During her freshman year, Grace Chubb walked around the First Look Fair and came across the Sketchup Booth, thinking she should try something new.
“I first auditioned for Sketchup just for fun, but once I went through the first round of auditions, I fell in love with it. I could tell that it was something I wanted to do and a group of people I wanted to be around,” said Chubb.
Sketchup is UMD’s premier sketch comedy group, founded in 1996. Although it is a comedy group, it’s also just a big group of friends, giving students a chance to crack jokest three times a week and put on a stellar show at the end of the semester.
Photo courtesy of Sketchup Comedy
“I was pretty shy in high school, and I think doing comedy has definitely made me more assertive and outgoing, and generally more confident,” said Chubb.
Chubb is not only a sketch writer and performer at UMD but also a stand-up comedian. She performs regularly at Milkboy ArtHouse open mics and in 2017, Chubbs won the Student Entertainment Events Fall 2017 Student Stand up Comedy competition. That gave her the opportunity to open a show for famous comedian Ilana Glazer last spring.
“It was very surreal opening for Ilana. I haven’t been doing stand up for too long, so opening for her felt like it happened so fast. She was so kind and supportive. It was probably my most nerve-wracking show because it was the first time my parents saw me perform stand up, but it was a lot of fun,” said Chubb.
Photo courtesy of Grace Chubb
For material, Chubb uses real life, trying to be as authentic as possible. However, sketch writings can get a little more out there or absurd, and a lot of times, it starts with a random joke someone makes or a play on words, then grows from there.
“Watching Grace do stand-up allowed me to see her in a totally different element that she thrives in. It was really inspiring to see her perform her original material, and her stage presence is amazing. When I got into Sketchup, I was super excited to become friends with her. Ever since then, she’s been a friendly, positive, inclusive person to work with,” said Bethel Afful, a member of Sketchup.
Before a show, Sketchup does some warm-ups, but Chubb doesn’t have any rituals or nerves before her shows.
Photo courtesy of @sketchupumd on Instagram
“Stand up for me is just telling a story in the same way I might tell friends or family, and I don’t see it as something particularly scary…I just go out and tell my stories,” said Chubb.
For students interested in comedy, Chubb recommends going for it as there are so many opportunities and different groups on campus. UMD has a variety of groups such as Erasable Inc., Sketchup, The Bureau, The Hysterics, and Maryland Night Live.
“The hardest part is getting started. For stand up, I recommend staying authentic to yourself and your personality. Tell your own stories because that’s what people want to hear,” said Chubb.