Dale Dymkoski was an introverted kid, who was self-conscious about his hearing aids, while growing up in Monroe, but went on to be a good student, as well as a star athlete in football and baseball, where he made All State twice while playing at Masuk High School. Now he’s known as the “World’s Deafest Fittest Stroke Surviver.”
Dymkoski lives in Los Angeles, where he is a personal trainer in West Hollywood. He also dabbled in acting, before making his mark in standup comedy. Dymkoski’s coming home to Connecticut for a comedy special at the Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport on March 22.
The Sun recently interviewed Dymkoski to talk about his career and upcoming show when the L.A. wildfires were still raging.
“Fortunately, I’m safe,” he said. “My area and neighborhood is safe, but many friends are displaced and lost their homes, which burned to the ground. It is devastating.”
Dymkoski, who earned a political science degree from the University of Connecticut, then a Master’s degree in fitness and wellness leadership for personal training, has lived in California for the past two decades.
He primarily makes his living as a personal trainer, but has some TV credits, including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Scandal,” as well as roles in some independent films.
“I did a play, a regional premiere called ‘Tribes in Cincinnati,'” Dymkoski said. “I played a deaf young man, who grew up in a hearing family. It’s similar to how I grew up, but he was more deaf than I am. It was the most rewarding acting experience.”
At age three, Dymkoski was diagnosed with moderately severe sensory neural bilateral hearing loss, which caused a 60 percent loss of hearing in both ears.
Like the character, Billy, Dymkoski’s family raised him as a child with “normal” hearing, so he would not be excluded from other children.
“When I was a kid, I was self conscious about my hearing aid,” he said, “so as a teenager I tried to wear one.”
When hearing aids went from analog to digital, Dymkoski said it changed his life. “The world treated me better,” he said. “I wasn’t saying, ‘what’ all the time and people didn’t notice the hearing aids.”
He said growing up with hearing loss made him more introspective. Dymkoski loves to immerse himself in reading and writing.
“I’ve always been a writer. I’ve written a few scripts,” he said. “I wrote a TV show with a friend, though nothing was made. I always fill notebooks with ideas, insights and poetry.”
When his performance in “Tribes in Cincinnati” didn’t lead to many more offers for acting gigs, Dymkoski shifted his focus to standup comedy.
“I immersed myself in standup,” he said.
He still acts ocassionally, but said oftentimes in acting a lot of things don’t come to fruition. Among the things he likes about standup is “you can write your own comedy and perform.”
“I’ve always been a writer, a trained actor and performer — and I’m a control freak,” Dymkoski said. “You can do all of these things in one place and control it. Comedians are the only ones in society who can tell the truth. They don’t have to be beholden to anybody.”
One of his favorite comedians is Bill Maher, a political comedian. “He’s somebody I always enjoyed,” Dymkoski said. “He makes fun of both sides.”
He said comedy is a good way to open up a dialogue between people.
“We’re not always going to like somebody’s idea, but for God’s sake, tolerate people who think differently than you. It’s okay,” Dymkoski said. “I make jokes for both sides. You have to be able to laugh at yourself. If you can’t, that’s your problem, not my problem.”
But while good-naturedly poking fun at everyone, Dymkoski said, “I’m always going to stand up against injustice, racism and homophobia.”
Different walks of life
Dymkoski has been relentless in his pursuit of comedy, doing open mics and shows three-to-four times a week.
He’s performed at 29 venues all over the country, including The Comedy Store in L.A., Notoriety in Las Vegas, the Laugh Factory in Chicago, Westside Comedy Club in New York, City, Laugh Boston in Boston, and Dubh Linn Brew Pub in Duluth, Minn., to name a few.
Dymkoski has participated in six festivals. Among them were the D.C. Comedy Festival, Burbank Comedy Festival, World Series of Comedy and the Sno Jam Comedy Festival.
He has met some famous personalities along the way, including Sebastian Manascalco, Sarah Silverman and Melissa Villaseñor from “Saturday Night Live.”
“I opened for Jeremy Piven at the Hartford Funny Bone in 2019,” Dymkoski said. “I love comedians. I met some of my closest friends through comedy. It’s just something about the camaraderie to come onstage and open up with comedy.”
Dymkoski and his fellow comedians are from completely different walks of life.
“A common misconception about comedians are they are extroverts,” he said. “The majority of them are introverted and then they turn it on when they’re on stage.”
Connecting with people
Comedians are constantly honing their craft and bombing some nights is part of the process, according to Dymkoski.
“Jerry Seinfeld will tell you he bombed,” he said. “It’s a part of getting better. There’s a level of self delusion. You’re always walking that fine line. You get just enough laughter that when you come back out, it keeps you going.”
Dymkoski said a variety of factors are at play every night, from the material and quality of the writing to the performer and whether it all connects with the crowd.
One thing Dymkoski said he likes about standup is it’s live and in-person, rather than via social media.
“For someone who went through depression, it’s the human connection that lifts you out of it,” he said. “Even if you bomb, you’re in a room and out with people. It lifts your spirits and makes you feel better.”
Dymkoski is five years removed from suffering a stroke and has worked hard in the gym to get himself back into shape. He said it was a turning point in his life.
“You hear a lot about the Loneliness Epidemic,” he said. “People are isolated. I’m an introvert. I had my stroke. The world shut down for a year. It helped me recover, gain control of my life. For somebody who would isolate naturally, getting in a room with people, talking and connecting on a visceral level, it’s a connection to other humans.”
Rising above labels
Dymkoski will give two live performances at the Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport on March 22, a 7 p.m. and a 9 p.m. show. For tickets to the earlier show, click here. For the later show, click here.
Yoshee So, Dymkoski’s close friend and brother in comedy, will be the opening act. Dymkoski said he appreciates that, because he and So are on the same level.
“It’s really an autobiographical show,” he said. “I try to bring people together through laughter. The theme of the show is defying labels and overcoming obstacles. I’m a stroke survivor, a person with a disability, but I don’t really feel defined by those things. I don’t connect with that. We all want to put people in boxes, judge people, but it’s not who we are. We don’t need to hate each other over these things.”
The night will be a reunion of sorts, as Dymkoski’s family and friends will have the opportunity to see him perform onstage.
“I can’t wait to share my life’s work with my home state,” he said. “I can’t think of a better place to do it, than in the city of my birth.”
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