It’s easy to think of stand-up comedy as a solo sport, just a comedian alone against the audience with their back up against the wall, sometimes literally.
But in the world of live comedy, there can be strength in numbers, even when that number is two.
Just ask The Martin Duprass, the OKC-based husband-and-wife comedy duo of Lauren and Jeremy Martin.
Of course, they’re not just each bringing a human partner as backup on stage, they’re also bringing props, original characters, and a near-total disregard for comedic traditionalism in favor of a post-modern, some might say “alternative” style of comedy.
It’s a somewhat different approach than the old adage of comedy effectively just being free therapy for depressed or angry people.
Lauren Martin: I don’t know why you would think we’re alternative in any way. Um, I don’t see why you wouldn’t see what we do on any club stage.
Jeremy Martin: We just like props and puppets, and just…
Lauren Martin: Yeah, we like props. We like being silly. And yeah, that is alternative to what most people do. We also do therapy on stage, it’s just not as sad.
Jeremy Martin: I don’t know that that’s always true.
Lauren Martin: It’s not always true, but it’s sometimes true.
Jeremy Martin: We try to have a good time.
Brett Fieldcamp: But more than simply wanting comedy fans and audiences to enjoy themselves, the Martins hope to create spaces where comedians can have a good time on stage as well, even if they’re still developing their voice or attempting some, let’s say, outside-the-box material.
And that means open mics, variety shows, and overloaded comedy showcases where performers can meet, connect, and support one another.
Jeremy Martin: There also needs to be some spaces where it feels easier to get up when there’s not as much pressure and you can work on your new material, and you don’t have to feel like you’re on an audition for a showcase.
Lauren Martin: Yeah, you can just be working out a new bit for the fun of it, or to do it on a different show later.
Jeremy Martin: You can just make jokes in front of twelve people in a room somewhere and see if they work.
Brett Fieldcamp: The importance of having that kind of communal safety net is something the couple learned firsthand as they met, married, and began developing as comics and performers in the Los Angeles scene for a half-decade before moving to OKC in 2017.
Starting out in one of the world capitols of comedy served as a crash course in being freer and more confident on stage.
Lauren Martin: I feel like we had to develop as artists very quickly to hang there.
Jeremy Martin: But I would be surprised if some of the people that saw us when we first started doing comedy and then never saw us again would be, I think they would be surprised that we’re doing things that are coherent in any way. Things that are jokes with…
Lauren Martin: Punchlines!
Jeremy Martin: …punchlines! And things that people laugh at.
Brett Fieldcamp: Moving from LA to Oklahoma introduced them to a much different, more rapidly evolving scene, one that they say is more defined by a kind of constantly developing, youthful energy that relies on DIY spaces and community support.
Jeremy Martin: I think it’s got a shifting identity. Like it’s kind of a baton that gets passed, to some extent. I feel like there’s always a new scene needing to be made out of the new venues, out of the new people that are coming out all the time, out of the people that know how to put a show together.
So, I think it’s kind of like a small-town punk scene in that way, in that there’s always got to be a new class of people making the comedy happen to keep it going.
Brett Fieldcamp: For now, the Martins are happy to be some of the veteran drivers of the Oklahoma City scene through their own multiple hosted shows, open mics, and film and video projects cast from their vast pool of local comedian friends.
They believe that generally positive response they’ve received in Oklahoma has come largely from their willingness to connect with audiences and to bring them along on their often crass, ridiculous, and hopefully hilarious rides.
Lauren Martin: We get very, very good responses from people because we do tap into that “let’s all have a good time together.”
A lot of what we do is crowd-based, but it’s not “what do you do? Oh, you’re stupid for a living.” We interact with them on a personal level and we say “hey, let’s have fun together.”
Jeremy Martin: Yeah, I mean, you said “you’re stupid for a living,” but that’s what we’re aspiring to be, you know?
Lauren Martin: I do want to be stupid for a living!
Jeremy Martin: We just want to be stupid for a living.
Lauren Martin: Please pay me to be stupid.
Jeremy Martin: We like to have fun and we try to be dumb in the smartest way we can think of.
Lauren Martin: That’s very true.
Jeremy Martin: Like the highest effort version of the dumbest thing we can think of.
Lauren Martin: That’s true.
Brett Fieldcamp: You can next catch The Martin Duprass on stage September 13th at Put a Cork in It Winery in OKC and September 20th hosting their Date Night variety show at Mycelium Gallery.
For more, including a full library of their video projects and their full upcoming schedule, visit themartinduprass.com.
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