When people have to stay home, it's hard for comedians to standup.
Live comedy naturally thrives on an audience to provide feedback, interaction, and an atmosphere that keeps the laughs flowing. But without a place to perform, or people to come out and watch, there aren't many smiles in the creative world of standup comedy.
Lost gigs
Like so many people, comedians are out of work today. And for the ones who are booked regularly on cruise ships and comedy clubs, tomorrow looks very uncertain as well. Al Romas is a 29-year comedy veteran, and has seen just about everything during that time. But even he couldn't have predicted how quickly his calendar cleared.
"It's shocking," Romas told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. "I never could have imagined an entire industry shutting down. A club closes, or a cruise gets canceled. But for it all to end so suddenly has been a shock."
Romas is a regular performer on cruise ships, and with that industry on hiatus, he's lost several weeks of lucrative work. And with no definite restart date that would mean a return to the stage, the remaining gigs on the books are no sure thing.
In the meantime, Romas has been trying to continue the second season of his "The Two Dicks" web series, but even that has been affected by COVID-19. Shooting dates and locations have been postponed, and he's not able to meet with his creative partner, fellow comedian Al Ducharme. But you can catch up on the comedic shorts by following their YouTube channel at "1950s Detective Parody Series."
There's always Amazon
Matt Fernandez is an associate at a retirement planning firm, and is working from home for the time being. But he's also lost a lot of comedy gigs around the state, as well as the open mic and monthly showcase he runs at de Bine Brewing Company in Palm Harbor.
One thing he hasn't lost is his sense of humor.
"My brother keeps whining because he had to reschedule his wedding, but it’s not like their love is going anywhere," Fernandez explained. "Sure, he lost his deposit on the venue, but how do you quantify lost laughter, you know? You can’t put a price on smiles."
He's not sure when he'll be able to get back on stage, but his comedy special, "Why Does Everyone Hate My Mirror?," is streaming right now on Amazon Prime.
Bars closed? Try Dry Bar
Rahn Hortman (pictured above) works in management at Sprint, but has also been doing comedy for 13 years. He's toured around the country and his calendar is usually full.
Not anymore.
"Honestly, I was so numb I had no plan. The entire thing was shocking," he said. "Now, I’m just trying to live in the moment." In the downtime he's going on Facebook Live every so often for immediate feedback, and plans to release a few sketches to keep the creative juices flowing.
But you can still see Hortman perform. He released a special, "Good Game," through Dry Bar. All their specials (around 200) are free to view by downloading their app.
Another local, Cam Bertrand, also has an available Dry Bar Special, "Sophisticated Ignorance." On March 21 he livestreamed a comedy performance from his living room with his friends; it garnered around 1,100 views on all platforms. He said the feedback was positive and he's inclined to try it again.
But those performances won't make up for 10 weeks of lost work, including dates at colleges and comedy clubs around the country. And while he's trying to stay busy, there's no substitute for a traditional stage.
"It’s the first time in six years I haven’t been able to do standup, so it’s definitely been an adjustment," Bertrand said. "Been spending a lot of time writing, but stand-up is one of those things you only get better at it by doing it. So not being able to do it sucks."
In addition to Dry Bar, you can see clips on his Youtube Channel, CamBertrandComedy.
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This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2020.