Lisbon English Comedy Jams are creating comedians and community
So I started doing these comedy jams to help encourage English comedy in Lisbon, and they’re working! Comedians who used to only get five to ten minutes on the mic per show are getting way more time. Sometimes fifteen to thirty minutes at the last couple shows. People who performed at the first jam on a whim came back for the next one with prepared jokes. I’m seeing people spend time writing new jokes between their sets. Okay, it’s a bit early to scream success, but I have to say that the comedy jams are doing what I hoped they would do. Encourage new people to try stand up comedy, and give existing comedians more opportunities to try out new materials or get more minutes in a lower pressure space.
At the first jam, I was able to convince a bunch of first-timers to come up and try a few minutes, even if it was to tell a fun short story. There was an English guy named Leo that was a bit chatty with the comedians the whole night. Having some fun - nothing terrible. I got him to come up and grab the mic. He was a bit timid at first standing up and starting to talk. I went outside to talk to some of the other comedians and let them know who was up next. It just took me a couple of minutes. I go back inside, and Leo has taken over the fuckin floor and has everybody rolling. This man unleashed the comedy lion inside himself. It was two completely different people from the time I went outside to the time I came back in. That’s what this shit is all about. He came back to the next jam with prepared material and ripped it. And now, I’ve got him scheduled to perform at my monthly showcase on Pink Street. Those are the kinds of stories I love.
The second Lisbon English comedy jam got PACKED with people. The venue completely ran out of been before the night ended, and I’m pretty proud I helped make that happen. We had so many comedians that night we didn’t get a chance for too many people to go up twice or three times like we did the first night. But it was great. People were having so much fun, and the energy felt so good all night. One of my favorite stories is rafael. A Brazilian guy who did stand up over 10 years agao (kind of like me oddly enough), and he came to the jam to give standup comedy another shot. And he hopped on the mic and abslutely delivered the laughs. It was great, and he was so happy afterwards. He came back for the third jam, and I also have him performing at my showcase at the end of the month. Shit like that makes ME feel good. Even with all the stress of setting up these shows, and making sure they’re done legit. And a lot of various people having expectations. The Venue, the audience, the comedians, myself and my own life. There’s a lot of competeting interests here. But giving people an opportunity to just walk up to the show and give it a shot. And watching them be great, and continue to persue it. That really means a whole lot to me.
For the third Lisbon English Comedy Jam moved to a new venue. And that’s probably going to be the case going forward - rotating through various places. With the goal that jams are happening multiple times per week. I’m also going to start rotating hosting duties. There’s a lot of comedians in the city that want to give their shot at hosting, but there are not enough opportunities. So if we get a lot more jams going, not only does it create more opportunities for comedians to perform, it gives more opportunities for people to be hosts. And then people can get the hang of it and start developing their shows, like my buddy Paul Kang. I helped him become a registered promoter here in Lisbon for English comedy. He did an excellent job hosting his own show, and now he’s going to start running them bi-monthly and creating even more opportunities for for comedians to perform English comedy in Lisbon. At least that’s my hope.
Wonderful things are happening, and I hope the jams keep growing. The first guest host is local comedian Jacopo Spaziani, and he’ll be hosting a jam at 86 cocktail bar on February 15th, which is also when his mom will be in town visiting. Pretty special day, and I’m looking forward to it! Lots more jams are on the way, and many more comedians are going to learn how to host comedy nights here in Lisbon. And hopefully go on to do their own things as well.