One Girl's Journey to Saturday Night Live

My name is Lauren Bancroft and I'm from from Nashua, NH.

I started this Tumblr in December of 2010 to document my path to go from who and where I am now, to being a cast member of Saturday Night Live. I have a realistic plan with attainable goals that I work very hard at every week.

I do stand up. I study improv. I write sketches. I work hard.

Ten phases. Eight years. One goal.

www.laurenbancroft.com
contact@laurenbancroft.com
Twitter - @Bancroffed

I’ve had very few stand up shows in the past 5 weeks.

With improv class and Texas Roadhouse bar training my evenings have been a little on the busy side but I am pleased that I’m back to two shows a week through the end of May. My next show is Laugh Free or Die at Murphy’s Taproom in Manchester, NH. This will be my first time at LFoD since it moved from The Shaskeen and also the first time in a while that I’ve done new stuff on stage. I’ve still been writing jokes but they have mostly been posted online since I haven’t been performing as much as I used to.

I’m really looking forward to trying out some new things that seemed to test very well on Facebook. Facebook really is such a great tool for writing and testing jokes. I try very hard to get the wording just right; I try a few different angles of each joke before posting and am usually happy with the reaction.

This will be my last time at LFoD for another 8 weeks, since level 2 at Improv Asylum starts next Wednesday. I really miss seeing these guys every week.

About a year ago, I did an interview with filmmaker Lisa Romagnoli of Notion Films for a feature length documentary she’s making called Wicked Funny 2. It is a follow up to Wicked Funny, a shorter piece she did about amateur stand up comedians in and around NH back in 2009. In WF2, she conducted follow up interviews as well as interviewed a few of the new people on the scene, of which I was at the time. The premiere is in July and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I am really just so damn excited. I am so lucky to have been included with some local guys I really respect and admire.

About a year ago, I did an interview with filmmaker Lisa Romagnoli of Notion Films for a feature length documentary she’s making called Wicked Funny 2. It is a follow up to Wicked Funny, a shorter piece she did about amateur stand up comedians in and around NH back in 2009.

In WF2, she conducted follow up interviews as well as interviewed a few of the new people on the scene, of which I was at the time. The premiere is in July and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I am really just so damn excited.

I am so lucky to have been included with some local guys I really respect and admire.

Vanity Project Show at Improv Asylum In Review

Last Wednesday was I went with a few people from my improv level one class to see a show called Vanity Project at IA (where I am currently taking classes). It was a great show. As far as teams go there is the Main Stage who are the best of the best and do four shows Thursday through Saturday nights, other teams like this one who do one show a week or so and then house teams on Tuesday nights. (You have to be in level three at least to audition for a house team so you are still learning but get the opportunity to perform weekly.)

Vanity Project had six male cast members, two of which were the founders of Improv Asyulm and one was a Main Stage cast member. I really love seeing shows now because I can pick out things I’ve learned so far.

There are some majorly talented people who study/teach/perform at IA. I’m really glad I picked them for classes. Level two starts next Wednesday and I couldn’t be happier.

After Vanity Project I went out for food with a few of my classmates. I don’t know if I’m clicking socially with all of them just yet. We will be together for another 8 week course so I hope the clicking happens.

My iced coffee is under cover. Happy Cinco de Mayo.

My iced coffee is under cover. Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Lunch break selfie. Today is a 14 hour day between jobs and my last training shift on the bar at Texas Roadhouse. Woo! Make that money. Save those Benjamins. Move to Chicago to pursue comedy next year. GOALS.

Lunch break selfie. Today is a 14 hour day between jobs and my last training shift on the bar at Texas Roadhouse. Woo!

Make that money. Save those Benjamins. Move to Chicago to pursue comedy next year. GOALS.

A few upcoming stand up shows!

Wednesday 5/8 - Murphy’s Taproom in Manchester, NH - 9:30 PM
Thursday 5/9 - Halligans Tavern in Derry, NH - 9 PM
Thursday 5/23 - Fody’s Tavern in Nashua, NH - 8 PM
Friday 5/31 - The White Birch in Hudson, NH - 8 PM
Saturday 6/1 - Headliners Comedy Club in Manchester, NH - 8:30 PM

Some stores are selling thicker plastic, reusable red solo cups now. For the environment conscious beirut player in all of us.

I just realized something wonderful.

I am a comedian. I write and tell jokes and some people pay me to do it. I have fans both on social media sites and in real life and I have a deadline for relocating in fall of 2014. I am paying off my debt at an accelerated rate and am saving what I can each week for the move and post-move life I’m so excited to start living.

I just want to send my resume out and schedule interviews and look at apartments and throw all my stuff away and rent a Uhaul truck and say peace out New England cub scout and be on my merry way to a moderately priced studio apartment with annoying parking in the greater Chicago area. I want to work two jobs to pay for a car I never use and take improv at Second City and charm my way into the hearts of everyone I meet and cry because I’m far from home and then snap out of it because I have things to do! I can’t wait to be brave and scared and excited and tired and happy and worn out every day I get to go to sleep and wake up in a new place that will get me closer to where I want to be in life.

My mentor once told me that he could drop me out of a helicopter over a major city and I would land on my feet and have a job within a week. I am so happy that I have a timeline in mind for proving him right.