On Aug. 31, Eric Clayton and Meredith Armstrong will be taking the stage at The PIT Chapel Hill to perform their first half-hour comedy sets at 9:30 p.m.
The PIT Chapel Hill is a local comedy club that hosts open mics, stand-up comedy, improv and other performances. The PIT has a variety of events on its monthly calendar, and Clayton and Armstrong will be performing on New Headliner Night.
Clayton, a 2017 UNC graduate and comedian, said he likes to perform using a variety of material, from satire to romance to musical comedies.
“I try to take inspiration from day-to-day stuff that people can relate to," Clayton said. "The song I wrote most recently — I do musical comedy songs, like funny songs on my guitar — is about Trader Joe’s.”
Clayton said his inspiration came from the local Trader Joe’s and he wrote a song poking fun at it. He said he writes about things like the cashiers being weird or people not knowing how to drive in that area.
Clayton said that there is a good atmosphere at The PIT, and he said he enjoys how laughter can connect people.
"Basically making people laugh is something that’s always felt really good to me for as long as I can remember," Clayton said. "It’s really validating and it’s very rewarding for me on stage making people laugh."
Clayton said that when The PIT started out on Franklin Street, there were a lot of community members and local comedians who were excited to get involved with the comedy club. He said he often went to the club for open mics and other shows, and he enjoyed seeing local comics who have been performing for a while.
Katie Keenan, a house manager, bartender and performer at The PIT, said that performing at the comedy club can be a comic’s way of getting ready to apply for festivals, work up to a full hour of performance and potentially even do more things like tour or perform at colleges.
