Alumna's life inspires career in comedy

Published on Wednesday, February 8, 2006  

Lacey D. Mackey

Kansas State Collegian

By day, Susan Dale waits tables at a Mexican restaurant and sells womens shoes at Dillards in Tulsa, Okla. At night, Dale, a 40-year-old wife and mother, becomes the comedian she was born to be.

David Ollington, assistant professor of dance, said he met Susan Dale when the two performed in the summer performance The Wizard of Oz in Manhattans Arts in the Park. Ollington was the cowardly lion, and 6-year-old Dale was a munchkin.

Ollington said he took lessons from Dales mother, a dance teacher, and remembered when Dale would come and watch classes.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Kan., Dale graduated from Manhattan High School in 1984 and later received a degree in dance from K-State in 1988.

Dale said she moved to Tulsa, Okla., and worked in the retail business for 18 years selling dance costumes.

She said her initial interest in comedy started after cracking jokes with a club comedian, saving his show with her comments and keeping the audience laughing.

But I didnt have the confidence to go for it, she said.

While serving as a waitress at the Tulsa Comedy Club, Dale said she kept her table laughing. After the customers listened to her, Dale said they thought she should replace comic emceeing the show.

People were telling the comic, Susan the waitress is funnier than you, Dale said. When the comic came down, he said, The sad part is, you are funnier than I am.

Later, Dale said she was the only comic in Oklahoma asked to perform in the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. While there, Dale said she also performed at the National Association of Television Program Executive, rubbing elbows with executives from Sony and Paramont.

I was laughing, because they dont realize Im red trash, Dale said.

Red trash?

Dale laughed as she tripped into part of her comedy act and explained.

Im half-white trash and half redneck, she said. Red trash. You see, rednecks fly the American flag, and white trash fly the Wal-Mart sack. We fly the American flag with the Wal-Mart sack underneath.

Dale said her comedy is family-based, and she tries to keep it clean.

Basing much of her comedy off of life experience, Dale said her family is a huge source of material, including her parents, brothers and 101-and-1/2-year-old grandmother.

All you have to do is look at whats in front of you, Dale said. Life is good. Life is fun.

In the near future, Dale said she will be performing at the Will Rogers Festival in Oklahoma as well as continuing to perform at private parties. Dale also has been working on a script for a sitcom based on her life that she wants to produce in the Midwest.

Struggling with dyslexia as a child, Dale said she would fall back on laughter to keep her positive.

I give a lot of credit to my parents, Dale said. How do you survive life when youre not like everyone else. I didnt want to make fun of other people, so I would just make fun of myself.

Dales mother Randi said when her daughter was young, she was shy and did not talk much.

But then she laughed so much in junior high, Randi said. As she matured, she became more outgoing.

A local dance teacher, Randi and her husband Melvin still live in Manhattan, watching their daughters success unfold.

Comedy kind of came in on the sideline, Randi said. She was always funny with one-liners that came out of her.