Ask any colleague what the perks of being a federal employee are and they’re likely to name work-life balance as one of the big ones. Flexible work schedules, accrued annual leave and other opportunities for time off give employees plenty of time to pursue side projects and hobbies. Hobbies like comedy, for instance.
At work, network engineer Jon Ballard’s the guy behind the scenes making sure the network equipment is running, updated and maintained. In his free time, he’s making people laugh through improv and standup.
“A friend of mine named Dusty Slay and I got into standup together around 2003, and improv sort of naturally progressed from that around 2010,” said Ballard. “So I’ve been at it for 10 to 15 years.”
Ballard is an inactive member of Charleston’s home-grown improv troupe The Have Nots!, based at Theatre 99 on Meeting Street in downtown Charleston.
“My favorite thing about improv is the spontaneity,” said Ballard. “Being able to reach into your arsenal, try out different characters, do impressions; it’s all a lot of fun.”
And if you run into Jon at work, you might find yourself inadvertently helping him through his joke writing process. “I’ll throw a joke into conversation as if it’s off the cuff and gauge their reaction,” said Ballard. “When it can easily be thrown into conversation and get the right reaction, then you can take it on stage.”
Though Ballard hasn’t performed at Theatre 99 in a few years, he’s still performing in plays and doing some writing behind the scenes. “I do more writing now,” Ballard said. “I don’t care about being in front anymore. That’s for other people. That’s not me.
“I’m married and have kids, so things have slowed down since then,” said Ballard. “I have other responsibilities now.” When asked how he still finds the time to write, Ballard says that it’s sometimes impossible to set aside time especially for joke writing.
“The gears are always turning,” said Ballard. “In the car, at work, doing errands; I’ll pull out my phone and write a joke down. I’m always writing.”
Many improvisers claim improv is like nothing else for thinking outside the box and writing comedy. Some even claim it’s better than therapy for anxiety and conquering a fear of public speaking. Jon Ballard says that the nature of collaboration in improvisation benefits his work at SPAWAR.
“It’s all about collaboration and communication,” said Ballard. “Those are skills that I’ve improved on because of improv and benefit from using at work.” Because the cardinal rule of improv is to always say yes—to take what you’ve been given and heighten it—improv teaches players to overcome challenges and enter the unknown with a can-do attitude.
Does Ballard have any advice for someone looking to get into improv? He does, and it’s a little counterintuitive. “Don’t try to be funny,” he said. “The more seriously you take your role, the funnier you’ll be. Act seriously, agree seriously, and the ridiculousness will come.”
What about for those looking to get into standup or comedy in general? “Humility,” said Ballard. “That’s the key to comedy, and the key to life, actually. Mining your own imperfections for humor. Make fun of yourself first, then you move on to other topics like politics and religion. Nothing brings people together more than politics and religion.”
| Date Taken: |
12.27.2018 |
| Date Posted: |
12.27.2018 11:48 |
| Story ID: |
305297 |
| Location: |
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: |
81 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Jon Ballard: Part SPAWARrior, Part Comedian, by Maison Piedfort, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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