| Comedy at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Photo: Jenni Walkowiak | |
Until recently, famous stand-ups were mostly straight white men who went through comedy clubs, which were controlled by bookers who often kept women, non-straight, and nonwhite comics away from the spotlight. When the Upright Citizens Brigade became popular in the early 2000s, it provided an alternative track for performers to gain success, but that route has become less popular in recent years. Perhaps in response to the old guard, the stand-up scene in Brooklyn is home to a treasure trove of shows that have are dedicated to inclusivity, providing both a community and platform for comics and audiences to grow together. Shows like the immensely popular Butterboy at Littlefield in Gowanus — which is hosted by Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, and Maeve Higgins — give marginalized comics a space to perform. In celebration of this scene, here are a few Brooklyn-centric shows that are blowing up and feature hosts and comics that are majority female, non-straight, nonwhite, or all three: Airplane Mode Thursdays 8 p.m.–10 p.m. at Cherry Tree (65 Fourth Avenue) Aimee Rose Ranger, Ben Katzner, Geoffrey Asmus, and Rohan Padhye assemble this hidden gem in a long, cozy room in the back of Park Slope bar Cherry Tree. The show often features a guest host and up-and-comers like Brendan Eyre, Nimesh Patel, Shanna Christmas, and Christine Medrano, who support one another and can often be spotted hanging out in the side nook next to the room of the show. In terms of creating a space for diversity, they want to be thoughtful about the lineups and provide variety as well as inclusivity. As Ranger puts it, “We don’t want to book an all-white show. We also don’t want three comics who have a similar style on the same show. Diversity in booking to me isn’t about checking off boxes to make sure our show is PC — it’s about making sure the show is good.” BackFat Variety Various times and locations (usually Union Hall) Larry Mancini and Emily Winter produce ambitious shows that showcase the best comedy Brooklyn has to offer. BackFat is responsible for the Eurovision parody “‘MericaVision,” as well as “One-Liner Madness,” a contest where 64 comics compete in a bracket-style contest, which has featured comics like Chris Calogero, Caitlin Peluffo, Jeff Sheen, Nonia Brown West, Django Gold, Dan Yang, and Atheer Yacoub. With these, as well as a yearly dating and Halloween show, inclusivity is important. “The scene is more inclusive than it was when I started comedy, but still has a ways to go,” Winter says. “Inclusivity doesn’t just mean giving stage time to people who aren’t white straight males. It’s more complex than that. It’s making sure women and minorities have places to experiment and grow. It’s giving them quality stage time. It’s creating an environment where being a woman or a minority isn’t seen as ‘other.’” Big Break Every second and fourth Saturday 8:30 p.m.–11 p.m. at Bluebird (504 Flatbush Avenue) In a spacious Lefferts Gardens basement bar, comics like Nore Davis, Abby Rosenquist, David Nguyen, Usama Siddiquee, and Ayanna Dookie take the stage beside a graffiti-covered wall. As two white men running one of the hottest shows in the scene, Charlie Kasov and Tyler Fischer do their best to be thoughtful about curating each lineup to include diverse voices. In Kasov’s own words, “We began booking our show with the intention for it to be professional caliber, and we also were focused on booking it inclusively and moving beyond simple tokenism. Tyler pointed out recently that while we had to make an effort to book it that way, it’s become kind of a built-in facet of booking that we don’t really have to think about anymore.” Comedy at the Knitting Factory Sundays 9 p.m.–11 p.m. at the Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) This popular Williamsburg weekly is hosted by Sydnee Washington, Aminah Imani, and Marie Faustin. Every Sunday, audiences watch the hosts try out new material before introducing comics like the Lucas Brothers, Selena Coppock, Kenny DeForest, Marshall Brandon, Janelle James, and Abby Crutchfield. Creating a strong connection with the audience is crucial, as Washington explains: “Our show is special because we have great chemistry together. We aren’t random hosts just thrown into a show. We know how important it is for us to create a safe space for the audience and the comedians.” The show was created to give a platform to comics who might be overlooked or marginalized, and that goal is still at the heart of the show. “We book who we like, and because we all come from different places within the comedy community, we see a lot of female, LGBTQ, or black comics that you might never see in any of the clubs,” Faustin explains. It’s All Happening/The Pasta Show Every second Thursday 8 p.m.–10 p.m. at Frank’s Lounge (660 Fulton Street) Kenice Mobley and Brian Parise host this intimate, homey Fort Greene show (the seating is split between couches and metal chairs) complete with stuffed peppers and pasta for the audience. On a small wooden stage literally built by Parise, comics like Myq Kaplan, Jake Head, Otto Fernandez, and Khalid Rahmaan regularly get up and kill. While both agree that minority comics need to be put in positions where they can be seen by bookers and succeed, they do their best to help comics make progress. As Kenice explains, “We book who we like and who we think is funny while intentionally booking a diverse lineup, and go so far as to keep a spreadsheet to ensure that each lineup has strong minority representation. More importantly, our audience is very diverse, and they respond to a lineup that represents a variety of perspectives.” Just Come! Tuesdays 8:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. at the Graham (151 Meserole Street) Kendall Farrell and Pamela Ross host this comedy show every week in the intimate wood-paneled back room of this East Williamsburg bar. With musical accompaniment from Sami Schwaeber and comics like Rachel Feinstein, Kate Willett, and Brittany Carney regularly on the lineup, the hosts do their best to make an inclusive space for female, queer, and POC comics. As Pamela puts it, “We are absolutely mindful of the lineups and who’s represented on them— not just in terms of demographics, but in terms of energy levels and sensibilities. We want to curate lineups that are well-rounded and will interest the diverse cross-section of people that attend the show, many of whom are people of color who live nearby and/or queer people who come to the Graham.” Savage Mondays 8 p.m.–10 p.m. at Fawkner (191 Smith Street) Produced by Lizzie Martinez, Hoff Matthews, Aimee Rose Ranger, and Melissa Rocha, this weekly Cobble Hill show takes place in a posh backroom complete with plush upholstered chairs and a fireplace. Comics like Jordan Temple, Tracy McClendon, Natasha Vaynblat, Sagar Bhatt, and Amamah Sardar step beneath a skylight and share their lives in a space Martinez describes as having “library vibes.” In terms of inclusivity, the four use a spreadsheet to ensure that they’re avoiding gatekeeping, but Martinez also points out that female-produced shows seem to be on the rise. “I feel like every year I see more and more women at mics and producing shows. There are also quite a few female comedians. There are Facebook groups and email lists for them, and I think they’ve played a large role in creating a sense of community for women comics and shaping the scene as a whole.” Side Ponytail Wednesdays 8 p.m.–10 p.m. at Friends and Lovers (641 Classon Avenue) Julia Shiplett, Carolyn Busa, Ben Wasserman, and Emily Winter run a typically packed show in the back room of this Crown Heights bar. Comics like Josh Gondelman, Natalie McGill, Jessy Morner Ritt, Devon Walker, and Wes Hazard take the surprisingly large stage, after which free shots are often distributed. Each host acknowledges an interest in having it be as reflective of the audience as possible, with Shiplett perhaps putting it best: “We are definitely dedicated to diversity and representation — not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes for an overall better show. We try to look at each week’s lineup holistically. I think booking a good comedy show is a lot like serving a good dinner: No one wants chicken seven different ways. Audience members may have their favorite dish of the night, but hopefully they walk away feeling satisfied with the meal.” Subscribe for $5 and get unlimited digital access to Vulture, New York, Intelligencer, the Cut, and Grub Street. | |
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