I love the challenge of stand-up, because it is only you, yourself, and there are expectations to make people laugh.
Wesley Hofmann was born on Friday, November 13, 1981. That's right, Friday the 13th....
Growing up with his parents (Fred and Barbara) and older sister (Maria), Wesley took every opportunity he could to get attention.
Wesley's first dream in life was to become a professional baseball player. Raised as an Oakland A's fan, Wesley played eight years in little league baseball with no other dream than to become a Major Leaguer. The baseball dream came to an end though when his sight started to get worse and hitting the ball became more difficult. Wesley was also born with a heart murmur which meant he could only do limited weightlifting (which doesn't go well with a baseball playing career).
In 1993, Wesley became involved in acting. He joined a local children's theatre group called the Children's Playhouse (http://www.childrensplayhouse.org/) which mixed acting with musical numbers. At this point, Wesley was hooked on performing.
At Oak Grove High School in San Jose from 1996-2000, Wesley was a Drama Student all four years. His Senior year in High School, Wesley was also the Drama Club President as well as a member of the Musical Theatre class.
Always the quiet one in class, Wesley would find a way in the class to make jokes with other students while the teachers weren't paying attention. In high school, only a select few seemed to understand his puns and style of humor, and thus made friend and classmate Stephen Jones create the term "Wes Joke," which has stuck ever since.
Wesley continued his acting training and got more involved in Stand-Up Comedy while attending DeAnza College in Cupertino, CA. Wesley did his first comedy routine at DeAnza making fun of his prominent Adam's Apple. The set was televised on DeAnza's Cable Channel.
In 2004, Wesley took an eight week comedy college course with comedian Kurtis Matthews and The San Francisco Comedy College. Four weeks of the class focused on writing and four weeks focused on performing with a final performance held at Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club in Sunnyvale, CA. Wesley surprised his peers ("where did this quiet kid get all that energy?") and made many connections on the comedy circuit thanks to the class.
Wesley went onto San Jose State where he appeared in numerous stage productions including in February 2005 as the lead role of George Milton in Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. In Fall 2007, he gradauted with his Bachelor Arts Degree in Theatre Arts.
Today, Wesley continues to audition for theatre productions and perform stand-up comedy. "The two different art forms really help make each other stronger," Wesley says. "I love the challenge of stand-up, because it is only you, yourself, and there are expectations to make people laugh. With Theatre, you have a much bigger support group and a script that is written for you, but the adrenaline is still just as amazing."
Wesley's comedian influences include Jim Carrey, Daniel Tosh, Mike Birbiglia, and Steve Martin. He has performed comedy at places such as the San Jose Improv, Rooster T. Feathers, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, Stanford University, and more! Starting in May 2006, he started producing comedy shows in Morgan Hill, CA then when it became such a big success, he added a 2nd show in Gilroy, CA. He stopped producing both shows at the end of 2013.
Resume
- Height: 6'0''
- Weight: 200 lbs.
- Eyes: Blue-Green
- Hair: Brown
THEATRE (production/ role/ place)
- Lysistrata / Magistrate / Deep Impact Theatre
- Big Love/ Leo / San Jose State University
- Foresight/ Allan Rodgers /Easily Distracted Theatre
- Streetcar Named Desire / Collector, Doctor/ San Jose State University
- Of Mice And Men/ George Milton / San Jose State University
- The Crucible/ Hopkins / San Jose State University
CLUBS
- The Improv. San Jose, CA
- Rooster T. Feathers. Sunnyvale, CA
- Tommy T's. Pleasanton, CA
- The Purple Onion. San Francisco, CA
- Castagnola's on Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco, CA
COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
- UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
- Stanford University. Palo Alto, CA
- San Jose State University. San Jose, CA
- DeAnza College. Cupertino, CA
FESTIVALS AND COMPETITIONS
- Redwood Comedy Festival, Fortuna, CA - April 2014
- Tommy T's Comedy Competition, Pleasanton, CA - February 2012
- Battle of the Bay Comedy Competition at San Jose Improv - Made it to Quarter-Finals - October 2011
OTHER PLACES WES HAS PERFORMED COMEDY
- Bunjo's Comedy Lounge. Dublin, CA
- The Crow's Nest. Santa Cruz, CA
- Westside Comedy Theatre. Santa Monica, CA
- .....and many more....
EDUCATION
- Graduated from San Jose State with BA in Theatre Arts in Fall 2007.
TRAINING
- Lynne Soffer/ Laura Long/ Amy Glazer/ Kathleen Normington (Diction)
- SF Comedy College. Kurtis Matthews, instructor.
What People are Saying...
Wes is a tireless worker that is always on stage, whether it is a play, stand-up comedy, or anything entertaining. He is a joy to perform with. In addition, he produces amazing comedy shows!
- Grant Lyon, Comedian, www.grantlyon.com
Most people know Wes for his stand up comedy but what you may not know is that Wes is an accomplished actor who can handle both dramatic and comedic material with ease.
- Kathleen Normington, San Jose State University, Acting Professor
Wes is an outstanding performer and writer - funny, dynamic and honest. I've produced theatre and film for 10 years and his name always come to mind when someone asks me for a referral.
- Barnaby Dallas, Director of Productions, Dept. of Television Radio Film and Theatre, San Jose State University
Funny guy Wes has many surprising dimensions: he is brilliant at stand up, but he can also break your heart playing George in Of Mice and Men. Is there nothing this guy can't do?
- Laura Long, San Jose State University, Acting Professor
Wes did an exceptional job Emceeing our fundraiser! He is a great Emcee that infuses humor and keeps the crowd in the moment the entire night, a true professional. I highly recommend Wes Hofmann.
- Louis Franco, President of Selma Public Education Foundation