With not a care in the world, he begins his routine, rousing the audience with his previous ambitions of becoming a handicapped stripper before finally settling on a theatre teacher.
Undergraduate Matt Plummer, taking his first jab at stand-up comedy, became the “Last Lion Sitting” Monday evening in the competition held within the Lion’s Lair.
Allowed to perform no longer than seven minutes and no shorter than four, Plummer had his audience laughing with stories related to growing up with spinal muscular atrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy.
“I have had many hilarious experiences and love to make people laugh, so I thought I would share a few. Growing up I was very weird and had some strange thoughts and aspirations,” Plummer said. “I pulled from my experiences and strange thoughts and put together something I thought an audience would enjoy.”
Diagnosed with the disease at the age of two, and unable to walk since the fifth grade, Plummer has not let his disability affect his goals in and outside of school.
A member of the Cricket City Improv group for the past year, Plummer enjoys performing for an audience, and has participated in improv competitions before on a high school level.
“Another guy and myself entered the Team Prop-Improv competition at a theatre festival in Van, Texas. We used two props they gave us to create a scene that would hopefully get them laughing,” Plummer said. “We ended up getting the highest honor in the competition and I rolled away with a few shiny ribbons.”
Graduating from Wills Point High School, Plummer was involved in the theater program as an actor and technician.
“I’m not sure exactly of the number of plays I did, but however many, I was hooked on theater from there on out. I did many U.I.L. One Act Play competitions and our school advanced to the state level my senior year,” Plummer said. “It was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life.”
When starting at Texas A&M University-Commerce in the fall of 2006, Plummer became a part of the theater program, and has since dedicated his time to participating in each semester’s productions.
“I’ve been involved in a few shows here like the children’s show last fall, ‘King of Ice Cream Mountain,’ and our current production of ‘Our Town.’ We have a great program here and every show is a new and fun experience,” Plummer said.
Plummer is currently a theatre education major, and plans to become a theatre teacher on the high school or college level. His other aspirations include someday appearing on Saturday Night Live as an actor or writer.
“It would be so awesome to do more with comedy if the chance ever arose. Since I first started watching the show I always thought they could use someone in a wheelchair,” Plummer said.
Since his first day at A&M-Commerce, Plummer has found the people he’s come in contact with to be very helpful and has made many friends.
“The great things are programs like ‘Last Lion Standing’ where people from all over can get together and experience what their fellow students have to offer,” Plummer said. “I want to do all I can to show others that people in wheelchairs have many abilities that are seemingly hidden by their disabilities.”