GEORGETOWN – The Brown County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a comedy show on Feb. 20 featuring local comedian Chris Siemer.
Siemer is in his fourth year doing stand-up comedy. Now, based out of Cincinnati, he was opened for nationally acclaimed comedians. He has quickly became one of the top names in stand-up for the Cincinnati area.
The Gaslight Theater in Georgetown comes as a homecoming to the Brown County native. Siemer grew up in Brown County and lived in Hamersville, Georgetown and Mt. Orab. He is a graduate of Western Brown High School and has performed at the Gaslight before. This time, however, he comes more experienced and feels he can deliver a great show.
“I’ve spent quite a number of years away from Brown County, but my roots never changed,” Siemer said. “I started doing stand-up comedy in 2012. Basically I’m coming up on my four year anniversary of doing this.”
Siemer said his comedy career coincided with a divorce that was “made for TV.”
“After that happened, I didn’t have much to lose,” Siemer said. “Stand-up comedy is where I was comfortable for awhile. It basically became everything that I did. If I wasn’t at work that is what I did with my time.”
His last show in the county was in 2012 and he said he didn’t have a lot under him at the time. He was as green as the come for comedians. In that time, he has gone from the open mic nights to being the opening act for nationally acclaimed comedians such as Katt Williams.
Siemer said he has finally developed a solid, headlining performance after four years of putting his act together. He has performed all over the Midwest at top club such as Wiley’s is Dayton or the Funny Bone in Newport.
“I finally have a headline act. Your 45 minute to 55 minute act,” Siemer said. “I want to come and do it for the people I grew up around and grew up with.”
Siemer said coming home to perform his act adds new elements that he might not be able to use in other clubs he is performing in. He can use his experience from his childhood to relate with the audience more. In Georgetown, his audience will be friends, family, and people he actually knows and has connections with.
“The thing is I can get some really deep references if I so choose, that are Brown County only” Siemer said. “There is not a whole that I talk about like ‘I was born this way’ or ‘I was raised this way.’ It’s just when you grow up out there it is kind of a different living, different people. You know people who live around you, in the city you don’t.”
The Gaslight gives Siemer an opportunity to come full circle. Siemer did not want to take away from any of the performances he had done, but said the show that the Gaslight was absolutely special.
“It’s a real full circle kind of thing for me,” Siemer said. “When I was a young man in school I did theater and choir and all that stuff, I actually performed with the Gaslight Theater Players during my junior year or maybe my sophomore year of high school I believe. It is really cool to come back now and be the main act. It is a homecoming. I wouldn’t be who I am without my background out there.”
Siemer said it was special to come back to perform in front of family and loved ones that told him he should be a comedian before he ever actually gave it any thought.
“When you grow up and have a sense of humor you hear people say ‘you’d be a great comedian,’” Siemer said. “You hear people say that kind of silly stuff and it doesn’t really mean anything but to come back and be on the journey and being doing as well as I am in short amount of time I’ve been doing to say it (the show) is a little more special than anything I’ve done is an understatement. It means a lot to me.”
Tickets are still available for the 18 and older show at the Gaslight Theater on Feb. 20. Presale tickets are $8 or $10 at the door. You can order your pre-sale tickets by calling the Chamber of Commerce office at 937-378-4784. The doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m. Snacks will be available for purchase and remember the is show is for those 18 and over.
