Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Tags: Trump , corruption , MAGA , Chump , cartoon , comic , politics , Image
Monday, June 18, 2018
Tags: Comic , cartoon , yappy Jesus , immigration , children , claytoonz , Image
Friday, June 15, 2018
Tags: comic , cartoon , MAGA , politics , commentary , Kool-Aid , cult , Image
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Tags: Comic , Politics , cartoons , handshake , interpretation , foreign policy , Image
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Tags: Politics , Cartoon , Comic , Claytoonz , G7 Summit , Angela Merkel , President Trump , tantrum , Image
Monday, June 11, 2018
Friday, April 27, 2018
Friday, July 21, 2017
Tucson Comedians Bethany Evans and Mo Urban resurrect The Dating Game at The Flycatcher, 430 E. 6th St., at 9 p.m. on Sunday, July 30; free. Anyone who’d like to find something funny in dating, i.e. anyone who’s ever had or wanted a date, might want to join the fun. Literally.
“We are still looking to fill a spot,” Evans says. “We especially welcome contestants from our LGBTQ community.” Prospective contestants should get their names in as soon as possible, but plans are for the show to be quarterly; you’ll have another chance. Like washing the car to provoke rain, applying for The Dating Game might even inspire the universe to find you a date, meanwhile. Email your interest to [email protected]
“A lot of contestants are comics,” Evans says, “because those are the people Mo and I know. Comics like to play because of the opportunity to improvise. About half of (the contestants) are regular people we know through work or other networks. We really want a lot of diverse people to play the game, though.”
Evans first hosted a dating game in 2003 at Bumsted’s (R.I.P.) at the suggestion of then owner Barb Shuman. In 2015, again at Shuman’s invitation, she brought the show back for five “episodes’ with partner J. Lugo Miller. Miller co-produces the 2017 iteration, taking charge of sound, sound effects and simple props.
Evans says, “The reboot will follow the original format: one bachelor or bachelorette, questioning 3 unseen contestants, and choosing one for a date, based solely on their answers.”
Recalling the Bumsted’s years, Evans says, “It was a blast, I heard a lot of great stories about people’s experiences with it.” Urban, an early contestant, has even woven her Dating Game turn into her comedy routine.
“My experience was so positive I was sad to see it go,” she says. “It wasn’t so much about finding someone. It was more about just putting myself out there.” And that’s just what you have to do.
Tags: Dating , dating game , Bethany Evans , Mo Urban , Bumsted's , Flycatcher , Barb Shuman , Chuck Barris , J. Lugo Miller , might as well try
Thursday, June 22, 2017
In the last few months, Tucson has lost three important comedy “workshops.” These were not open mics, per se, but sessions in which comedians and aspiring comedians write together, try out new material, and get feedback from other, usually more experienced comics.
Two of the former workshops’ venues are or were closing. The third, at the Screening Room, lost out as part of a nightly comedy idea that ultimately failed to meet the venue’s needs. (The Screening room now hosts one comedy night a month on the first Friday.)
Fortunately for the Tucson comedy community, its longest-standing supporter, Laff’s Comedy Caffe, began a year ago to host its own workshop. Laff’s is Tucson’s only comedy venue that can offer a new comedian a paid hosting gig or an unpaid guest slot in front of a large audience, with nationally known comedians who can potentially give their careers a boost. With the workshop, the club expanded its commitment from encouraging local comedians to also helping to develop them.
In the wake of other workshops’ closing, Laff’s staffer and professional comedian Michael Celi says Laffs is stepping up this commitment with a new program, Comedy Outreach. Whereas the original workshops were for anyone who showed up with new ideas to hone or jokes to practice, Comedy Outreach will have more structure and include a schedule of experienced comics charged with giving feedback. Comedy Outreach starts June 22 and continues at 6 p.m. every Thursday, ending just as open-mic signups begin at 7 p.m.
Celi says, “The main difference between what I'm doing and what (the other workshops) were doing is that this is not for an audience. I wouldn't turn an audience away, but I’ll be working to have an audience composed entirely of other comics.”
Laff’s longstanding 8 p.m. open mic continues to attract as many as 40 comics every week. No one would dispute that it’s the most popular free comedy show in town, although your mileage will vary from comic to comic. Laff’s Comedy Caffe is at 2900 E. Broadway Blvd. Find info about upcoming shows at laffstucson.com.
Summer Movie
Tucson Improv Movement’s summer feature, “The Movie,” continues at 9 p.m. Saturdays until further notice. Based on an audience suggestion, the TIM cast creates scenes and populates a script-less improv “movie” with plots, subplots and characters. Hilarity ensues. TIM Theatre, 329 E. 7th St.; $5.Tags: Laff's Comedy Caffe , Tucson Improv Movement , Michael Celi , Comedy Outreach , laugh and stay cool inside
