Boulderover

While the rest of the country is celebrating a revival of standup comedy, Boulder has had a difficult time establishing a laugh track of its own. “It’s amazing to me that for such a famous town, there’s no local standup comedy,” says James Gold, a Boulder promoter who was surprised...

By Josiah Hesse

May 23, 2013

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While the rest of the country is celebrating a revival of standup comedy, Boulder has had a difficult time establishing a laugh track of its own. “It’s amazing to me that for such a famous town, there’s no local standup comedy,” says James Gold, a Boulder promoter who was surprised to see his first comedy showcase at the Dairy Center attract double the audience he expected. “When I had first started going around to places to see if they’d let me host an open-mic night, everyone was too afraid to do it. They thought comedy couldn’t sell here.”

Gold will prove them wrong tonight when he presents his second Dairy Comedy Showcase, hosted by Sam Tallent and featuring Hippieman, Heather Snow and Steve Vanderploeg. And Gold is optimistic that the success of his showcases could create a breeding ground for a chuckling chain reaction, leading to more events and more local comedians. “I’m starting to get e-mails from people telling me they’re comics who are based in Boulder, or are moving to Boulder, and want to be a part of the comedy scene,” he says. “There are some newbies coming out to open mics and trying their hand at comedy. So something is happening here — or beginning to happen.”

The Dairy Comedy Showcase begins at 8 p.m. at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder. The show is sixteen-plus, and tickets are $10 to $12. For more information, visit thedairy.org.
Sat., May 25, 8 p.m., 2013

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