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As Chris DeCaro took the stage Feb. 28 for the SEE Comedy Competition, he decided to open his five-minute act by enlightening the audience about a chapter from his past.

"When I was a little kid, my parents would have me eat vegetables, and among that selection of vegetables was broccoli," DeCaro said. "But when I ate my broccoli, I wasn't Chris, the awkward 6-year-old with the giant head and awkward buzz cut. No, I was Chris, the 6-year-old brontosaurus dinosaur from the Mesozoic Era."

Mimicking the fun his younger self had at the dinner table while acting like the prehistoric herbivore, the freshman business major then let out a series of primitive screeches.

"And that's when my parents were thinking I was retarded," he quipped.

Before the night was over, DeCaro's routine had earned him the student comedy crown and a slot opening for comedian Pablo Francisco on Monday night. Though one could hardly tell with all the laughs DeCaro's act drew, it was only his third time attempting stand-up comedy.

"The judges really enjoyed him and saw that the audience enjoyed him too," SEE Comedy Director Jessie Thompson said. "The judges thought that he was someone college kids could relate to."

DeCaro's beginnings in stand-up can be traced back to the experience he gained while acting all four years of high school. After arriving at the university last semester, he joined The Bureau, an all-purpose campus comedy group, and soon began learning how to translate his theatrical skills into humor.

"I came in as an actor, and The Bureau taught me how to be natural on stage, since a lot of theatre people … don't know how to be very real on stage," DeCaro said. "For me, I was very out and very open and very loud. But I had to figure out how to make that more natural - it's not a show, it's someone talking and having fun."

Carrying around a small, black notebook in which he jots down any amusing jokes that come to mind, the up-and-coming comedian said his best material comes when he is simply "relaxed and joking about things," and not when he tries to force the issue.

When it comes to spontaneity, some comics thrive on the practice of ad-libbing their routines. DeCaro, though, finds he has a more methodical approach, in which he carefully plans out his routine but leaves the window open for some improvisation.

"I figure it out beforehand, and I script it all from the top," he said. "With me, I'm like 'I want to say this, this and this.' And while I'm going through the joke, I may say an aside, but I know where I'm going next."

As for the nature of his material, DeCaro tends to utilize a more anecdotal style of comedy rather than shooting quick one-liners, adding that everything he mentions, for better or for worse, actually happened. He lists both Lewis Black and Chris Rock as comedic inspirations but credits Dane Cook as being the most influential to his style.

"People really identify with [Cook] because he's a lot of fun to watch on stage," DeCaro said. "He's not the funniest comedian out there with the funniest stuff … but he hits it hard, he's energetic on stage and he's fun to watch. If I'm exciting to watch on stage, and people have a good time and I have a good time, then that's fine with me."

Despite his early success with stand-up, DeCaro doesn't see himself pursuing a career in comedy aside from the occasional open mic, noting that his attention is focused on earning a business degree and "just looking for a job like anybody else." When Monday night rolls around and DeCaro performs his 15-minute routine, he wants to make the most of the opportunity but intends on staying within himself.

"One thing that stand-up has taught me is that you're good if you just be yourself and that the more genuine you are, the better it's going to show," he said. "What I'm trying to do is just get on stage and give everything I've got."

Chris DeCaro will open for Pablo Francisco at 7 p.m. Monday in the Grand Ballroom at Stamp Student Union. Tickets are $6 for students and $15 for the general public.

tfloyd1@umd.edu

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