In February 2023, comedian Ben Miller traded late-night punchlines for lava flows as the first stand-up comic ever selected as artist-in-residence at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The prestigious program typically hosts painters, poets and even Grammy-nominated musicians — in other words, “serious” artists. Somehow, a professional joke-slinger made the cut.
For a full month on the Big Island, Miller immersed himself in the raw power and layered history of Hawai‘i. He trekked across hardened lava fields, studied alongside volcanologists, entomologists and archaeologists, and listened closely to Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners speak about the land’s sacred significance. Nearly every night, he stood at the edge of Kīlauea, staring into the molten glow of the lava lake inside Halemaʻumaʻu — and, naturally, wrote jokes.
The residency, awarded by the National Parks Arts Foundation, was more than a novelty booking. Miller took the opportunity seriously, shaping the experience into a full hour of stand-up that blends science, culture, existential dread and the absurdity of being a comedian in one of the most geologically powerful places on Earth.
Now, that volcano-fueled set is headed to Denver. Comedian Ben Miller brings his Volcano Show to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on April 24 at 7 p.m. Expect lava-level heat, eruption-worthy punchlines and a story that proves inspiration can strike anywhere — even at the edge of a crater.
Get tickets HERE
About Ben Miller
Ben Miller is an NYC based comedian who has been working for the past 9 years and in that time, he’s performed at all the top clubs in the city such as Broadway Comedy Club, Stand Up NY, Dangerfield’s, Carolines, and The Stand. He was once ranked as the top roast battler in NYC. He also has a degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Columbia University. He’s worked with electron microscopes, been a teacher on a science bus, 3D printed cookies, and diffused a few bar fights while on stage. His jokes are sharp and self-deprecating, and he was once called “one of NYC’s best pound-for-pound joke writers” which isn’t saying much considering how little he weighs. www.benmillercomedy.com
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