You might recognize Dominique Witten from Last Comic Standing, Def Comedy Jam, Chappelle’s Show and other comedy shows. She’s showing Greenville what a comedienne is. 3 nights – 5 shows
She began honing her skills unprofessionally as a civil servant on the night shift as a postal worker at the now infamous Brentwood Postal facility in her native Washington D.C.. “I knew something like that was gonna happen. I used to see all kinds of stuff that terrorist could use, come through that post office. But that was back in the good ole’ Timothy McVeigh days”, she quips about the nation’s anthrax scare. Boredom with the job and fear of going postal, gave way to open mic nights at local clubs, at the behest of friends and co-workers.
Dominique immediately gained a reputation for telling it like it is; raw and uncut and unknowingly garnered a loyal following. Washington’s uppity audiences gravitated toward her mixture of politics, street culture and current events. Her strong presence and a bravado rarely seen in female comics quickly gained the attention of the producers of HBO’s “Russell Simmons’s Def Comedy Jam”, the show that changed comedy forever. She went from shuffling mail to working with the likes of Chris Rock in no time, “I didn’t do anything special. I just talked about what I knew and the next thing you know I’m on T.V. I quit that job and took about 20 books of stamps. I figured they owed me.” Needless to say, she never looked back.
Sensing that she had outgrown D.C.’s small comedy scene, she moved to the Bronx, which wasn’t a far cry from Southeast, D.C., and became a fixture at the clubs in New York. Places like the Comic Strip and Stand Up New York served as testing grounds for her new material. By chance, on a Wednesday night at a small club on the lower east side, she met SNL’s Tracy Morgan who made Dominique his opening act for his run at Caroline’s on Broadway. The two formed a friendship and have been working together ever since. Being Tracy’s feature however, wasn’t enough to keep the bills paid; So, Dominique became what she calls a ‘hustler’, performing all over the country to make ends meet. From Caroline’s in New York, to The Improv in Chicago, D.C, Florida and Miami, to LA’s Laugh Factory, to the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage 2008 Cruise and every club in between, Dominique has wowed audiences with her straight forward wit and comedic standpoint reminiscent of Mom’s Mabley.
Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Dominique began making the rounds in Hollywood’s comedy clubs as well as the smaller, lesser known spots in LA. “I like telling jokes in mainstream clubs as well as underground spots ’cause it keeps me fresh no matter where I am.” And fresh she is.Since that time she has enjoyed a run on the highly successful Mike Epps “On the Edge” Tour and numerous television appearances including the fresh new Byron Allen’s “Comics Unleashed”,the Tom Joyner “Sky Show”, HBO’s On-Demand “Ask-A-Sista” and “Big Black Love.” She has also participated in Urban Internationals Comedy Arts Festival better known as “Laffapalooza”as well as the Bay Area Comedy Competition in Oakland. Dominique has become a club staple and continues to tour clubs and colleges around the country.
