Hari Kondabolu is Really Excited About His New NYU Artist Residency

By Jamilah King Jul 29, 2014

Brooklyn-based comedian Hari Kondabolu is the 2014-2015 artist-in-residence at New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute and he’s excited about his new gig. From his official statement:

During my years performing in New York City, I have found myself constantly looking for performance opportunities to experiment with new ideas and create longer, fuller pieces. While there are, of course, many open mic nights across the city, they have time limits and do not always have people in the audience. Occasionally, I may slip in a few new jokes during longer headlining sets around the country, but this is not always the most conducive way to present material in-progress and safely fail. In addition, some of the things I want to work on are more long-form (like stories) and are not always best told in a stand-up context. As a result, I often end up flying back to Seattle (where I began my stand-up career) to develop new work in a theater I rent out every few months. This is obviously not ideal since I live in New York City, my hometown.

This residency at the A/P/A Institute at NYU will give me just the space and time I need to publicly workshop ideas I’ve had for years, but have not had the opportunity to explore. These ideas include material for my stand-up act; essays and stories for publications, radio, or live performances; live and video sketches; and short films.

In many ways, it’s coming full circle for the comedian, who was rejected from NYU back in 2000 after missing the application deadline in order to prep for his first stand-up gig. The kickoff event for his new residency will take place at NYU on October 15.

(h/t Angry Asian Man)