Nicole Odell, jokingly, groaned when she shared her experiences about transitioning her comedy shows off of Zoom in a post COVID-19 era.
“One of our lasting wounds from the pandemic,” she grumbled. “There was an interesting thing we saw in our audiences where people sort of forgot how to people. A lot of unspoken rules had to be relearned.”
Rules like supporting comedians who are trying to entertain crowds. And even showing up for comedy shows in person at all.
Odell is the artistic director at Killing My Lobster, a nonprofit that specializes in scripted comedy shows. She spoke at a live program in KALW’s Studio Events Space. It was a serious, yet fun, conversation about the Bay Area comedy scene featuring Scott Meyer with Endgames Improv, Jackie Keliiaa with Good Medicine Comedy, Tirumari Jothi with Critical Hit Comedy, and Brian Lohmann with BATS Improv.
For improv comedians like Endgames Improv's Director Meyer, interactions with audiences is critical. But, he said, the expectations and needs of those people have changed. For example, many no longer stay out late to go to shows.
“ I wouldn't say that crowds are less, they're just getting earlier,” Meyer said. “We carved out a space for ourselves in the late night spot before we had our own venues. But it's like nobody wants to be seeing a 10:30 p.m. show on a Friday or Saturday.”
BATS Improv's Co-founder Lohmann added that with earlier showtimes comedic performances have become a family activity.
“ It's called the ‘Short Show,’” he said laughing. “You come in at 6:45, but you're out of there by quarter to 7:00. ‘Oh, I can make it. Half an hour. Dinner and a short show. I'll feed the kids and we'll get home and have that second martini at home.’”
Critical Hit’s Jothi said it’s not just the audience that changed, it’s also the comedians.
He said comedy shows used to be an intimate space for just the attendees on a given night. Now, performances are often shared beyond the in-person audience.
“ I remember sitting, and I saw younger comedians bring in full DSLR 5 cameras and setting up tripods,” he said. “Now they're playing to the camera instead of talking with audience members and making eye contact with people.”
It's part of the reality that comedians need to find ways to make a living. And comedy shows, themselves, are a business. Good Medicine Comedy’s Producer Jackie Keliiaa shared rigorous financial planning as a necessary step to keep acts available.
“ I have to be a grant writer,” she said. “A lot of what I do is actually fundraising and grant writing, and a lot of times I have to tell people why comedy is important.”
Comedy in the Bay Area stands out in a unique way. There’s a lot of history. Big names like Ali Wong, Robin Williams, Margaret Cho, and Dana Carvey, to name a few.
The comedians gathered at KALW said part of why they have success is because of opportunity. Stand-up sets in the Bay are often longer than in cities like Los Angeles or New York City. Extended stage time means comedians have more opportunities to learn how to connect with audiences.
“We still have an older format where we give our headliners 30 minutes to do a full set,” Jothi said. “We get comedians from L.A. coming up all the time, like big names.”
Bay Area companies offer year-round entertainment, and options are not limited. San Francisco is also home to Sketchfest, an annual citywide comedy festival.
For Odell, the year-round scene creates a space where people can not just be entertained but also connect.
“ ’Come out and have a laugh’ doesn't sound important,” said Odell. “But the collective experience of laughing together, the relationship that you're building with the audience — there is care there.”
