Gary Kramer at the National Comedy Theatre (Courtesy photo)
Comedy, Mission Hills
Laughs and Milestones: Gary Kramer of the National Comedy Theatre Celebrates 7,000 Shows at His Mission Hills Venue
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
A powerhouse of comedic talent has occupied the 100-seat National Comedy Theatre (NCT) on India Street for the past 25 years. Its founder and artistic director, Gary Kramer, oversees three separate casts of improvisational performers while also jumping into the unscripted action himself on weekends.
With a background in theater, film, television and sketch comedy, Kramer knows a good comedian when he sees one. And he knows how to keep them, hence the fact that many of his cast members stick around for 10 years on average.
We caught up with Kramer to talk about how comedy has changed; where it’s going; and what it takes to be a crafty comedian—should any of us decide to undergo a radical career change in lieu of something that likely offers a boatload more levity.
Downtown Condo Guys: What were you doing before opening the National Comedy Theatre in 1999?
Kramer: I was pursuing acting in Los Angeles, and I was with an improv group in Santa Barbara called ComedySportz. I was also a radio show host in Santa Barbara for a short time, but I didn’t like waking up at 4:30 in the morning after working in the theater until midnight the night before. Before that I majored in theater at Emerson College in Boston.
Downtown Condo Guys: What acting gigs did you land in Los Angeles?
Kramer: For 20-plus years, I was in the race as they say. There were a few gigs, but nothing to write an autobiography about [chuckle]. I was in a terrible low-budget sci-fi movie called Cybernator. I played a scientist who gets shot with laser guns by cyborgs. It was a paycheck. I put it in my credits because it was so hilariously stupid.
I also had a small role in an opening sequence for the television show Law & Order. I was supposed to have the line at the opening of the episode, but most of the scene got edited out. So the outcome was me exiting an office where a couple was seeing a marriage counselor.
Downtown Condo Guys: Did you ever work as a stand-up comedian?
Kramer: No. I’ve never done stand-up. It’s a different sport—like the difference between rugby and football. What we do here at NCT is create live sketches with other people rather than standing up in front of a microphone. They are improvised scenes. Not a lot of comedians do both. But we do have stand-up and improv classes. We’ve taught people from every profession and background—seniors, teenagers and all age groups.
Downtown Condo Guys: How would you describe your personal style of comedy when performing?
Kramer: I’m more of a wise-ass, like an annoying older brother. You can accurately say that I’m a ‘comic actor’ because within the shows, I tend to humorously point out our own foibles and mistakes in life. It’s about finding a connection to the audience, which is always our primary focus.
Downtown Condo Guys: Was comedy in your blood from a young age?
Kramer: I think so. My family was funny—and my dad was very funny with a dry sense of humor. We were a New York Jewish family with comedy built into our DNA.
Downtown Condo Guys: What qualities do you specifically look for when hiring cast members? And in your opinion, what makes certain comedians universally funnier than others?
Kramer: It’s an art form, so there are a lot of tangibles. What we look for is a combination of talent, skill, personality and stage presence—plus a little bit of magic that you can’t put science on. Our best players bring magic to the stage and it’s so exciting to see it happen.
Downtown Condo Guys: How many core cast members and other staff work at the theater?
Kramer: There are about 100 people total in the casts and crew. We have three casts: our main stage cast performs on Fridays and Saturdays. There are 30 of them, with seven of them performing in each show. Our Sunday Company has about 20 in the cast, with six to seven performing on a typical Sunday. And then our ‘house teams’ are the newest performers. There are about 45 of them spread over six different teams. They perform on the first two Thursdays of every month. The main stage cast members and staff are all paid. Everyone else is working themselves into getting paid.
Downtown Condo Guys: What are some of the most unexpected or disastrous improv scenes you’ve witnessed at NCT?
Kramer: In terms of amazing things that have happened on stage, we had a legit marriage proposal take place at the end of a show around Valentine’s Day. The couple has two kids now I think. And about two years ago the restaurant next door had a grease fire and we started smelling the smoke when we were 90 percent done with a show. Then someone ran inside and screamed that we all had to evacuate. So there we were, standing outside with the audience until a fireman came around and said we could go back inside. At which point we all went back in and finished the last five minutes of the show. It was very clumsy timing, but everyone was okay with it.
Downtown Condo Guys: Given that you always have to be ready for the unexpected, is improv comedy more difficult to pull off than scripted comedy?
Kramer: Actually no. Improvised comedy is a different skill set for sure. But it’s a little more forgiving because the audience knows it’s being made up on the spot.
Downtown Condo Guys: How much of the comedy at NCT is politically driven?
Kramer: Very little. San Diego is politically a purple city, which means that at any one time a large percentage of the audience may not line up with a certain political stand. I’ll sometimes say to our audiences, ‘Can’t we get away from this for two hours?’ But what’s great about comedy is that there is a universality about it that allows us to laugh together while having different viewpoints.
Downtown Condo Guys: What subject matter, if any, is off the table at NCT?
Kramer: Our Friday late show (9:45p) is our adult show, so anything goes. In all of our other shows, we try to keep things reasonably appropriate—at television-level standards. Although if you approach a topic with authenticity and compassion, anything can be made funny to some degree. But we’re certainly not going to make jokes about the Holocaust or recent tragedies.
Downtown Condo Guys: How has comedy changed in the years you’ve been in the business?
Kramer: Comedy changes to the temperament of the public. It’s a reflection and reaction to current events and societal norms. I have seen comedy become more aware of cultural sensitivity. It now pays greater attention to avoiding stereotypes, which is important. And I think any comic would agree with that.
Downtown Condo Guys: Name three comedians, living or dead, who you would love to have over for dinner?
Kramer: Sid Caesar because he’s one of the great sketch comedians of all time. Carol Burnett because she had such a huge influence on my life starting from when I used to watch her in the Carol Burnett Show. And Steve Martin because he is a brilliant mind and is such a student of the form.
Downtown Condo Guys: What can audiences expect to experience at NCT in 2025?
Kramer: We’ve got some new faces in the cast, and some high-level and energetic performances scheduled every week (Thursdays through Sundays) throughout the coming year. We’re not going anywhere.
