Vien Phommachanh claims he is “the No. 1 Laotian ear, nose, and throat doctor/comedian in Southwest Florida.” And, as a practicing Sarasota ENT by day who likes to make people laugh at night, he’s probably right. “I’ve always been funny with friends since childhood,” recalls Phommachanh, who came to the United States with his family from Laos at age 3 as a Vietnam War refugee. Phommachanh graduated from Tulane School of Medicine, but it wasn’t until he was 40 that he took a class at a comedy club as “a bucket-list thing” and “was hooked by the adrenaline of making people laugh.”
His comedy career continues to grow, with stand-up gigs, comedy festivals, and even TV appearances across the country and world. Which of his jobs does he like better? “Both are very satisfying,” he says. “It’s surprisingly hard to do stand-up, and the study of the craft is immensely challenging and rewarding, much like it is in medicine.” The doctor will perform August 16 as part of the comedy series at the Arts Center Theatre on Marco Island; tickets are $25.
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