Bleav in The Comedy Bureau Field Report

It has been no secret that, for decades, the art form of comedy has been a feast or famine proposition when it comes to making a living. Yet, the recent transition of SiriusXM's Raw Dog Comedy Channel to one curated by Sebastian Maniscalco has made that dynamic even more dire. We break down the entire #SiriusSebastian situation with Burn This Records founder and beloved LA comedian Brandie Posey a...

While it's something to note when good comedy folks publish books, it's a whole other, even more amazing thing to note when their book is such good "edutainment" that it gets on college reading lists before it's actually released. That's what happened with the amazing writer/performer Joey Clift and his upcoming book We've Been Here the Whole Time: A Not So Sacred Guide to All Things Nat...

Seminal comedy pioneer Beth Lapides is still blazing a trail after being at the helm of the legendary comedy/music/variety showcase Uncabaret for decades and now going forth with her own show, It's A Lot with the aim to both entertain and also show a better path forward in a universe that is seemingly beset with onslaughts of chaos from all sides. We go in deep with Beth on the origins, plans, and...

In Tinseltown, internships often come with the prospect of your fate being tied to how your answer a phone and your acumen for running errands at very same time. When it comes to interning at a comedy at a theater, the responsibilities run different, but it doesn't mean that you're hustling any iota less. We chat with Lyric Hyperion's brand new intern, the bright and ambitious Brady Smith , on hit...

Even if you have done stand-up comedy for a long time, successfully, and released multiple hours of comedy that have been critically acclaimed, diving into producing your own special for the first time can be daunting as well as rewarding in ways you couldn't even imagine. That's the story we follow with the hysterical Derek Sheen and his brand new shiny (self-produced) hour special, Unrelatable o...

The labyrinthian and dystopian nature of the American Healthcare System as is feels like a cruel joke, which is why NYC comedians Emily Menez and Ian Goldstein have decided to do an entire comedy festival dedicated to joking about the mess that is the aforementioned healthcare system this weekend at Brooklyn Art Haus. Best of all, unlike your healthcare premiums, it's FREE. We talk all about it's...

While the idea of comedy as a salve for trauma is nothing new, Alaina Bamfield makes her own mark on today's ever growing, crowded field of comedy by doing an entire half hour stand-up comedy special about life as a survivor of infamous serial child molester Larry Nassar. Called Untouchable , Alaina took her time honing it, making sure that the material was undeniably funny, and very much wanted t...

The memory and comedy of one Brody Stevens and the importance he highlighted for mental health both in comedy and beyond strongly continue to this day. The Annual Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship is a celebration of Brody's legendary, singular comedic stylings and support for the amazing work that Comedy Gives Back does in support of comedians in need. For this week's TCB Field Report, we chat...

The idea that these are divisive times is so old hat, which is partially why the very funny Mary Houlihan is dead set on truly bringing back having comedians from opposite ends of the political spectrum to engage in fierce, hilarious debate. Thusly, Houlihan is reviving one of the debate shows ever, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn . We get into every nook & cranny of Mary's grand plan of doing Ro...

Fresh off their win of Top of the Fringe at this most recent Hollywood Fringe Festival , the amazing Edib Farhan is already busy with a sequel to their award winning show, Syrian Soap , eager to create a trilogy of profound clown/solo shows. This week's TCB Field Report follows Edib's long sojourn from activist to performance artist to stand-up to clown to festival winner and beyond. Follow Edib @...

Hot off the tail from Hollywood Fringe, Elysian's annual cavalcade of daring new work in Spaghetti Festival is just around the corner and we get a preview of a delicious bit of what's on the menu come July 15th when the fest starts. Elysian AD Jacquelyn Landgraf as well as Spaghetti Festers Brooke Sciacca , Lina Green , Hunter Sailing , Isabella Escalante , Kate Frydman , Adam Smith , Skarlett Red...

With all the things that The John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts has had to endure this year under the 2nd Trump Administration, one might be surprised to find that there's a satirical, topical late night variety show that was built and blossomed from within. This week's TCB Field Report follows Amelia Cameron, the executive producer of Unofficial Late Night , the very grassroots comedy variet...

While there is a spotlight on clown, especially in LA, these days, one ought to know that this daring comedic work isn't a new phenomenon. With that in mind, we wax all things clown and beyond, from the past to the future, in front or behind it, with legend John Gilkey , founder of The Idiot Workshop , a cornerstone in LA's effervescent clown scene on this week's TCB Field Report. Follow The Idiot...

While the many functions and purposes of comedy will be up for debate, its ability and capacity for healing is pretty undisputed. Squarely in that healing corner is multi-disciplinary comedian and artist Greg Barris who has gone so far as to make a very enjoyable and accessible-in-almost-every-way, pocket book for "deep healing" called DEEP HEALING // A BOOK OF HEALINGS . We talk all abo...

Geri Courtney-Austein has done so many things in so many different lanes in LA comedy between sketch, improv, and clown (oh, and podcasting and filmmaking) and even combining those all into a live variety show for charity that being at the Cannes Film Festival for a short she made seems to be timing in Hollywood working out for once. We chit chat Geri up about this wild journey and what it took to...

Coming fresh off of a sold out Netflix Is a Joke. Fest performance of How Being Black & Gay Made Me Better Than You! , the amazing (the name of the show is on point, FYI) Dewayne Perkins gives us the ins and outs of developing his show as well as the greater hopes and dreams for it (including it being seen by the whole world) on this week's TCB Field Report. Follow Dewayne @ dewayneperkins on...

When doing the alchemy of taking heartbreak and turning it into comedy, it often manifests as stand-up or a short film. Doing an entire solo musical is a whole other incredibly ambitious endeavor and one Sydney Kane has found her way to doing just that with Wife Material, set to take stage at The Roxy later this month. Sydney traces her steps for us going from embarking on the biggest and most per...

As the volume of comedy specials released increases at an exponential rate, one really must go against the grain to stand out. Chicago's own Maggie Winters took that to heart with her very comedy special, which is a recorded edition of her solo show, Marguerite , handpicked by UCB and Abso Lutely. Winters shares her process behind wanting to something truly different from the crowd on her very fir...

Taking a cue from San Diego's biggest annual happening, Comic-Con, Chris Colthurst is paving a way in similar fashion for all things celebrating and enlightening in the art form of theatrical improvisation by founding ImprovCon . We talk to Chris all about how much and how in-depth the improv will be in this convention (which even includes dramatic improv). Follow all things ImprovCon @improvcon o...

Believe it or not, NYC is about to add to its leading comedy club per capita stats with its newest spot, The Greenpoint Comedy Club . We get into the nitty gritty and the joy and everything in between with opening a new comedy club in one comedy's undisputed cultural centers with founder and owner, Jeremy Pinsly on this week's TCB Field Report. Follow The Greenpoint Comedy Club @ greenpointcomedyc...

Many of you are constantly pondering what's mutating in the Austin comedy scene, but not only are there plenty of other ever evolving comedy scenes around the country including an English language one in Barcelona, Spain. We chat with Nikolai Phalen who transplanted himself to Barcelona to thrive on his own terms and create the most daring show he could possibly imagine, Fever Dream TV , all on th...

Jackie Kashian has long been and continues to be one of our absolute favorite comedians working today. Even in such dire, seemingly hopeless times, her brand new hour special, Alter-Kashian , much of which has to do with a very timely rage, is a much needed and very effective salve. We catch up with Jackie and the arrival of her latest and greatest on this week's TCB Field Report. Follow Jackie @j...

Oft these days, the question, "How do you do comedy in times like these?", gets asked into the wind only to go nowhere. Yet, comedy persists and we'd highlight Chandler Dean and his beautifully subversive comedy game show, Abolish Everything! , arrives as the perfect satirical humor for this current moment. We chat with Dean all about the inception, development, and ethos of his ruthless...

Taking even part of the reins to a long-standing comedy institution such as The Upright Citizens Brigade can be a tall order and then some. Thankfully, comedy industry veteran, one Rachel Olson has stepped in as Executive Director of UCB LA and is a crucial part of UCB expanding its reach and scope. We have a nice, long chat about how she has hit the ground running, what she is looking for in come...

Natasha Mercado started off 2026 with a bang by putting on very first festival, Soft Clown Fest, a one-day, full throttle celebration of "soft clown", Mercado's own particular movement within the clowning discipline of comedy. Natasha takes us on a wondrous long walk through the winding roads of clown, both past and present as well as LA and beyond and how soft clown fits into it on this...