That Weird Sidekick

Hannah Benson is Elon’s resident funny girl, but you probably already knew that.

Benson, a senior Cinema and Television Arts major, has been making people laugh since middle school, or really, since she knew how.

Coming from New Hampshire, Benson didn’t have many opportunities to show off her comedy skills, but somehow always found a way.

“The summer after my freshman year, I was very cocky, thought I was the funniest person in the world because the only people who listened to me were my friends,” says Benson. “They would say ‘you’re so funny’ and so I went home and said, ‘I’m funny’ and my dad knew someone who knew someone that owned the only, pretty much, comedy club in the area and I was connected through them.”

From there, Benson has worked to make a name for herself: performing on Elon After Hours, at any open mics available, and as the opening act for former Full House star, Dave Coulier.

“Oh, he was fantastic! I actually didn’t, what I don’t tell people, is I didn’t actually meet him…but the opportunity was still the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

Stand-up comedy, for those who haven’t watched John Mulaney’s” New Kid in Town” 17 times like me, is a comic style where a comedian performs in front of a live audience. While some may think that it looks easy, a lot of time and thought goes into making the magic happen.

“I know I can get up there and tell a funny story and within ten minutes you’re laughing,” says Benson. “But if you come out on stage and you don’t make them laugh within the first 30 seconds, they’re done listening to you.”

Benson has learned to keep her jokes quick and simple in order to keep the audience hanging on her every word. But Benson wasn’t always killing it at stand up, for a while, she didn’t even know the concept of being a true comedian.

“I was a theatre kid all through middle school and high school…I was never the lead role I was always the weird sidekick that cracked jokes. People would say ‘you have really good comedic timing’ and I’d be like ‘thank you. I don’t know what that means.’”

Thankfully, she figured it out. Benson’s wittiness and charming personality make her a magnet on and off campus. She still, however, makes it a goal to improve every time she walks out on the stage.

“I recently, on Monday, called this comedian I heard great stuff about, he worked at Comedy Central, we talked on the phone for a half an hour, and then I sent him one of my sets,” says Benson. “He gave me some really good, constructive criticism. He was like this is what you’re good at and this is what you could work at…”

One thing’s for sure, Benson has a knack for cracking jokes. She hopes to continue to pursue her passion for stand up after she graduates in May and land her dream job on Saturday Night Live.

For a special treat, I asked Benson to tell me her favorite joke. Enjoy below:

“Oh, I recently turned 21, I was allowed to legally drink for the first time and it was very exciting, legally drinking, it’s been a dry 20 years on this earth and I was extremely thirsty.”

Benson has words of wisdom for anyone who might think they’re funny, like she does, and believes they may want to take their humor to the stage.

“What I’ve been told and what I’ve been doing is don’t stop writing,” says Benson. “If you think it’s good, keep writing and make it better. You just have to keep workshopping things, and just keep doing comedy.”

We can’t wait to see where stand up comedy takes Benson and wish her best of luck in continuing to bring smiles to peoples’ faces.

Look out SNL!

To watch Benson open up for Dave Coulier check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nvGhFKu5EI

Benson makes a face while opening for David Coulier