Iowa City has many night attractions as I am sure many of you know. One such attraction involves the numerous businesses downtown. Certain clubs will offer entertaining shows to patrons willing to pay cover. This is where you can findEthan Simmons-Patterson.
Ethan is a sophomore at the University of Iowa, and majoring in clinical sciences with a theater arts minor. Other performing ventures that Ethan is considering have to do with his minor in the theater arts. The plays that the University produces are a possible endeavor that Ethan may become involved in in the future. Ethan originally came upon this minor for two reasons. The first has to do with his major in clinical sciences. Ethan mentioned that the major can get pretty stressful and theater would help balance out his stress. The other reason for adding the minor, Ethan stated, was to help his performing abilities when speaking in front of crowds. .
When asked how he got involved in stand up Ethan replied, “I had a friend, he wasn’t that funny, and he said he did stand-up. I’ve always liked comedy… and I thought, I can definitely be funnier than this guy.”
This is not the only reason Ethan wanted to try comedy, however. When talking about some of his favorite comedians like Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, and Jamie Foxx, Ethan spoke of how cool he thought it was that thousands of people would come out just to hear one person’s opinions. Another of Ethan’s motives for performing has to do with ideas he has for TV shows. Performing is a great way for him to start putting those ideas out there and to see if people enjoy his opinions.
People like his ideas too. As a performer at the Yacht Club, Ethan’s sets began at three minutes but now run from eight to fifteen minutes because he usually gets a good response from his audience. Other venues Ethan has performed in include the Blue Bird Dinner, The Mill, Gabe’s, The Funny Bone, and The Laugh Factory Chicago. Ethan said that performing at the Laugh Factory was a really interesting experience. He walked into the venue to see a life sized statue of Richard Pryor. The Laugh Factory has featured many legendary comedians in the past including Ethan’s favorites.
Ethan is a very busy guy, working two jobs along with classes and still managing to find time to fit stand-up into his schedule. Working at the Slater front desk isn’t too demanding of a job, but he also works as a Child Life Assistant at the University Hospitals and Clinics. Ethan originally was a volunteer at UIHC, but when a position as a CLA opened up he applied. His duties as a CLA often include doing one on ones with the in patients and organizing events. He recently put on an event called Pizza Bingo. During this activity, patients got to roll out their own dough and make a little pizza. After this they played bingo and were rewarded with prizes.
Altogether, Ethan is a man of many talents. So, if you’re ever having a night out on the town, be sure to check out the entertainment scene and keep a look out for this rising comedian!
*Photo-Ethan Simmons