A collection of both local and non-local comedians will gather for the monthly comedy show at the Grange Hall in San Luis Obispo on Saturday.
The comedy show is held as a function of the Central Coast Players, the longest running local theater and entertainment group started in association with the Entertainment Industry Associates (EIA). The Central Coast Players began simultaneously with the Grange Hall comedy shows.
The event will feature comedians Kevin “Tex” Bennett, Sal Espana, Cal Poly graduate Casey Campbell, and Myk Powell, who will serve as the headliner.
“It’s the best five dollars of comedy you can get in San Luis Obispo,” Powell said.
As headliner, Powell will be the last comedian to take the stage for his 10 minute act. Powell describes his style of comedy as an “observational pissed off old man.”
“If (the set) works, then I won’t get off stage until Monday,” Powell said.
Campbell, who graduated in June and is a self-proclaimed “comedy junkie,” also does observational comedy. He compares himself to famous comedian Jim Gaffigan, who has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Comedy Central.
Campbell’s act on Saturday will last approximately 15 minutes.
In order to prepare for their monthly sets at the Grange Hall, Powell and Campbell rehearse all of their new material. Campbell isn’t a person to practice, however, Powell uses the three hour drive from his home in San Jose to San Luis Obispo to rehearse his material. He also drinks tequila, but not at the same time.
Local comedian Espana, who first began stand-up comedy at the Grange Hall in 2003, rehearses his material as well, but drinks coffee to prepare instead. He also writes, rewrites, and tries his material on other people.
Espana describes his comedy as “social satire with some political elements.”
“I like to assume the audience is smart or reasonably intelligent,” Espana said.
Bill Moneymaker, owner and founder of the Grange Hall and the Central Coast Players, said he enjoys Powell’s energetic approach to comedy.
“If the audience is down, he will bring them back up,” Moneymaker said.
Many other comedians who started their careers at the Grange Hall now are successes in the comedy and entertainment industries.
“A lot of people go on to bigger and better things,” Moneymaker said.
The Grange Hall shows “give them an opportunity for stage time in order to test their material,” Moneymaker said.
Former Grange Hall comedian Carol Hughes has been featured on “America’s Got Talent” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” Other former Grange Hall performers have starred in the “Last Comic Standing” on Comedy Central.
Even so, Moneymaker is cautious about who he allows to perform at the Grange Hall.
“I am cautious about ‘dead space,’ or those awkward moments of silence when someone isn’t funny,” Moneymaker said.
Moneymaker wants comedians who are genuinely funny so that the audience can appreciate the show.
However, the Grange Hall “rarely gets an audience who doesn’t appreciate what’s going on,” Moneymaker said.
The Grange Hall has a bar with $2 drinks during the monthly shows, but Moneymaker said that the event is “not like a bar” and “not a place for (drunken) heckling.”
Instead, Moneymake said the Grange Hall welcomes and encourages a “warm audience.”
Overall, the show is “always a good time,” Powell said. “It’s been a fun show since I started, so that’s why I make it out there (to San Luis Obispo).”
Grange Hall is located at 2880 Broad St. Saturday’s comedy show begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.