Live From New York
UT Austin grad laughs it up as Saturday Night Live's newest cast member
KVUE — A 2017 University of Texas graduate just got a whole lot funnier.
On Wednesday, September 16, Saturday Night Live announced its newest cast members and, among them, is former Austinite Andrew Dismukes.
The long-running comedy sketch show announced some big updates, including additional new members Lauren Holt and Punkie Johnson, as well as the addition of Jim Carrey as Joe Biden.
According to the Moody College of Communication, Dismukes got his big break after performing at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada, with an 8-minute set at an "industry show" for those in the comedy field. He caught a manager's eye and soon found himself signed on as a client in Los Angeles. After working gigs on the West Coat, his manager later contacted him about writing for SNL.
“I was asked to audition in New York City and it’s a different process depending on the person’s approach whether they do sketches or characters and my strength is standup,” said Dismukes of Port Neches. “On the first audition, you go into the studio on the main stage and it’s empty except for three older guys in the seats including Lorne Michaels. It’s intimidating. You can hear the lack of laughter in your head.”
While in Austin, Dismukes' first comedy set was during his freshman year in 2012 at an open mic at the East Austin coffee shop Cenote. He went on to host a weekly comedy show named "Chortle Portal" in the Taos co-op.
---
To read the full story, head to KVUE.
