CoastLine: Comedians Cliff Cash and Nancy Witter on touring and finding the funny

By Rachel Lewis Hilburn

Published September 26, 2023 at 10:59 AM EDT

Cliff Cash films his comedy special, The Long Road, at Thalian Hall November 9, 2023.

Both Cliff Cash and Nancy Witter are professional comedians, have played to sold-out houses across these United States, and call the Cape Fear region home. On this episode they explore the craft of comedy and how it's evolved for them.

As Wilmington attracts more touring comedians and produces its own home-grown pros, the comedy landscape in the Cape Fear region continues to grow. The burgeoning comedy scene is, in large part, thanks to the work of the Dead Crow Comedy Room, Daredevil Improv, and other local groups.

There’s also simple math. As southeastern North Carolina sees its population expand, some of the newer transplants are turning out to be comedians. The professional kind.

For New York City and touring comedian Nancy Witter, it was the pandemic that ignited her desire to move here.

Nancy Witter is a nationally-touring comedian who relocated from NYC to the Cape Fear region.

She was one of five finalists on Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America. Nancy started performing stand up comedy at Don't Tell Mama in New York City, where she was a regular for over a decade. She’s won four New York City Manhattan Association for Cabarets Awards for outstanding comedienne. She is the author of the book Who's Better Than Me... A Guide to Living Happily Ever After. She has toured the country in sold-out theaters, played Las Vegas and Atlantic City and has appeared on the Rachael Ray Show. She was crowned Ms. Senior New York in 2019 and thanks to the pandemic, enjoyed a two-year reign (a record).

She also happens to be a life coach, motivational speaker, and comedy coach and teacher.

Native North Carolinian and comedian Cliff Cash tours nationally but is based in the Cape Fear region. He has appeared on Comedy Central UPNext, Standup NBC, DRYBAR, and Laughs on FOX. He’s performed coast to coast from the Comedy Store in LA to the Comedy Cellar in New York City. In his earlier days, he opened for comedians Michael Ian Black, Kyle Grooms, Michael Che, Judah Friedlander, and Lachlan Patterson. He’s also performed on Comedy Central’s XM radio. He’s toured 48 of these United States.
Cliff Cash records his own comedy special, called The Long Road, presented by Lighthouse Films and Wilmington Unplugged, November 9, 2023 at Thalian Hall.