PROLOGUE.

Two guys named Doug and Denver hosted a long-running weekly comedy show at The Big Fish in Los Angeles. But The Big Fish isn’t a comedy club or a theater. It’s a regular bar, with loud drunken patrons who generally wish that there wasn’t a comedy show there at all.

Act One. Thanks, Folks. I'm Here All Eighth Grade.

Can pain transform into a joke, and awkwardness become an asset? Jonathan Goldstein interweaves his own story of becoming a reluctant comedian with the stories of kids taking a stand up comedy class in New York City.

Act Two. Kill or Be Killed.

Even the most experienced comedians can still bomb. Comedian Mike Birbiglia tells the story of his worst gig ever.