When I was nineteen years old, I decided to do standup comedy at Café Diem. I went up on stage, grabbed the microphone, and smiled as the overhead lights blinded my eyes. To make a long, painful story short, I bombed.
When I was nineteen years old, I decided to do standup comedy at Café Diem. I went up on stage, grabbed the microphone, and smiled as the overhead lights blinded my eyes. To make a long, painful story short, I bombed. The open mic scene is rough. It’s tough to kill it on stage the first time you go up. It takes experience to receive genuine laughter from your audience members. I’ve been doing comedy for two years and I’ve sucked at it a lot of times. Standing in front of people and talking is frightening. Rejections occur frequently, and you have to be prepared for them to happen. But the beautiful sound of laughter pervading through a cozy nightclub is enough to sustain optimism and keep getting up there.
Being a comedian takes devotion and grit. Solid material does not come out of thin air; it takes time and investment to craft humorous anecdotes, punchlines, premises, and turns. Local comic Dylan Vattelana considers starting off at open mic nights “a necessary evil.” “Everybody should go through the gauntlet,” he says. “Richmond has a lot of good comedians. The open mic circuit is very scary to new people. You’re going to have bad shows. The rooms weed out people.” However, open mic nights also help comedians improve, Vattelana says. “Everyone should experiment with new jokes. It’s all about progression.”
Dylan Vattelana
So why should you support comedy in Richmond? Why go to an open mic? Joshua Horsford has an enthusiastic answer. “The Richmond comedy scene is amazing. It’s literally overflowing with talent, from the older regional professionals to the younger open mic-ers.” He praises both veterans and up-and-coming local comedians, specifically mentioning Jesse Jarvis and Jody Allen. “The scene is booming. It’s never a dry night.” Allen himself feels much the same way. According to him, the local scene is “very diverse in terms of comedic style.” Tony Chatman agrees. “I like the fact that we have so many emerging new comedians. And I like the diversity of the scene. Also, I enjoy how the older comedians try to help out with offering different perspectives.”
Besides, open mic nights also offer a cost-efficient way to find an evening’s entertainment. “Basically any night you can see standup for free or at a reasonable price,” Allen says. “It’s a stress reliever.” Most nights feature at least one open mic event out there somewhere. Mondays is The 955 Club at Bottoms Up Pizza, run by Ray Bullock. Tuesday there’s one at Fallout, which is hosted by Joshua Saucier. Also on Tuesday, there’s Balliceaux on Lombardy Street, hosted by Sara Wilson. Wednesday is McCormacks’s Irish Pub, run by Jesse Jarvis. On Thursday, there’s a show at the Hippodrome hosted by Micah Bam-Bam, as well as an open mic at Baja Bean, hosted by Jay Walter Brayman. There is comedy at Pie on Saturday hosted by Jacob McFadden. Also, on every third Tuesday at the Richmond FunnyBone there is a competition called Clash of the Comics, where people compete for prizes.
Tony Chatman
And last but not least, I’ve gotten together with some friends (Jody Allen, Joshua Horsford, and Jason Velez) to start a new comedy show called L.A.I.D (Laughing at Intelligent Dudes) at the Skyy Lounge. It’s Richmond’s own and only comedy variety night, where you can not only see standup but also musical comedy, improv, and sketch comedy once a week. It’s at 4 W. Broad Street in the Art District, and there is a $3 dollar cover charge.
The local open mic scene is thriving–the bars are drawing good audiences who are ready to laugh, and all of these rooms have veteran comedians coming in on a regular basis who usually kill onstage. Some of the most talented local comedians to watch for include Bounce Adams, Corey Marshall, David C. Wingfield, Tony Chatman, David Marie Garland, Jesse Jarvis, Clay Shoaf, Shawn Werely, Ray Bullock, Micah Bam-Bam, Jason Velez, and Rudy Mendoza. Plus, there are always new people trying out standup for the first time, which an excellent viewing experience in its own right.
Jesse Jarvis (photo by Tyler M. Conta)
The open mic nights around Richmond’s comedy scene are so unique and are always a pleasure to attend, whether I’m performing or just watching one of my buddies rock the stage. If I had to pick a favorite, it’d be difficult. However, the 955 Club at Bottom’s Up Pizza and McCormack’s Irish Pub both stand out for their own reasons. The 955 club is Richmond’s longest-running open mic, while McCormack’s has an awesome atmosphere and a great variety of comedians that come out regularly.
Every week, sophisticated adults and young people have many opportunities to go watch standup comedy at dive bars and restaurants across the Richmond landscape. Day by day the bars change, the comics stay fresh, and the jokes keep flowing like Yuengling from an open tap. The drinks are great, the food is great, and of course the comedy is great. So come out and support Richmond standup.
