Photograph by Tyler Jones
Almost ten years ago local stand-up comic Josh O’Neill hosted a live script reading of Die Hard at The Video Archive (now Tiki Tiki Bang Bang), in which he and other comics read a script. Of course it was held during Christmastime, and it became an annual tradition until O’Neill needed a hiatus. “Once you do it six or seven times, it was just kind of like, all right, I should take a break so I can appreciate it the next time I do it,” O’Neill says.
In 2023, Commonwealth Comedy Club opened inside an old church in Dayton, Kentucky, becoming Northern Kentucky’s first dedicated comedy club. Talent director Shawn Braley, who was a fan of O’Neill’s Die Hard readings, reached out to him.
“I have always loved what he did, and it’s something they do in L.A. with celebrities reading the different parts,” says Braley. “I wanted to bring something like that to Cincinnati and do it on a high level, and seeing Josh do that on a high level in places like The Video Archive and Overlook Lodge, I was like, ‘Whenever you’re ready, please, I want you to do it.’”
On December 18, 2025, O’Neill resurrected Die Hard at Commonwealth. “It’s been really fun to see Josh get back into doing it, but also to see how people have responded to it,” says Braley.
Photograph by Tyler Jones
O’Neill decided to do other films seasonally, like Jaws in October, The Princess Bride in February, The Sandlot in April, and on June 25 he’ll bring the classic angsty comedy The Graduate to Commonwealth.
The 1967 award-winning film follows recent college grad Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), who navigates a confusing post-college life and begins an affair with the much older Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) but falls in love with her daughter (Katharine Ross). (Fun fact: Bancroft was only six years older than Hoffman and eight years older than Ross.)
“I think the process of writing scripts is so fun compared to stand-up,” says O’Neill. “It’s nice to break up the monotony of that and do something that is in my interests of stand-up, comedy, and movies.” So far all of the readings have sold out the 100-seat room.
Instead of reading from an already published script, O’Neill goes through the painstaking process of watching the film and writing the script from scratch. “I type out the movie beat for beat, moment for moment, line for line, because that allows my narration to fit my own voice for reading, and then it allows me to take as many moments as humanly possible, or as necessary for the show, and create little moments out of it. It’s several hours of my life to go from minute one to the end credits, but it does allow for a more palatable reading, as opposed to a technical script. It’s just not as readable on stage, and it also allows for us as a cast to collaborate and create a faithful enough of an adaptation that you could log it on your Letterboxd, but you also walk away going, ‘Well, that was unique.’”
In terms of choosing the films, he has a criteria. “It can’t have too many characters,” says O’Neill. “It can’t have too few characters. It can’t be too long. It can’t be too short. It can’t be too visual. It can’t be too much just talking. It’s a little bit of everything.”
Most of the cast are local comics with the exception of Hannah Spraul, a trained actor, who will play Mrs. Robinson. “I think it adds to the show that these comics aren’t necessarily actors by trade. They’re great performers and they’re great writers, but you see them sometimes handle reading and performing at the same time, and that adds its own little element to the show.”
Because of licensing issues, the tickets are free, but tips are encouraged. Many of the people who come have not seen the films.
“Whether people have seen the movies or not, they’ve loved coming to see them,” says Braley. “Jacoba Wells, one of the owners here, doesn’t really watch movies. I don’t think she’s seen any of the ones we’ve done, and she’s loved them all.”
The Graduate is also famous for its soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel, and local musicians Annie D, Anna Applegate, and Tiffie will perform covers, including the iconic “Mrs. Robinson,” so the reading will be more like a variety show.
“It’s not just people sitting at a table reading,” says Braley. “There’s a lot of jokes. There’s act outs, but then there’s also incredible music.”
On June 25, Commonwealth Comedy Club, located at 522 Fifth Avenue in Dayton, Ky., will present a live script reading of The Graduate. Tickets are free.
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