Mark Roebuck

SAGINAW, MI -- In late 2011, aspiring comedian Mark Roebuck moved out of Saginaw County.

There were a few reasons for the now 30-year-old Chesaning High School graduate to leave behind the town where he grew up, but a lack of local comedy shows topped the list.

"That was my big, motivating factor," said Roebuck, an aspiring stand-up who hopes to go pro in the future.

Today, Roebuck co-hosts a popular comedy show weekly at Mac's Bar in Lansing and performs his own stand-up sets at different Lansing-area venues. The audience for Michigan comedy is scattered in different pockets, he said.

In 2014, some area residents noticed that Saginaw wasn't one of those "pockets," and decided to change that.

"There were a lot of us from the Saginaw side of it and we didn't have a place," said stand-up comedian James Stephen. "We had to travel 40 miles, at least, just to get 5 minutes (on stage)."

Stephen, a 28-year-old Saginaw Township resident, runs Saginaw County's only weekly comedy showcase, which now has a home each Thursday night from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. at White's Bar, 2609 State.

Recently dubbed Tri-City Comedy, the weekly open microphone nights started in June 2014 at Hamilton Street Pub. In November, the shows moved to Mott's Place for a couple of months before landing at White's, which Stephen said seems like a good fit.

Stephen said he expects the show will stay put for the foreseeable future.

If you go

:

* What: Tri-City Comedy

* When: Thursday nights from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m.

* Where: White's Bar, 2609 State

* Price: Free

* More info: Facebook

"We can definitely pack this room, no problem," he said, looking around the front room of the bar.

During the show held at White's on Jan. 15, Stephen was right. The room was packed.

As the show's host, Stephen takes the stage between each set. He jokes about his student teaching job at Willie E. Thompson Middle School and his lack of success with women before introducing each comic, who signed up for a set at least a week in advance.

The stage can be an intimidating place, as made clear by the shaking hands and voices of a few of the mostly 20-somethings who present a 3-to-7 minute set.

"It can be nerve-racking," Stephen said. "You're up there and all eyes are on you."

For Stephen, it's something he learned just a year ago when he first tried his hand at stand-up. He fell in love with performing.

As Stephen hosts, you can't see any nerves, if there are any there. The same can be said for some of the other comedians who frequent the local comedy night, like Dick Dickerson, who's been at it for 8 months.

"Everybody told me I was funny," Dickerson said. "I went on the stage one time and tried it out and it was nice."

The 26-year-old Saginaw High graduate said he writes new material every few days, and he hasn't missed a week with Tri-City Comedy since he first found the group at Hamilton Street Pub.

"I tell my life and laugh at what happens to me," Dickerson said. "I hope everyone relates to me."

Dickerson doesn't just perform during the weekly event that is now at White's. He also makes his way around Michigan and out of the state. A club in Detroit recently contacted him about performing a 30-minute set, which is lengthy in the world of comedy.

Like Roebuck, Dickerson is hoping to make comedy his career.

"I want to have my own HBO series," Dickerson said. "I want to start my own comedy club."

Millington's Ben Langworthy has that same game in mind. The 30-year-old Army veteran knew he wanted be a comedian at the age of 4, when one of his brothers told him that it was a profession.

"I thought he said 'Canadian,' so I went out to the living room and I was like, 'Mom, I'm gonna be a Canadian,'" Langworthy said. "That's all I've ever wanted to do."

He waited to try out his jokes on stage until 2010, and has pursued it more regularly since 2012, traveling to places like Livonia where there are comedy clubs.

At the latest installment of Tri-City Comedy Night, which Langworthy has only attended three times, he was awarded the longest set and a lot of love from the crowd.

"If I could get paid enough to live on this, I'd be happy," he said after the show ended.

On any given Thursday during the two-hour block of time, Stephen said you can expect to see about a dozen comedians from places like Chesaning, Flint, Lansing and elsewhere.

"I'm very impressed with the amount of talent that's come out of nowhere," he said.

While many of the comedians are in a similar age range and most are male, Stephen said they try to get as much diversity as possible into the show.

At one time there were multiple women coming to perform at the open mic nights, but Chesaning resident Becca Hasse is the only one lately.

"Without laughter, there's nothing," Hasse said. "Laughter is the basis of joy.

"The fact that I get to give that to someone else, even for 5 minutes, is amazing."

Hasse, 25, has performed during the local comedy shows for about 7 months and has made bonds with the other regulars.

"I love this group," she said. "They are amazing people."

Stephen encourages anyone who wants to join the group to come out and see a show first.

Those who attend will want to keep in mind that is an adult show. Many, if not most of the jokes, involve sex or swearing or a combination of both.

The show, which has no admission charge, is immediately followed by a musical act.

Those in Bay City will want to watch out for additional shows, scheduled for Feb. 11 and March 11 at Bemo's, 701 S. Madison.

For more information on the Tri-City Comedy group, visit its Facebook page.

-- Jessica Shepherd is an entertainment reporter with MLive/The Saginaw News. Contact her at 989-996-0687, email her at jessica_shepherd@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.You can also hear her Fridays at 8 a.m. on 102.5 WIOG's Nate and Rachel in the Morning.