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Growing up in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, comedian Mike Birbiglia tried many different outlets for his creativity. Poetry held his interest early on, but by his teen years he had switched to hip-hop and written a rap for the graduation ceremony of his school's anti-drug program. Going to see Steven Wright on his 16th birthday steered Birbiglia toward standup. He would be writing quirky one-liners in the Wright style all the way up to his early years of college in the Washington, D.C., area. He began working the ticket window at the D.C. Improv, and there he decided to develop his Wright-like act into something more real and biographical. After studying the work of Woody Allen and Richard Pryor, Birbiglia developed a mix of one-liners and personal stories that would instantly connect with audiences. He refined his act around D.C. before moving to New York City and taking any gig he could get. A successful night at the Comic Strip Live introduced Birbiglia to the club's general manager ...