It’s been said by well-meaning people that there are no dumb questions, but you may not want to test that out on Ben Miller, a Columbia University-educated scientist and comedian bringing his multimedia comedy show about science to Open Space Event Studios Saturday.

In his act, Miller humorously discusses chairs, thermodynamics, his childhood history with milk and his musculoskeletal condition using the aid of pictures, graphs and videos to explore the science behind them.

I was reminded of the old saw about no dumb questions when midway through an interview with Miller last week, I asked, “Was there anybody that encouraged you to pursue comedy? Any specific person that kind of saw something in you?”

I’d meant a well-intended friend or professor, but Miller, who’s seven years into his comedy career, laughed. His mind immediately went to woodshedding on New York stages during open mics.

“Sorry. I apologize. It’s very rude of me to laugh at your question,” he said. “But, yeah I don’t know if anyone explicitly encouraged me. … Early on in comedy when you start, you’re going to be bombing a lot. It’s just sort of the process. You’re not good at it, and you have to figure it out. So the distinct lack of laughter I was getting at New York City open mics was in no way encouraging.”

Ignorance was bliss, though. “You don’t even fully realize when you start the depths of how bad you are. You’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I got one laugh in three minutes? That’s incredible.’ But one laugh in three minutes is not good,” he said, laughing.

Barking for stage time

As you might expect, more time telling jokes led Miller to improve on the rate of laughs per minute. Barking helped with that. That’s a practice in which comedians sell comedy show tickets on the streets to earn more stage time, as well as a cut from tickets sold.

“A couple of months into comedy, I was barking for shows, so technically I was making a little bit of money and getting stage time,” he said.

He’s been called “one of NYC’s best pound-for-pound joke writers,” but in his early days, Miller hesitated to let others, even other comedians, know about his Ivy League education or materials science and engineering degree.

His outlook began to change during the COVID-19 shutdown, when he began to realize the unique vantage of his background and how it might allow him to both inform and earn laughs.

He filmed a few episodes of a web series he called “Stand-Up Science,” which was better received than he’d expected, and blossomed into the show that enjoyed a sold-out run the entirety of the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and which he now brings to Bend.

Asked about the similarities and differences between scientists and comedians, Miller said the latter group gets more immediate gratification.

“With scientists, we work on these experiments for months, or years, and you might not even get the result that you want,” he said. “Comedians also oftentimes don’t get the results they want, but at least they know a little bit sooner.”

Miller stressed that one need not have a science background to enjoy his act.

“Sometimes people will see the title of the show and be like, ‘Oh, that’s not for me. I wasn’t good at science. I’m not going to understand,’” he said. “I do put in a lot of effort to make the show as accessible and as understandable as possible to a general audience.”

If You Go

If You Go

What: Ben Miller’s Stand-Up Science

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave., Bend

Cost: $15 at bendticket.com

Contact:

https: openspace.studio