In 2001, during my senior year of college at Tennessee State University, my best friend pleaded me to try standup. My friends are jokers & if you don’t have thick skin they would let you have it. I took a class at Zanies. The first time I was in the middle of a joke I realized that I had the audience hanging on my every single word. I was in command of the audience.
My Mom aspired to be a singer & my dad is always first to crack a joke. Performing theater gave me the confidence to perform under the white hot light. I’d been a business major my first two years without learning much. One day my theater teacher asked me if I would like a role in a play for a summer program. I hadn’t done a play since I played Ralph Abernathy in a summer church program in the 6th grade which lured me to the world of Theater. It was the exact thing I need in my life at that time to fill my educational void! My first big role was as Red Carter in August Wilson’s,” Seven Guitars.” The character was like me. My roles just kept getting bigger which gave me the confidence to try stand-up comedy.
In 2004, I moved to Chicago & did comedy for 3 years with a lot more places to perform. The crowds are tougher & it made me a stronger comic. Next I moved to Los Angeles where I got to do lots of shows & all the major clubs there then I moved back to Nashville about 4 years ago. I am a High School Theater Teacher when I am not on tour.
My most traumatic show was in Atlanta at Uptown Comedy Corner. I was a year into it & unprepared for the hostile urban crowd! I was over-dressed & out of place. It was Apollo night so the crowd couldn’t wait to boo! Insults started before I reached the mic & the placed roared in laughter, but I couldn’t hear what was said, so I just went into my jokes. The left wing never calmed down, booing & the rest followed suit, so I walked off stage. When the host came back there was someone yelling, “He was funny! Bring him back!” Then the host said, “OK he came a long way we will give him another chance.” Meanwhile I am standing on the side of the stage yelling, “No don’t bring me back up to this crowd!” but he introduced me again & they booed me again.
As I was getting over the hump there was an audition at the same club for BET’s comedy show, “A Time to Laugh.” I was selected as one of 250 contestants to go to round #2. I advanced to get a slot to do the TV taping. Another milestone was in Tampa where I did a lot of education jokes & a teacher pulled me to the side, saying, “You are hilarious. Your comedy career is bright. I have a job for you in the Tampa school system” & she gave me her card which I still have to this day.
Another milestone was to perform outside of the country in the Bahamas. Now I get to go back & perform every year!
Another milestone was when the Bravo network contacted me about doing a roast for the cast of “Thicker Than Water,” show. We didn’t have a lot of time so I put my writing team together that consisted of me, my brother, & comedian Brian “B-Cov” Covington & we wrote the jokes over the weekend!
I have been on shows with Kevin Hart, Sommore, Arnez J. Bruce Bruce, JB Smoove, George Wallace, The Plastic Cup Boys, Jeff Ross, Pierre, Pauly Shore, & DC Curry. I have a taping for Juice TV coming up Feb. 24th.
After so much success, people refer to me as different aliases: Man of Sensitivity, The Dark-skinned Michael Phelps, The light-skinned James Worthy 40 points last Thursday, Ice Mic, El Renardge, Renard Debarge, OJ Da Hirschman, MC Ren, & Renard Tresvant.
In 5 years, I see myself as a character on Black Dynomite!
For more go to http://www.renardcomedy.com/
