Ben Cummings, originally from Monroe, Louisiana, might have once thought of himself as a wallflower but those days are behind him. Now, he’s a rising voice in New Orleans’ comedy scene.

“I became interested in comedy at a young age,” Cummings says. “I enjoyed how healing it was and, at best, challenging people’s minds. I loved watching interviews of older comics talking about the process of writing and practicing at open mics. It seemed so fascinating to me… You just take the random ideas and go in front of people to test it multiple times to build a reliable set.”

“It’s the ultimate form of self hate,” he adds.

That painful honesty is part of what makes stand-up such a singular art form. It’s also what makes it terrifying. Cummings still remembers his first time on stage. “Incredibly intimidating,” he says. “I have a lot of social anxiety… I had to sit on a stool and look at a wall away from the crowd the whole time due to nerves.” Despite the fear, he knew he wanted to keep going. “If you really want to do it, you just accept whatever can happen with a crowd as a part of the art form and let it challenge you to write better. The recovery from a hard room in the moment is where a lot of the real power comes from.”

That resilience is part of what he believes keeps the New Orleans comedy scene alive. It’s a smaller market, but one with strong connections and plenty of creative space. “We benefit from actually having a tight-knit community that all know each other and can call on each other for help,” he says. “It’s not as large of a city, so it’s a lot easier to move around from show to show… and for its size, it also has so much room for growth and so many amazing artists with unique perspectives.”

Cummings brings that collaborative spirit to the shows he hosts, which often blur the lines between stand-up, music and poetry. “My open mics are more of an open jam session that caters toward musical acts,” he says. “I like to allow artists to do whatever they want up there… whether it’s music, comedy, poetry, etc.” He opens with a space for collaboration, then rolls into a sign-up list. “It can seem like it’s chaos sometimes, but I like working with the flow of it to find a line to create structure within the freedom it provides—while making it a fun night.”

New Orleans may be best known for its music, but its comedy scene is carving out a voice of its own, one which is idiosyncratic, inclusive and full of possibility. For the comedian who also plays music and runs sound for the local Mixtape open mic series, who once faced the audience by way of a brick wall, the journey has been as much about personal growth as punchlines. And for the city, artists like him are helping shape something that’s still emerging: a comedy culture that’s not just about getting laughs, but about building something real.

To see Ben Cummings and an array of New Orleans comedies, check out his comedy open mic Wednesday nights at The Prytania Bar. Follow Ben on Instagram at @bcummings19