UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 26, Page 3
April 9, 1992
Comedian traces career to city schoolyard antics

     The year is 1982 and several children are gathered in the
playground of a local Wilmington elementary school. Their shouts and
laughter can heard clearly by passersby as the kids enjoy a ranking
contest-a game where the goal is to verbally get the best of your
opponents. One youngster, Taquan Stewart, clearly stands out above the
rest. Now, 10 years later, a childhood pastime has led Stewart,
Delaware '91, to a career in comedy.
     Stewart began his stage career while an undergraduate at the
University, at an August 1990 open mike night at Wilmington's Comedy
Cabaret.
     Looking back, Stewart said his comedy has improved since then.
"Everyone said I was good, but in my opinion, I was terrible that
night."
     Moving up the comedic ladder from local amateur nights to paid
professional status means Stewart now opens for famous comedians and
he has been competing in several comedy contests.
     His career really started one night in a campus residence hall
when Stewart and his friend, Phil Ward, were joking around in his
room. They decided to write down the jokes and Stewart said he thought
he'd give real life comedy a try.
     Ideas for Stewart's routine come from his every-day life
experiences. He said he doesn't like to watch too much comedy on
television. so he can keep his material creative and fresh.
     "I like to make people forget their problems with my comedy. When
they come to see the show, I want them to be able to forget their
bills and their jobs for a little while," Stewart said.
     His material consists mostly of putdowns, or ranks, and much of
his comedic style can be traced back to those contests in the school
yard.
     "I used to be really good at that," Stewart said, "and that's
where a lot of my comedy comes from."
     He said he prefers to perform for primarily black audiences and
"to practice a black style of humor."
     "What's really important to the comedian is making it and still
maintaining his own style. "Making it," he explains, "is getting your
name out there." As far as Stewart's concerned, that point in his
career is not far from becoming a reality.
     A finalist in "Philadelphia's Funniest Person" contest and a
grand finalist in the Coors Lite Super Talent Showcase, Stewart has
opened for Matin Lawrence, of the movie, House Party, and for the
Washington, D.C., ventriloquist team, Willy and Woody.
     Stewart has also picked up the nickname, "The Spike Lee of
Comedy," because of his strong resemblance to the director. His
friend, Lamont Ferrel, came up with the comparison, and "it just
stuck," Stewart said. He even jokes about his resemblance to Lee in
his act, as he often asks the audiences what they think of the
comparison.
     Stewart is scheduled to perform at the Comic Stop in Philadelphia
on April 10 and 11.
     When he's not on stage, getting laughs, he's in a University
classroom as a continuing education student, working toward teacher
certification, or substitute teaching at Glasgow High School.
     "My long term-goal," Stewart said, "is to eventually work with
kids."
     -Kim Colletti