Local comedian and frequent guest panelist on Scene on Seven Jason Farr has definitely come a far way (no pun intended) in his journey to become an elite comedian. He is making great strides towards this feat, winning South Carolina's funniest comic, and the second funniest comic in all of the Carolinas.
I have known Farr for seventeen years and he has always been original , quick witted and effortlessly funny. He simply knows how to make others laugh and enjoys doing so.
Jason was inspired to pursue comedy at only five years old because of Bill Murray. He saw him in Ghostbusters (this year is of course the 30th Anniversary of that cinematic classic). He said he wanted to be an actor, but more to the point, he wanted to be Bill Murray. Farr got into stand up because he wanted to get better at comedy writing and he read a book on his craft which suggested that doing stand up would sharpen his writing skills. Jason then looked up open mics in Greenville, SC and came across the only one, which was run by a great guy named Nick Shaheen. Farr started coming out to do stand up and didn't stop. The rest is history.
He later entered the "Carolina's Funniest Comic" competition ran by Alchemy Improv Comedy (out of Greenville, SC which he joined last year) and DSI (out of Chapel Hill, NC). There are two wings to the competition, one in South Carolina and another in North Carolina. Comics in each state competed to move on to the finals, which were held in Chapel Hill during the NC Arts Festival. Farr advanced to the finals and was runner up to a NC comic, making him SC's Funniest Comic. The rounds were judged by audience vote. Another competition Jason was a part of was to win a spot opening for the Most Races Show Ever, run by Neil Bansil. The competition was held in Charleston and the winner was decided by a panel of judges. He won that competition and got to open for MRSOE at the Charleston Music Hall, which was great as he connected with lots of awesome people.
Additionally, Farr was on Laugh Your Asheville off, a comedy festival held in Western North Carolina. He has had a great year in comedy, and feels super blessed and encouraged.
Jason also does improv comedy, which has been a great learning experience. He loves the people involved and it has enhanced his growth as a performer. It has encouraged him to write at least a joke a day on his Twitter account.
Farr has numerous comedy influences including Bill Murray. Saturday Night Live has been huge just as a show to watch and learn from, but also, so many of his favorites came from there. If it wasn't for SNL, he feels Ghostbusters might not have provided an opportunity for Murray and Dan Aykroyd to make the film that initially inspired Farr. The show helped him to develop a comedic identity. Other SNL alums such as Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Will Ferrell, and Amy Poehler have influenced him greatly as well. Jason's biggest stand up influences include Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Louis CK, and many more awesome comics.
Jason mostly performs at Coffee Underground in downtown Greenville. It's a great spot for food and drinks with friends, but it's also a wonderful place to enjoy live art. Coffee Underground offers a few nights of live art ranging from poetry to music to comedy. Farr performs stand up there every Monday night for the No Expectations Comedy open mic, which he also help run with some really wonderful people. He does improv there every Friday night with Alchemy.
There are stand up shows every night of the week in the Upstate just about and you can catch Jason on some of them. These include the Upstairs Bar in Spartaburg on Tuesdays; and 2 other No Expectations open mics, one at IPA on Wednesdays and Habiba Mediterranean Restaurant on Thursdays.
Farr has been lucky enough to open for some amazing comics who came through Greenville; Rory Scovel, Jarrod Harris, Ryan Singer, Sara Schaefer, Joe Zimmerman, Baron Vaughn, Sean Patton, Brendon Walsh, and Trevor Noah just to name a few. They were all super awesome and encouraging.
Jason don't know what's next for him as far as anything bigger. He will keep on trucking and try to perform sometime in Atlanta. He has yet to do this and feels he shoud, as it is a superb comedic scene. Currently, Farr mostly just wants to improve and remain thankful with all the good fortune he has enjoyed in 2014,
Jason Farr can be reached through hia Facebook promotional page (www.facebook.com/ActorComedianJasonFarr), his Twitter account (@JasonFarrJokes), and his website, www.JasonFarrisAwesome.com
I highly encourage all to check out this young rising star. He is very humble and realizes where he's at and where he has to imrprove and want to be as a comedian. Perhaps he could be in New York soon and land a spot on Saturday Night Live like his biggest hero, Bill Murray, did 40 years ago.
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