Former Moorestown resident, Blake Rice is trying to make a new city chuckle.
Comedian and former Moorestown resident Blake Rice is taking on his biggest theater to date, headlining the Triad Theater in New York City on Saturday, Oct. 14. Following his departure from his Moorestown home, Rice said the headlining gig marks a new phase of his career as he embarks on his mission to make the people of New York and beyond share in his laughter.
Rice, 27, said after graduating from Rowan University, he began travelling back and forth to New York auditioning for commercials and other acting roles until he had gained enough traction to make the permanent move two years ago. He said since then, he feels like his career has taken off.
His directing and screenwriting debut, “To Whom it May Concern,” has been selected to appear in seven international film festivals, including local ones such as the Queens World Film Festival in Queens, N.Y. The short film is about a woman who goes to a high-end art show and sees a photograph that she questions if she is the subject of. The remainder of the film unfolds around New York as the woman tries to track down the photographer to get her question answered, Rice said.
While the film is completed, Rice said he is actively working on his comedy. He said the Triad, which has approximately 130 seats, is the largest theater he’s ever had to fill, so to prepare he tests his material on friends.
He said he’s been told his comedic style is that of a storyteller. He said his upcoming set draws largely on “absurd situations” that everyone goes through as a child, such as begging the bus driver to hit the bumps on the ride home from school, but he gets his inspiration from anywhere and everywhere.
“I always have an open notes folder on my phone,” Rice said. “Even the smallest little tidbit of something that cracks me up is worth writing down.”
The day of a show, Rice isn’t particularly nervous, but in the weeks leading up, he admits he can get anxious. He said he’ll spend hours rehearsing his delivery in the mirror.
Rice also gets to stretch his writing and acting chops with his podcast. He said he co-hosts his weekly podcast “The Cold Read” where he and a friend bring in local artists to have them cold read their comedic scripts.
“We’ve been having an absolute blast with it,” Rice said of the podcast.
With a variety of creative outlets to express himself, Rice said he’s optimistic about the next phase of his career. He said he’s just signed with an Emmy-winning television agent and is pitching two of his television shows to networks.
In the meantime, Rice is excited to share his stories with a bigger audience on Oct. 14.
“If you can spin them the right way, everyone can relate,” Rice said.
To purchase tickets to Rice’s show, visit http://www.triadnyc.com.
