Chism Cornelison

Chism Cornelison's story starts in the small town of Magnolia north of Houston. Magnolia is the type of town where the church and the football field were the brightest stages in town. Despite the Texas expectation to play sports, Cornelison always felt the gravitational pull toward creativity. He snagged the lead as Elvis in his fifth-grade musical, and by high school was a full theater kid, fulfilling the dream of being on stage. He was never nervous which affirmed the right place for him to be. Even after dabbling in football, he admits: “I was bad ... I played one football game. … I got so embarrassed watching myself that it was so clear I didn’t know what I was doing. … I just went to the coach, and I was like, Yeah, I’m not going to do this anymore.” His future cemented - he was meant for a theater stage, not turf grass.

If Chism's first act was about finding the stage, his second act was about finding his people. Comedy called to Chism as he bounced from film school to set work, but improv unlocked something more: real community. Chism was listening to a podcast that mentioned taking improv classes. Armed with internet research, Chism said "my parents were like, What do you want as a gift? And I said, Can you please just buy me an improv class?” That single gift led to lifelong friendships and the love of his life, Jamie Meeks, a fellow performer. The family that emerged from improv—friends like Tanner (who is also on Guts) and troupes that felt like home—shaped his view. The structure of improv helped him channel his talent for being funny into a direct feedback loop with audiences. It was an addictive combination that opened the floodgate.

After spending time in St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Houston (some of that time in a van), Cornelison and Meeks decided Austin would be the next stomping ground. Los Angeles had the best theaters—UCB, Groundlings, Comedy Store—but gave him and Meeks the least amount of stage time they'd ever had. His dream was fading. What he wanted most was the allure of creative freedom—and supportive crowds—that Austin offered. Cornelison seemed to be in the right place at the right time when he returned. He performed regularly with some of today's elite Austin improvisers - including Kyle Irion and Amy Knop. As he performed weekly, taught classes, and let his creative juices flow, it was a matter of time before the perfect concept was born. In the meantime, Cornelison landed a spot on Come @ Me which reunited him with Irion and Knop. Guts, his experimental comedy show, sprang from this sense of homecoming and community. The show features a lot of audience interaction but not crowd work style. Think 'call and response' and always with a mission, as Chism puts it, "there’s never going to be something we do to make the audience look bad or embarrassed." Guts thrives on unpredictability and warmth, fueled by weekly game nights with other comics. Looking ahead, Cornelison is excited. The show takes inspiration , but doesn't copy, from Zach Zucker's Stamptown, an international variety comedy show with a permanent spot on the annual Moontower Comedy Festival. Chism is happy to cultivate Guts in a small basement theater. After all, what could be more gutsy than comedy experience you can't predict and is fueled by love.