Some figurative doors swung open for Tim Walkoe when he scored big on “America’s Funniest People.”
He made his airtime count in front of a national television audience.
The win on ABC’s prime-time show — which premiered in 1990 — increased the Chicago comic’s visibility and his income-generating potential.
“I got more gigs and got my price up a little bit,” Walkoe said in a recent phone interview. “I did the show a lot of times, and it worked out well. It helps, every little bit helps.”
On April 22, Walkoe brings his time-tested humor to another “Comedy Night” at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster.
“It’s observational comedy,” said Walkoe, who grew on the city’s northwest side.
The subjects he draws chuckles from have included dollar stores and sushi. His talent snared him substantial time on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”
Walkoe has settled into a style that does not rely on bombast. He will not wallow in raw, racy material on the stage of the Munster center’s intimate theater.
“I’ll keep it pretty clean; it’s a clean show,” the headliner said.
A veteran of nationwide comedy-club appearances, Walkoe is very familiar with the Atlantic City nightlife scene.
He did shows at Bally’s Casino, and landed steady work at another location.
“I went to the Tropicana, where the Comedy Stop was; I played for 12 years at the Comedy Stop,” Walkoe recalled.
Meanwhile, his TV experience includes portraying Mayor Emerson Bowden on the Fox network’s “Murder in Small Town X” (2001).
Walkoe’s background likewise includes his student days at Valparaiso University, where he undertook a pre-law academic path and studied political science.
At his April 22 show in Munster, Walkoe plans to incorporate local references in his act specifically for a Northwest Indiana audience.
“I’m pretty familiar with the region,” said Walkoe, pointing to Valparaiso-area points of interest. “I can talk about Route 30 and Fetla’s (Trading Post) and all the places I hung out when I was in school.”
Also contributing to the humorous onstage spiels in Munster will be feature act John Da Cosse, another veteran funnyman.
His style is not acerbic: “It’s more self-deprecating.”
He was enlisted as a warm-up act for the television audiences that came to see “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Jerry Springer Show,” “The Jenny Jones Show” and “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.”
Da Cosse also has played notable comedy clubs from the East Coast to West Coast, including the Improv in Los Angeles.
In Chicago, Da Cosse takes on the role of a sidekick on “The Steve Cochran Show,” a radio success story that airs 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays on WGN (AM 720).
“I’ve been doing comedy for 30-plus years, and Steve and I have known each other for about 25,” Da Cosse said.
However, his priority is getting in front of live audiences to dish laughs.
“That’s my No. 1 job,” the resident of Bensenville, Ill., said. “I still travel about almost half of the year. When I’m in town I do WGN. I just do a ton of different characters.”
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Those radio characters include animals.
Da Cosse is ready to display that kind of creative side when he performs at the Munster “Comedy Night,” which is produced and hosted by Schererville’s Nick Gaza, a professional stand-up comic who has headlined at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas.
At the 8 p.m. Munster show, a bit of comedy will be served up by Gaza, who has logged prime-time guest spots on TV series that include “Becker,” “The Drew Carey Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle.”
A dinner-show package is offered for “Comedy Night,” which will have a cash bar available, with dining in the center’s ballroom. Show-only tickets also are being sold.
Gaza said the show is recommended for those 18 and older.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Comedy Night at the CVPA
Where: The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster
When: dinner 6:30 p.m., show 8 p.m. April 22
Tickets: $38 dinner and show, $28 show only
Information: 219-836-3255, www.cvpa.org