Wakefield Comedians Lending Their Talents to PTO Fundraiser

Two Wakefield parents are lending their talents as stand-up comedians to tonight's "Laugh at Ourselves" fundraiser for the Greenwood PTO. The event is 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall on North Ave.

In a recent conversation with Wakefield Patch, Jim Colliton, a 12-year town resident, said that he's been a professional comedian for about that long. Colliton grew up in Bedford with no family members involved in entertainment he said, although by the time he became a student at Fitchburg State, roommates were regularly telling him he was funny.

Motivated in part by an unsatisfying job at the time, Colliton said he started doing some open mic nights at places like The Comedy Vault and Nick's Comedy Stop. "It was a reality slap," he said of those early days, citing the large number of people trying to get to perform at any given club. "And I was awful when I first began... I had no idea what I was doing up there," he added.

These days, Colliton reports that he does work in Las Vegas and many other places, plus a fair amount of work on cruise ships to destinations such as Alaska.

For Friday evening's fundraiser in Wakefield, Colliton reports that a lot of his act comes from being married with three children. "I work really clean," he said. Tickets are $15, or $25 per couple, and all proceeds benefit school PTO programs.

To learn more about Jim Colliton and his comedy work, check out his website here.