In Richmond’s diverse arts scene, the BLK VA Theatre Alliance (BVTA) is making waves by spotlighting stories that don’t always get center stage. This nonprofit theater company, driven by a commitment to diversity, equity, and accessibility, is all about creating...
Snootchie bootchies, fellow Richmonders! The vocal half of beloved cinematic (and comic-book) comedy duo Jay and Silent Bob, Jason Mewes, makes a pit stop at the Richmond Funny Bone next week. Most well known as the Jay to Kevin Smith’s Silent Bob in Smith’s popular comedies, Mewes is currently on a solo tour. However, anyone expecting stand-up...
Baltimore-based comedy troupe Wham City Comedy has always straddled the dirty railing that is dark comedy and horror. If you’re like me, then they clearly speak to you and your spooky-365-days-a-year kind of soul. Lucky for us, they’re back again with something for those dark and rainy Halloween nights. Wham City returns this week, with a...
Richmond sketch group Trash Bang is making an impact. Winning the judge’s prize at Unified Scene Theater’s 24-Hour Sketch Fest in Washington D.C. this August, this group is taking the local sketch comedy scene to a higher level. This weekend, they'll be performing at Coalition Theatre's sixth annual Nightmare On Broad Street event, celebrating...
Eddie Izzard is 56 years old, and wears six-inch red bottom-heeled, knee-high leather boots better than I could ever hope or dream to. Surprisingly, I can still sleep at night knowing this. What I really wish I could do, however, is be even a fraction of the immense story-telling comedic powerhouse that Izzard is, and has been, for the last 36...
Imagine Shark Tank, but instead of a better toothbrush, white contestants pitch solutions for racism to a panel of black judges. In the first few episodes, they've proposed everything everything from reparations to white slavery and the Rachel Dolezal-linked concept of “transracialism.” The show is Dark Tank, and it’s just been released by Yedoye...
Today, all you need to make a silly, simple YouTube video is the camera on your phone–it could even go viral. Many creative people have taken this simple video platform and turned it into a career, making consistent, quality entertainment that keeps us up and laughing past 2 a.m. Dan Howell and Phil Lester are two of those people. And they’re...
Discount Tuna, the VCU-born sketch comedy group, is bringing four nights of absurd hilarity to the Firehouse Theatre. With a group of diverse and talented actors, Discount Tuna promises an unforgettable evening of the obscene, the hilarious, and the downright silly. Founded by Chandler Matkins, Dante Piro, and Rachel Lamb, Discount Tuna first...
There are two things that you need to know about Judah Friedlander: Not only does he bring his own ping pong paddle and balls with him everywhere he goes, but he will always be wearing the coolest hat in the room (like his hat that says ‘World Champion’ in Morse Code. Naturally.) I hate surprises, but receiving a text at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning...
When someone mentions “the comedy scene," New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, D.C., or even Seattle, are usually the first to come to mind, but not usually Richmond. Despite this lack of recognition, it is a hotbed of comedy, from stand-up to improv to open mic nights held in coffee shops and bars across the city. Beyond that, the industry is still...
