Trippin’ with the Troops brings the audience into the act

Photo By Joseph Schmitt | Comedian Tony Woods performs his act during the "Trippin’ with the Troops" comedy tour that visited the A Club, May 23. The comedy act sponsored by Department of Defense Armer Services Entertainment interacts with crowd during the show, blurring the line between stage and audience.  

YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

05.23.2013

Story by Joseph Schmitt 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan - Department of Defense Armed Forces Entertainment, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Yokosuka and the A Club brought comedians Daniel Dugar, Tony Woods and Mark Gullory to Yokosuka on their “Trippin’ with the Troops” tour of bases in Japan, May 23.

The trio performed their routine for an adults only show at the A Club to applause and bouts of laughter.

“We’re kicking off our tour in Japan right here in Yokosuka,” said Daniel Dugar, comedian and manager of the group while on tour. “I think it went pretty well and we liked being able to provide a piece of home to those who are serving over here.”

“Trippin’ with the Troops” means that the comedians have parts of the act where they interact with crowd at the show. Often this meant asking a personal detail from the one of the audience like where they are from, where they work, who they were with and how they were enjoying the night.

“We are trippin’ with them and they are trippin’ with us. We want them to be part of the show, to erase that line between them and the stage and bring them in,” said Dugar. “That’s what makes the show great, its never the same twice. We are alway having fun and having a good time with the people who came to see our show.”

Tony Woods, a veteran of the U.S. military, brought his knowledge and experience of serving in the military to get to the crowd laughing hard. He talked about going to the recruiter, going through boot camp and working for the military.

“Each comedian was really funny. [Woods] knew what it is like to be in the Navy and I think that was the best part for me,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Launching and Recovery Airman David Bias, stationed on USS George Washington (CVN 73) and in the crowd that night. “It’s nice to have someone know and recognize what you are going through. Like, we had to work hard all day but then we got to come here and have a few laughs with these guys. It was cool.”

The comedians all took time at the end of their acts to thank the service members for their service and stayed after the show ended to talk and sign autographs.

• Date Taken: 05.23.2013
• Date Posted: 07.10.2013 04:11
• Story ID: 109948
• Location: YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP