Fiery comedy draws from life

What happens when a comedian walks into a volcano? In February 2023, New York-based comedian Ben Miller was the artist in residence at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the first stand-up comedian ever selected.

Miller brings his experiences to life in his Volcano Show, to be presented from March 15-18, at 8pm, at the New Athenaeum Theatre, Octagon, as part of the Dunedin Fringe Festival.

He spent the entire month on the Big Island, exploring the national park, learning from volcanologists, entomologists, archaeologists and local Hawaiians about the science, culture and history of Hawaii. Almost every night, he gazed into the fires of Kilauea, the burning lava lake in Halema uma’u crater and also wrote some jokes.

Incredibly grateful for the opportunity provided to him by the National Parks Arts Foundation, Miller decided to take this comedic residency very seriously and turn it into an hour of stand-up comedy.

Miller’s Volcano Show offers multimedia science-based comedy, which drills deep to the core, delivering explosive laughs with fire-tested jokes. — Allied Media