Peter Gwinn ’93 to deliver Carleton convocation on ‘How to Be a Comedian When Nothing is Funny’
Gwinn is an award-winning comic writer and improvisor — and was once ranked the Midwest’s top crossword puzzle solver!
Comedy writer Peter Gwinn ’93 will deliver Carleton’s convocation on Friday, April 10, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address is titled, “How to Be a Comedian When Nothing is Funny.”
Gwinn worked as one of the original writers on The Colbert Report, which was awarded two Emmys (and eight Emmy nominations), three Writers Guild Awards (and six WGA nominations), and two Peabody Awards during his time on the show. Gwinn also wrote for Alpha House, a TV show about four Republican senators who share a Washington, D.C. house rental.
Beyond his work with television, Gwinn has written a variety of stage comedy shows that have been performed at UCB Theater, The Second City, and the iO Theater. His stage plays and musicals include Oh! Those Midsummer Nights!; The Story of a Story (The Untold Story), which revived the Jeff Awards in 2016 when it was nominated for Best New Work; Twist Your Dickens; Listen, Kid…; and Moulin Scrooge! Gwinn also appeared on the Netflix show Easy in 2017.
Gwinn currently writes for the NPR comedy news quiz, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Listen for his name — always with a funny tagline — in the end credits every weekend.
Aside from his written work, Gwinn is also celebrated for his work as an improv comedian and improv coach at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and the iO Theater and Home Comedy Theaters in Chicago. Over the course of his career, he has performed with and/or instructed a long list of comedians, including Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Jason Sudeikis, Chris Gethard, Amber Ruffin, Rachel Dratch, and Zach Woods. Gwinn also founded the internationally celebrated comedy group Baby Wants Candy, which has consistently sold out its runs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been named a New York Times critics’ pick.
Gwinn also enjoys creating and solving puzzles. He won the Midwest Division at the 2019 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, he is a regular contributor to AVCX Trivia, and he helped write the 2022 MIT Mystery Hunt with Team Palindrome.
This convocation will also be live streamed — please register in advance to receive information on how to attend via Zoom. Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. Find upcoming events and archived recordings (including in podcast form) on the convocations website. For more information, including disability accommodations, call 507-222-5461 or email nponder@carleton.edu.
After each convocation address, Carleton hosts a luncheon with the speaker. Convocation luncheon is held in the Alumni Guest House Meeting Room (unless otherwise noted) from noon to 1 p.m. and is generally limited to 30 people. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP on the convocations website.