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reopening

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Help LA Indie Improv’s Clubhouse Reopen with This Kickstarter

November 24, 2021
News
crowdfunding, indie improv, kickstarter, los angeles comedy, los angeles venue, rebecca drysdale, reopening

So many venues and things in comedy fell victim to the pandemic in one way or another. We won’t bring the mood down by listing those yet again, but, odds are, you have mourned the things that have closed and gotten anxious over the things in comedy whose fate is yet to be determined.

Fortunately, one of the things that will survive is one of LA comedy’s beloved indie improv venue, The Clubhouse, nestled in a very large strip mall on Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz. Dozens and dozens of improv shows as well as some sketch, stand-up, clowning, and other wild comedy experiments were held lovingly at one of the The Clubhouse’s two rooms.

We were thoroughly worried that it was going to be a place that was indeed going to close as a result of having to be dark for so long. That is not the case as you now know, but they will need help reopening. There is back rent that’s due and many long overdue and necessary repairs that The Clubhouse needs. That’s why its amazing and gracious founder, Rebecca Drysdale, is doing this very Kickstarter to have the Clubhouse rise from the ashes once more (and make sure no one gets tetanus from the security gate).

Please support a LA comedy venue that was a home for so many, big and small, weird and weirder, etc. etc. Do so on Kickstarter here.

It’s June 15th and Comedy in LA Is Really Reopening This Week

June 15, 2021
News
flappers comedy, la comedy, reopening, silverlake lounge, westside comedy theater

As you probably well know, a good majority of Governor Newsom’s COVID-19 mandates, especially in regards to masks and social distancing, have been lifted. That leaves way more latitude for events, gatherings, and the like to happen, especially in regards to live comedy (though we hope protocols and caution are observed as LA county only made it to 55% of its population being fully vaccinated by today).

So, this week there are several venues that are reopening with live comedy as they thankfully survived and are more than ready to have folks come through their doors to enjoy some live comedy.

Namely, Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, Flappers Comedy Club, Bar Lubitsch, and Silverlake Lounge, all of which had several great comedy shows within their walls are putting on shows this week. Definitely count on more indie shows to come roaring back as well including Bear City, Cult Comedy, and more very soon in addition the live in-person shows for fully vaccinated audiences that were already happening at Dynasty Typewriter, Hollywood Improv, and The Comedy Store.

Of course, you can, as always, check our listings to keep up to date on all comedy happenings in LA, and now, NYC.

Some NYC Live Performance Venues Will Be Allowed to Reopen in April (Though How That’ll Work for Comedy Is TBD)

March 3, 2021
News
new york, reopening

(via New York Times)

Some select venues throughout New York will be, starting April 2nd, permitted to resume live in-person shows with 33% capacity that goes up to 100 people maximum for indoor events and 200 people maximum for outdoor events. Also, people in attendance will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test and need to have a face covering as well as be socially distanced from each other.

So, comedy clubs/venues that are often very intimate meaning that 33% capacity will very likely not provide the revenue to make a profit or even break even. That is almost doubly true due to the incurred costs to be in compliance for COVID-19 protocol, providing PPE to staff, etc. The trajectory of the next month in regards to downtrending COVID-19 cases in tandem with the availability and distribution of any of the vaccines will be crucial.

That’s all to say that the fate of watching live stand-up inside a NYC comedy club is still very much up in the air. Until the majority of the world is inoculated, there’s a delicate balance, should any venue choose to operate right now, between safety and sustainability. There are a handful of outdoor NYC comedy shows that have been operating regardless of Gov. Cuomo or NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s mandates throughout the last several months. The regulation of those have largely been left up to the producers of the shows themselves. A collective of small NYC venues have been vocal to both Cuomo and DeBlasio about transparency with their data pointing towards any sort of reopening plan leading up to this moment.

Again, we’ll have to see what happens on both sides of this reopening of live performance in the coming weeks and months. If all goes well, it might be another blueprint for major cities around the world reopening. If not (and that very well could happen), well, New Yorkers will be back to doing what most city dwellers are doing (or should be doing anyway) and staying home.

Please Enjoy Ross Bryant’s Satirical Rap About Going to “Stores” During COVID-19

August 10, 2020
News
music video, musical comedy, pandemic shopping, reopening, ross bryant, satire

For some, the desire to live the life they had in February is so great that they are willing to ignore the reality of COVID-19, especially in America and dash to a store to shop in person whether it’s safe or not.

Ross Bryant, a brilliant a musical comedian and improviser from Improvised Shakespeare Company and Baby Wants Candy, dedicates this banger STORES to those folks via doing an entire rap song from their ridiculous perspective.

Please enjoy how they satirically get sent up in the song and video here.

Pick of the Day: The Future of the Future of LA Comedy 6/23

June 22, 2020
News
barbara holliday, christian chavez, covid-19, jake kroeger, joel mandelkorn, lockdown, phase 4, reopening, youtube

At this unprecedented moment of three months of lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global uprising against systemic racism and oppression and police brutality, the idea of when live comedy will come back or where it will fit in these historic times we’re living through is a question that seems far from having an answer or an even an attempt at an answer. In LA specifically, live comedy falls under the category “Phase 4” of reopening, which seems to be far, far away at a date TBD.

Thus, we here at The Comedy Bureau are attempting to attempt to have some sort of conversation with The Future of the Future of LA Comedy.

Perhaps, this virtual roundtable discussion could lead to some start to some answers about live comedy in LA going forward in regards to reopening, safety, sustainability, diversity/inclusion, and supporting the plethora of important causes happening right now.

Joining TCB founder Jake Kroeger will be a panel of people that operate throughout all corners of the LA comedy scene including Joel Mandelkorn (producer of Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen, CleftClips), Barbara Holliday (owner/booker of Flappers Comedy Club), and Christian Chavez (owner of Echoes on Pico). Their discussion will hopefully be the start of getting on the same page as we believe that comedy and live performance in general will come back safely and maybe better than ever.

The Future of The Future of LA Comedy will be live-streamed this Tuesday, June 23rd at 3PM PT/6PM ET thanks to the fine folks at Hold The Phone Comedy. Please tune in at bit.ly/tcblayoutube.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 9: Barbara Gray & Moving Forward

May 27, 2020
News
comedy quarantine, hannah gadsby, lady to lady, live streamed stand up, nate craig, open mics, reopening, tropical heat

For the entirety of quarantine, LA comedy gem Barbara Gray has help run and host one of the most enduring, most put together, daily live-streamed comedy shows around, Comedy Quarantine. Barbara has an extensive chat with TCB founder Jake Kroeger about the intricacies of doing comedy on Instagram vs. other platforms and actually making more money than previously doing bar shows in LA. They also discuss the reopening of a handful comedy clubs across the country as well as an in-person open mic that defiantly wants to reopen despite not being allowed to. Also, time is taken to honor the memory of the late Richard Bain.

Follow Barbara Gray @babsgray on Twitter and @babs_gray on Instagram. Watch co-host @ComedyQuarantine and listen to her podcast that she co-hosts with Brandie Posey and Tess Barker, Lady to Lady, and Britney’s Gram: The Podcast.

Shout Outs: Tropical Heat, Nate Craig’s Preferred Customer, Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas.

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).
Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

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