Hey, that’s my line: Portland comedians swap jokes for one night

Bit and Switch

Some of the Portland comedians who'll swap jokes in the "Bit and Switch" show: (clockwise from top left) Shain Brenden, Ben Harkins, Kirsten Kuppenbender, Katie Nguyen and Jake Silberman. (Photo credits: Shain Brenden by Claude Bragg, Kirsten Kuppenbender by Eden Swartz, Katie Nguyen by Casey Parks, Jake Silberman by Aaron Michael Walker)

Performing another comic’s jokes as if they were your own is a cardinal sin in the world of stand-up comedy. That is, unless you’re on a show where the prime directive is performing not your own material, but material that belongs to a fellow comedian.

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the Helium Comedy Club will play host to just that show. The line-up for “Bit and Switch” features eight of Portland’s best comedians, but they will all be telling another comic’s jokes.

Host Steven Wilber, who will be telling Shain Brenden’s jokes, approached Helium with the idea of a joke-swapping show. He also picked the line-up.

“I picked this bunch because they're all so radically different, style-wise. However, they're all white-hot electric crushers and have the chops to make it work,” Wilber said.

Wilber and Brenden will be joined by Ben Harkins, Kirsten Kuppenbender, Kate Murphy, Katie Nguyen, Jake Silberman and Jason Traeger.

Though Portland’s ever-expanding comedy community is pretty close-knit, there is some apprehension on the part of the performers who are hoping to do their best to nail their counterparts’ material.

“I'm telling Kirsten Kuppenbender’s jokes. Many of her jokes are slice-of-life from the context of living a lesbian lifestyle,” Harkins said. “There's a slight contrast between the two of us because she's a responsible spouse and new parent, whereas I love nothing and mostly just chill and eat pizza.”

Preparing to tell another comedian’s jokes can be its own adventure. Although the top-line performers in the local scene are working together on an almost nightly basis, some extra research is needed when you’re trying to copy somebody’s specific performance style.

Kuppenbender, who will be telling Nguyen’s jokes, explains:

“Katie is out there a lot and runs a weekly show, so I've seen her perform a lot. Her comedy voice is also quite distinct. So, if I do my homework properly, it will be super obvious that I'm doing her material.”

Nguyen agrees that it’s the established relationships between performers that makes a show like this even possible.

“I'd say everyone on the show has spent a lot of time watching everyone else perform, as well as socializing off-stage,” she said. “This show wouldn't be very fun if we had no idea who each other was and weren't already familiar with their material.”

And then, of course there is the other side of the equation. Every comic on the show will have the opportunity to hear their jokes performed by somebody else.

“I think it will be hilarious. I've never seen it before, but I imagine it will be the kind of thing where it's most enjoyable for the few people involved,” Nguyen said.

Though every comic is confident their jokes are in good hands, due to the wide variety of comedic styles that will be on display, questions remain as to how it’s all going to go down.

“I'm nervous to see someone else do my jokes, but I know it will be fun,” said Murphy, whose jokes will be told by Silberman. Murphy, noting that she talks a lot about intimate body parts, added, “I'm curious what jokes of mine he has chosen to tell, and I look forward to finding out.”

It goes without saying that this is a one-time deal.

“A show like this is the only time it's OK to tell another comic's jokes, when it's your friends and we're all there to watch and we can all have a big laugh,” Murphy said.

“Bit and Switch”

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Where: Helium Comedy Club, 1510 S.E. Ninth Ave.

Tickets: $12 (ages 21 and older only), portland.heliumcomedy.com or 888-643-8669.

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