“I love the intimacy of the smaller venues,” says comedian Karen Mills. “I love the intimacy with the crowd.”

Mills will be performing at the Eagles Theatre in Wabash on Thursday night as part of the Thursday Night Comedy series. She’s made a name for herself doing clean comedy for the last two decades.

Mills came to comedy in a roundabout way. Despite standing only 5’2″, she was a state champion basketball player at Bradley High School, earning her a full scholarship to the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. During her time at UTC she was an All-American and was first female in school history to be inducted into the school’s basketball hall of fame.

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“After college, everyone thought I would coach,” Mills recalls. “I didn’t like coaching as much as I liked playing.”

She spent some time in the school’s graduate assistant program, but ultimately decided coaching wasn’t for her. Mills moved to Atlanta where she worked as a mortgage broker. It was during her time in Georgia that she caught the comedy bug.

She says she took notice of the comedians she saw performing on “The Tonight Show,” and decided to give stand up a try. Mills started doing open mics at The Punch Line. “That first solid 10 minutes seems like the hardest,” she says.

“After several times of doing open mics they hired me to open,” says Mills. Back in those days, many comedians would show up to perform. Management would pick the performers who would go onstage that night and post a list.

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If she was on the list, she’d get nervous and nauseous; if she wasn’t on the list she’d be disappointed and cry. “It didn’t matter which way it went, I was sick,” she says with a laugh.

She’s since gotten over the nerves and turned those open mic opportunities into a full-fledged career. She paid her dues on the road, touring clubs, colleges and theaters. Mills spent some time as a writer on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, worked with John Stewart, and performed on the Southern Fried Chicks comedy tour. She also appears regularly on Sirius/XM radio.

“I went through cancer two years ago,” Mills says. “Finding the humor with that has made a big difference.”

In May of 2013 Mills was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She says her humor helped her cope.

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“I really am optimistic, and I’ve always been able to find the humor,” she says. “It’s really true, you recover better when you’re positive. I know how important it is.”

Finding the humor in her misfortune has also helped her connect with her audience. Mills says she’s always having people come up after shows or write to tell her how her jokes and experiences have helped them cope. It also opened the door to speak at commencement ceremonies, fundraisers and conventions.

Still, Mills loves to get on stage and make her audience laugh. And she’s looking forward to bringing that comedy to northern Indiana. “Layer up and come on out,” Mills says. “I’ll warm you up with some laughs.”

Mills will take the stage at the Eagles Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 4. Tickets are $12 in advance, and $15 the day of the show.

Opening for Mills will be TV personality and fellow Southern Fried Chicks alum Trish Suhr. Most probably know Suhr as the host of Clean House or Great American Cook-Off, but the foxy gal from Kentucky knows how to make an audience chuckle.

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