Questioning the Locals

get to know your neighbors, like Christina Wolff

Tom Giffey |

WHO: Christina Wolff, 28
WHAT: Figure skating coach, Sharp Photo worker bee, standup comedian
LIVES: Downtown Eau Claire
IN THE CITY: Since 2010

Christina Wolff may be a funny lady, but she’s a busy one, too: In addition to being a mainstay of the Chippewa Valley’s burgeoning standup comedy scene (you’ll often see her on stage Tuesday and Thursday nights at The Plus), she works at Sharp Photo and teaches figure skating. A graduate of Chippewa Falls High School, Christina attended UW-Eau Claire and then graduated from the University of Delaware, where she was drawn to standup comedy when she took part in a theatrical competition. She didn’t win, but that didn’t stop her from trying again … and again. That determination likely helped her answer our list of questions. 

Volume One: What place in town considers you a “regular”?

Christina Wolff: The Plus, formerly Pizza Plus, sometimes The Joynt, and definitely Hobbs ice arena.

What’s the worst joke you’ve ever told on stage?

I think it’s funny, but it’s bombed every time. Here it is: Some people are very negative towards the police and say that there’s no such thing as a good cop, but I don’t think that can be true, because then how can they play “good cop bad cop”?

How has the comedy scene in the Chippewa Valley changed in recent years?

It has exploded! I don’t know if that’s too dramatic, but it’s grown so, so much!  When I first started doing standup locally, there was someone trying to get a standup open mic started at The Stones Throw where a couple people would show up. Otherwise you could go to a general open mic and perform there. There weren’t too many places where the people watching really cared all that much about what you were saying or comedy in general. The perfect combination of finding a comedy/open mic home was at The Plus, where people are passionate about improving their own comedy and encouraging others to join. Having a community that cares about promoting the arts and other artists supporting each other has made the magical potion that has created an Eau Claire comedy scene that I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of and to have been able to see grow.

What’s more embarrassing: Bombing on stage or falling during an ice skating routine?

I suppose that depends on if you get hurt or not. They say to “break a leg” when you go on stage for standup but you can physically break a leg on the ice. I would say when it comes to bombing or falling it depends on how you recover from it, in either of those situations you can either keep going unphased (barring injury!) or let the rest of the performance fall apart because of a fall or a joke not going over well. Although I think it’s easier to keep going after a bad joke because you can make fun of your bad joke and still get laughs but falling can’t really be made funny and you lose points.

What’s your favorite local festival?

The Eaux Claires festival because it was just so much fun and unique. It highlighted what makes Eau Claire great, and oh also I got proposed to there during the Bon Iver set ... so J-Vern if you want to play at our wedding ya know that’ll be cool with us ... thought I’d it throw it out there (just kidding).

What frustrates you about the Chippewa Valley?

That there isn’t a Valley-wide “summers off” policy so there is more time to enjoy the beautiful Wisconsin summers. That’s sustainable and realistic, right? Should I run for office?

Deathbed, one meal from a local restaurant, what would it be?

Decisions are hard and I’m on my deathbed so I deserve a break from making them, so I would get French onion soup from Acoustic Cafe, Red Curry from Singha Thai, a burger from Court’n House and some spicy pasta from Stella Blue’s.

What book, TV show, or movie would you recommend to members of the City Council?

Parks and Recreation for the City Council ... and for everyone forever and always. But only if you like a show with a lot of hope, a lot of heart, silliness and a lot of laughs – if you’re feeling cynical and dark, then Game of Thrones.

If you could rename Eau Claire with a different French name, what would it be?

Bon Hiver (good winter), because the winters here are great, right? No, a better answer is “Pamplemousse” because it’s fun to say and everyone knows how we grow a lot of grapefruits in this area.