Jun 11

Richmond Comedy - No Laughing Matter 

I will forever have a sweetened and deep fried spot in my heart for Richmond. Its cheap rent and small town vibe have always jelled with its close proximity to major cities, which in my opinion have allowed it to thrive as a haven for artists escaping the high cost of living elsewhere. While musicians and fine artists can afford to live here and showcase their work (inter)nationally, it’s damn near impossible for aspiring comedians (or actors) to do the same. Building any sort of momentum towards a “scene” can prove incredibly difficult.

There are occasional flashes of inspiration; the large, diverse crowd for Tim And Eric’s Awesome Tour, and the vocal fans John Hodgman attracted in his two promotional appearances at Chop Suey (before he was a TV semi-celebrity) are examples, but for the most part comedy has never found a place amidst Richmond’s music fans. Those who choose to follow in this profession seem to burn themselves out fighting against the tides, or simply move to New York or LA where they can both hone their craft and find work.


The Daily Show’s John Oliver before he got mobbed outside an Obama rally in Richmond.

Here are some of the funny people who left Richmond and found work elsewhere in the wild world of comedy:

	Bryan Tucker - Currently a writer on SNL, Bryan went to high school in Richmond and got his start at open mic nights. When he went to school at UNC, he further honed his craft as a member of the comedy troupe Selected Hilarity. He spent his early years writing for David Letterman and then Chris Rock before moving on to Chappelle’s Show, where he created one of the shows’ more memorable sketches, the “Race Draft”. Style Weekly Profile
	Sara Schaefer - Sarah grew up in Richmond and went to college at William and Mary. After graduating she ended up in New York where she put time in at Spinner/AOL and Best Week Ever.Com before joining Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where she currently finds the most amazing web bits and occasionally appears in sketches. In March Sarah was named one of New York Magazine’s 10 Comics to Watch.
	Mike Henry - While living in Richmond Mike used to visit his brother, Patrick in college at RISD, where the two would make movies. Through these visits he met Seth MacFarlane. A few years later, when Seth created Family Guy he called Mike to come write and perform on the show. Mike’s most popular character, Cleveland gets his own show, based in Virginia this fall. Fans of Family Guy will know that Mike also provides the voice of Herbert, who was inspired by Richmond characters. (I understand that Mike may still spend time in Richmond)
	Trevor Moore His time in Richmond may have been brief, but since our lives intersected at VCU our Freshman year of school, I’ll include him for posterity. Trevor came from Charlottesville where he had created a popular cable access show, The Trevor Moore show from which he was always showing us bits and helping out with our own late night movies. He left VCU shortly thereafter and it wasn’t until this year that I realized that he had actually gone to New York and formed The Whitest Kids You Know. With a 3 season run on IFC, and now a movie now to his credit, he’s obviously found his niche.

What’s happening now? There are a handful of comedy collectives around town trying to build momentum, but no one yet has consistently sustained a large following (the short-lived Sticky Rice Comedy Night is an unfortunate example). There’s the stuff outside my realm like 9:55 comedy, The Richmond Funny Bone, and the now closed Comedy Sportz that have been doing their thing for a while and seem to exist in their own worlds. Groups such as the Super Friends Camp and Comic Kazze are beginning to host live events around town with an edgier slant. Both have also hosted workshops for improving material, and written some sketches, but are still only months old.


Promo for the now defunct Comic Kazze Night at Sticky Rice.

When you consider that within the past year or so Zach Galifianakis, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Louis CK, Tim and Eric, David Rees , Davey Rothbart & Found Magazine (and probably a few others I’m forgetting) have all played Richmond to decent turnouts, it proves that the fans are there. What’s unbelievable to me is that only Tracy Morgan at the National last month had a local opener. To me, this is a huge missing piece. Perhaps the next great star is currently sitting in their Fan apartment working out their escape plan, rather than bolster the fledgling scene.

What’s next? Anyone who’s tried their hand at promotions knows what a frustrating and thankless job it can be. That being said, someone with the necessary tenacity to become a promoter could make a big impact if they endured the early struggles enough to develop a strong following. They could use this following to convince the funny people to stick around and eventually bring some regional acts to town. Unfortunately, as long as Richmond Comedy remains an art form relegated to noisy bars, supported primarily by other comics, and performed for people who don’t grasp the concept of rhetorical questions, building a scene will be an exercise in futility.