facebook

Brent Morin

Brent Morin

Much traveled is the path leading many comedians from stand-up to acting. Less remarked upon are the footprints walked on the trail going the other direction; but the latter has given Brent Morin much of his stage time. So far. 

“I’d love to be making movies and TV shows and plays via writing, directing and acting—That’s still the plan,” says the former film school student. As for the present, however, “Honestly, nothing is more satisfying than having an idea that day and being able to take it to the stage that night to see if it works. And if it does? Man, I’m in heaven for a brief moment.” 

Morin should be experiencing something akin to paradise multiple times from Friday February 17 to Sunday February 19 when he performs at The Improv (20110 Lower Union St., Brookfield). It should be yet another experience not far removed from the atmosphere that brought him from studying how to write, direct and act to taking the front of the stage in a way he didn’t expect. 

“I felt like I wasn’t finding out what I wanted to about me as a writer or artist. I was trapped hearing fake praise from classmates, realizing how stupid I might be trying this dream,” Morin reminisces. A night out on the town led him in a wise direction though.

“Then—because I was 18 with no fake ID—I went to The Laugh Factory with my roommate and saw live stand-up for the first time. I never thought about doing stand-up before that,” Morin remembers. Research led him to the realization that numerous filmmakers and actors “started in stand up to cross that bridge into the business. So, I did it to see if my writing was even funny, then got hooked.” Though he came to his comedic epiphany as a young adult, Morin had already honed his humor for seemingly unappreciative, dull-witted patrons years prior to his initial comedy club visit. 

“Just normal school survival, bus stop bullying and sports,” Morin cites as the factors apart from having a funny mom and smart aleck brothers that developed his way with set-ups and punchlines. “I found that even kids who tried to pick on me when I was young were just so slow. I would feel like Keanu in The Matrix. Things just slowed down, and that’s where I discovered self-deprecation. Like, ‘Hurry , bully. Ahh, forget it; I’ll just make fun of myself first.’ That ended up saving me and giving me confidence.” 

The confidence he has accumulated doesn’t mean he still can’t help himself, and those listening to him, with his act. “Therapy with laughs” is how Morin describes his comedy. Though the set he will be bringing to The Improv may still have therapeutic value, he’s developing a more fulsomely narrative approach to his stand-up. “This new show I’ve been working on, though, is feeling like a one-man play. I’m super proud of where it’s going,” he beams. 

Scene Driven Comedy

Where his latest material is headed remains influenced by where he has been academically and would like to go professionally. “A lot of it is 'scene driven,” Morin offers as a way of explaining his approach to stand-up, “like a script where I get to play all the parts. That’s what I love about it. I get to write the dialogue, act in it, and direct it by where I stand on stage or where I move on stage. In reverse, stand up taught me to cut the fat out of my writing and get to the point. I was way too longwinded before stand-up in my screen writing.”

Those coming to see his schtick at The Improv will be sharing in Morin's odyssey toward his ultimate goal. “Deep down I really want to be a great actor and challenge myself with roles. What stand up does is allow me to release that type of energy. Truly, I’m hoping it leads to more challenging acting adventures more than anything. The plan is still the same from when I first started stand-up,” he says. 

From Conan O’Brien’s late-night show, for which he was a production assistant on his way up in stand-up (“He’s a comedic genius, but he puts in the work. It was inspiring to watch from a distance. I love him,” Morin says of his former boss), here’s Morin flexing his self-deprecation and role-playing acumen in a bit about being attracted to women out of his league ...