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Fun in General
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona announce virtual summer camp
Posted By Logan Burtch-Buus on Tue, May 12, 2020 at 12:30 PM
The Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona will move its summer camp experience to the internet this year, the organization announced Tuesday. “Camp Log On” will take place over six weeks, beginning June 1 through July 10.
According to an email to members sent by CEO Marsha Tank, the decision to move the program online was made “based on many factors including current Federal and State guidelines, guidance from the CDC, restrictions from the Forest Service, and dialogue with other local youth-serving organizations.”
“This decision was made The importance of girls' safety, their health, and wellbeing— as well as that of staff and you, [Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona’s] extended family— is at the forefront of every decision,” Tank wrote.
Each week, campers will receive a box of supplies in the mail. Campers will also check in with counselors on Zoom, and participate in virtual group activities like campfire talks and sing-alongs.
Registration and more information is available online at girlscoutssoaz.org/camplogon. Campers do not need to be Girl Scouts to attend.
According to an email to members sent by CEO Marsha Tank, the decision to move the program online was made “based on many factors including current Federal and State guidelines, guidance from the CDC, restrictions from the Forest Service, and dialogue with other local youth-serving organizations.”
“This decision was made The importance of girls' safety, their health, and wellbeing— as well as that of staff and you, [Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona’s] extended family— is at the forefront of every decision,” Tank wrote.
Each week, campers will receive a box of supplies in the mail. Campers will also check in with counselors on Zoom, and participate in virtual group activities like campfire talks and sing-alongs.
Registration and more information is available online at girlscoutssoaz.org/camplogon. Campers do not need to be Girl Scouts to attend.
Monday, May 11, 2020
7 Things to Do This Week
Posted By Tucson Weekly Staff on Mon, May 11, 2020 at 10:35 PM
Some local events and offerings to enjoy that either allow for plenty of physical distancing or don't require leaving the house at all.
Digital Programs at MOCA. Since you can’t go visit the art on display at MOCA in person, the museum is providing you the tools to emulate these artists yourself. Learn how to make your own flipbook animation, inspired by Diana Shpungin’s drawings and videos, and see her work in action online. Try making a still life with objects from around your house, in the style of Amir H. Fallah. And create your own text blocks in a wordplay game that would make Gary Setzer proud.
Oro Valley Online Concerts. If you were planning to attend the Oro Valley Concert series, the good news is you still can, without leaving your house! The Thursday-night concerts are about 60-90 minutes long, and videos of each show are available at the SAACA website and YouTube channel after they air. This week, Canyon Currents, a bluegrass/swing/country group, is playing a mix of original songs and well-loved tunes. Lex Browning is on fiddle and guitar, Brian Davies is on bass and national flat-pick guitar champion Peter McLaughlin is on guitar. 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14.
Pop-Up Sculpture Park at Hacienda del Sol. This sculpture park is a great way to get an art fix and treat yourself to a trip out of the house, but with the safety of not having to leave your car. Just under 20 popular artists, many of them local, have large-scale sculptures on display in this exhibit organized by Sculpture Tucson. Just drive through the Hacienda del Sol parking lot (5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road) between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. any day through the end of the month. See the Sculpture Tucson website for artist statements and more information on the displays.
Unscrewed Theater House Party. We could all use a laugh right about now, yeah? Come have one with this beloved local improv group, from the comfort of your couch. They’ll be creating characters, games, scenes, and songs based on your suggestions. Just head over to the website to register and get the Zoom link. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16.
The White Chip: A Live Benefit Reading. If you missed the reading of this dry comedy by the Arizona Theatre Company on Monday, you can still view it online through Friday, May 15. Written by Sean Daniels and directed by Sheryl Kaller, the play tells the story of Steven, who is just about to land his dream job running one of the hottest theaters in the country when his life spirals out of control. Performance is free, but donations, which will support the Voices Project and Arizona Theatre Company, are welcome.
Tohono Chul Online Plant Sale. Looking for some plants to spruce up your work-from-home office? Maybe you just feel like you need another living thing around, even if it’s not sentient? Tohono Chul has got you covered! Purchas plants online through this Thursday, and, when you’re checking out, schedule a time to come do curbside pickup. Just have your order number ready when you swing by, then get your space all spruced up!
The Loft Cinema is offering about a dozen streaming options this week, ranging from a witty rom-com to a documentary exploring wealth inequality to collections of short films from the New York International Children's Film Festival. If every night has become movie night in your household and you're looking for something fresh, check out these titles!
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Dating From Home: How to Find or Keep Love Alive in the Time of Coronavirus
Posted By Cronkite News, Grace Lieberman on Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 1:30 PM
PHOENIX – Whether speed-dating on Zoom or making plans for a virtual movie night, couples are getting creative in making and maintaining romantic connections during these times of social distancing.
Even those already in long-distance relationships and accustomed to communicating virtually are finding the forced quarantines and physical separation challenging.
Mireya Treviño, a senior at the University of Texas in Austin, met her boyfriend when he visited from San Antonio for a Halloween party. Despite the distance – the cities are a 90-minute drive apart – the two started talking and officially began a relationship in December.
Treviño, who is studying public health, wasn’t too worried about COVID-19 at first. Then she learned she’d been exposed, leaving her boyfriend to console her from afar.
Even those already in long-distance relationships and accustomed to communicating virtually are finding the forced quarantines and physical separation challenging.
Mireya Treviño, a senior at the University of Texas in Austin, met her boyfriend when he visited from San Antonio for a Halloween party. Despite the distance – the cities are a 90-minute drive apart – the two started talking and officially began a relationship in December.
Treviño, who is studying public health, wasn’t too worried about COVID-19 at first. Then she learned she’d been exposed, leaving her boyfriend to console her from afar.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Things To Do With Your Kids At Home Online During the COVID-19 Closures
Posted By Tara Foulkrod on Mon, Mar 16, 2020 at 9:39 AM
Kids get restless. Usually keeping them entertained over a seasonal break or over the summer isn't too much of a problem, because you can take them out to various venues and entertainment spots. Unfortunately, with the rise of closures due to COVID-19, not only will this year's Spring Break feel longer, there's actually more of it.
While we are all trying to practice social distancing, going outside into nature is still a wonderful use of time. However, if you're restricted from doing this and you're stuck at home, you're bound to have some unhappy kiddos in your house for the next couple of weeks. Luckily, some organizations exist that will help alleviate the wails of boredom. Here are some thing online you and your little ones can do for entertainment in the next couple of weeks.
Pima County Public Libraries
The Pima County Library has an online system for kids called Read-Alongs from OverDrive. There are more than 300 books for your kids to check out. These virtual books are also narrated, so you don't have to wear out your voice reading your child's favorites over and over. Plus, the words get highlighted as they read, so your child can read along!
Scratch from MIT
If your child is enthralled by computers or video games, introduce them to Scratch. Scratch is a program to teach children how to write their own computer code using a simple block system. It's designed for ages 8+, but if you have a slightly younger future programmer, there's a special version for kids ages 5 to 7 called ScratchJr.
Go to a Virtual Museum
Google has teamed up with some of the most famous museums in the world, and you can visit them with your kids from the comfort of your home. From MoMA to the Arizona Capitol Museum, there are dozens of museums to choose from. The British Museum of London, for one, has a wonderful interactive site.
Science Kids
There are lots of activities and projects for your kids to learn and play with on the Science Kids site. As with any other science project, they'll most likely need your assistance, so it can be fun for both of you!
National Geographic Kids
This is a great way to let your kids explore the world from their own home. National Geographic Kids takes their usual informative commentary and gives it a fun little twist. This makes it more interesting for kids while still giving them an inside look to the outside world.
Stream Your Favorites
We're all familiar with streaming by now, and that's going to come in handy. Disney+ has released Frozen 2 and Rise of Skywalker early for homebound watchers. There's also CuriosityStream featuring thousands of interesting science and history documentaries.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it. The change of pace might have your little ones feeling anxious just like you may be. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy each other's company, and use this time to slow down and enjoy the small things in life.
While we are all trying to practice social distancing, going outside into nature is still a wonderful use of time. However, if you're restricted from doing this and you're stuck at home, you're bound to have some unhappy kiddos in your house for the next couple of weeks. Luckily, some organizations exist that will help alleviate the wails of boredom. Here are some thing online you and your little ones can do for entertainment in the next couple of weeks.
Pima County Public Libraries
The Pima County Library has an online system for kids called Read-Alongs from OverDrive. There are more than 300 books for your kids to check out. These virtual books are also narrated, so you don't have to wear out your voice reading your child's favorites over and over. Plus, the words get highlighted as they read, so your child can read along!
Scratch from MIT
If your child is enthralled by computers or video games, introduce them to Scratch. Scratch is a program to teach children how to write their own computer code using a simple block system. It's designed for ages 8+, but if you have a slightly younger future programmer, there's a special version for kids ages 5 to 7 called ScratchJr.
Go to a Virtual Museum
Google has teamed up with some of the most famous museums in the world, and you can visit them with your kids from the comfort of your home. From MoMA to the Arizona Capitol Museum, there are dozens of museums to choose from. The British Museum of London, for one, has a wonderful interactive site.
Science Kids
There are lots of activities and projects for your kids to learn and play with on the Science Kids site. As with any other science project, they'll most likely need your assistance, so it can be fun for both of you!
National Geographic Kids
This is a great way to let your kids explore the world from their own home. National Geographic Kids takes their usual informative commentary and gives it a fun little twist. This makes it more interesting for kids while still giving them an inside look to the outside world.
Stream Your Favorites
We're all familiar with streaming by now, and that's going to come in handy. Disney+ has released Frozen 2 and Rise of Skywalker early for homebound watchers. There's also CuriosityStream featuring thousands of interesting science and history documentaries.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it. The change of pace might have your little ones feeling anxious just like you may be. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy each other's company, and use this time to slow down and enjoy the small things in life.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Laughing Stock: Stock pot
Posted By Linda Ray on Thu, Mar 12, 2020 at 1:00 AM
A bigger Brew Ha Ha
A regular on Sirius FM and winner of festival awards across the US, Grant Lyon headlines this month’s Brew Ha Ha showcase at Borderlands Brewing. The show’s producers, Tucson comedians and co-hosts Matt Ziemak and Rory Monserrat, thus continue to expand their reach into the national talent pool while somehow maintaining a $5 admission price. Get it while it lasts at squareup.com or at the door. The show is at 8 p.m., Monday, March 16,
Comedy fans might recognize Lyon from the Comedy Central Show, Corporate, and his starring role in the Amazon Prime feature film Killer Kate. He’s been on Funny Or Die, the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Radio Show and the popular podcast Doug Loves Movies, as well as national commercials for AT&T and Johnsonville Sausage.
What sets him apart comically is a smart approach and surprising insights. Reviewers often cite his originality and fresh humor, rooted in fun facts and unassailable logic.
Local support includes Austin, TX’s favorite expat comic Joe Tullar; Nicole Riesgo, producer of Tucson Improv Movement’s Beginners & Veterans series, and Darryl Graves, who recently created the Shitz & Giggles open mic on Wednesdays at The Rock.
Kids’ comedy at the Tucson Festival of Books
Kids can play at improv comedy with F.O.M.P. (Friends of Make Pretends), at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 14, at the East Food Court (Science City) Stage. The stage is on the east side of Cherry Ave. on UArizona mall just south of Flandrau Planetarium. Presented by Tucson Improv Movement, this free show is usually performed every second Saturday at TIM Comedy Theater.
Terry Fator: America’s Got Talent
At age 42, Terry Fator’s family-friendly comedy flair swept season two of America’s Got Talent. That’s when his career veered from itinerant county fairs to a ten-year residency in Las Vegas. Fator returns to Desert Diamond Casino on Saturday, March 14. The show is at 8 p.m.; reservations are $40 to $69.50 through ddcaz.com.
Impressions are Fator’s stock in trade, but he also mixes music and puppetry into his sets. The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas dubbed him “The VOICE of entertainment.”
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
If drag ballet were an Olympic sporting event, The Trocks would have retired the gold for gag. Theirs is, in a sense, a sport; training is grueling and often painful. The corps must perform with the precision and delicacy of ballerinas, but with the unbridled spirit of a pratfall. The costumes are, as Ru Paul fans would say, sickening.
The Trocks experience is a timely antidote to whatever hurts. You literally can’t be serious. They perform at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 18 at Centennial hall. Tickets are $38 to $60 via UApresents.org.
Majestic Magic
Elias “Lefty” Caress presents his Majestic Magic Show in Clean Comedy Tucson’s Marana Laughs series, 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the Coyote Trail Stage, and in its Vail Laughs series at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 14, at Vail Theatre of the Arts. Reservations are $10 via maranalaughs.com and vaillaughs.com.
Keep Laughing!
Friday, March 13, Family-friendly improv with Improv Blox Student Showcase, 6 p.m. (free); Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU), 7:30 p.m., ($5 - $8), and uncensored Free Form Friday at 9 p.m. (free), Unscrewed Theater. Improv with 3rd Beats, Harold Team Beta, and Leaning Towards Darby, 7:30 p.m. ($5) and The Soapbox featuring Cameo Davis and Jacquez Gray, 9 p.m. ($7), Tucson Improv Movement ‘s TIM Comedy Theater, ($10 for both shows). Standup with Matt Sadler featuring Derrick Lengwenus and host Ben Lewis, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50).
Saturday, March 14, improv with Unscrewed Family Hour by Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU), 6 p.m., Unscrewed Theatre ($5-$8). NBOJU Uncensored is at 7:30 p.m., Unscrewed Theatre ($8). Sketch with Baby Fish Mouth and improv with Good Money, 7:30 p.m.; and Improv Madness duo team bracket at 9 p.m., TIM Comedy Theatre ($7 each; $10 for both shows.) Standup with Matt Sadler featuring Derrick Lengwenus and host Ben Lewis, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Thursday, March 19, Improv with Choice Cut and Improv 101, 7:30 p.m. ($5); open improv jam, 8:30 (free), TIM Comedy Theatre.
Free Open Mics
Sunday, March 15, 6:30 p.m., The O; 8 p.m., Chuckleheads, Bisbee; 8:30 p.m., The County Line Lounge and Grille.
Monday, March 16, 6:45 p.m., The Surly Wench; 9 p.m., Kava Bar.
Tuesday, March 17, 6:45 p.m., The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, March 18, 7 p.m., The Screening Room; 8 p.m., The Mint; 9:30 p.m., The Rock.
Thursday, March 19, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe; 8 p.m.
A regular on Sirius FM and winner of festival awards across the US, Grant Lyon headlines this month’s Brew Ha Ha showcase at Borderlands Brewing. The show’s producers, Tucson comedians and co-hosts Matt Ziemak and Rory Monserrat, thus continue to expand their reach into the national talent pool while somehow maintaining a $5 admission price. Get it while it lasts at squareup.com or at the door. The show is at 8 p.m., Monday, March 16,
Comedy fans might recognize Lyon from the Comedy Central Show, Corporate, and his starring role in the Amazon Prime feature film Killer Kate. He’s been on Funny Or Die, the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Radio Show and the popular podcast Doug Loves Movies, as well as national commercials for AT&T and Johnsonville Sausage.
What sets him apart comically is a smart approach and surprising insights. Reviewers often cite his originality and fresh humor, rooted in fun facts and unassailable logic.
Local support includes Austin, TX’s favorite expat comic Joe Tullar; Nicole Riesgo, producer of Tucson Improv Movement’s Beginners & Veterans series, and Darryl Graves, who recently created the Shitz & Giggles open mic on Wednesdays at The Rock.
Kids’ comedy at the Tucson Festival of Books
Kids can play at improv comedy with F.O.M.P. (Friends of Make Pretends), at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 14, at the East Food Court (Science City) Stage. The stage is on the east side of Cherry Ave. on UArizona mall just south of Flandrau Planetarium. Presented by Tucson Improv Movement, this free show is usually performed every second Saturday at TIM Comedy Theater.
Terry Fator: America’s Got Talent
At age 42, Terry Fator’s family-friendly comedy flair swept season two of America’s Got Talent. That’s when his career veered from itinerant county fairs to a ten-year residency in Las Vegas. Fator returns to Desert Diamond Casino on Saturday, March 14. The show is at 8 p.m.; reservations are $40 to $69.50 through ddcaz.com.
Impressions are Fator’s stock in trade, but he also mixes music and puppetry into his sets. The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas dubbed him “The VOICE of entertainment.”
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
If drag ballet were an Olympic sporting event, The Trocks would have retired the gold for gag. Theirs is, in a sense, a sport; training is grueling and often painful. The corps must perform with the precision and delicacy of ballerinas, but with the unbridled spirit of a pratfall. The costumes are, as Ru Paul fans would say, sickening.
The Trocks experience is a timely antidote to whatever hurts. You literally can’t be serious. They perform at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 18 at Centennial hall. Tickets are $38 to $60 via UApresents.org.
Majestic Magic
Elias “Lefty” Caress presents his Majestic Magic Show in Clean Comedy Tucson’s Marana Laughs series, 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the Coyote Trail Stage, and in its Vail Laughs series at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 14, at Vail Theatre of the Arts. Reservations are $10 via maranalaughs.com and vaillaughs.com.
Keep Laughing!
Friday, March 13, Family-friendly improv with Improv Blox Student Showcase, 6 p.m. (free); Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU), 7:30 p.m., ($5 - $8), and uncensored Free Form Friday at 9 p.m. (free), Unscrewed Theater. Improv with 3rd Beats, Harold Team Beta, and Leaning Towards Darby, 7:30 p.m. ($5) and The Soapbox featuring Cameo Davis and Jacquez Gray, 9 p.m. ($7), Tucson Improv Movement ‘s TIM Comedy Theater, ($10 for both shows). Standup with Matt Sadler featuring Derrick Lengwenus and host Ben Lewis, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50).
Saturday, March 14, improv with Unscrewed Family Hour by Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU), 6 p.m., Unscrewed Theatre ($5-$8). NBOJU Uncensored is at 7:30 p.m., Unscrewed Theatre ($8). Sketch with Baby Fish Mouth and improv with Good Money, 7:30 p.m.; and Improv Madness duo team bracket at 9 p.m., TIM Comedy Theatre ($7 each; $10 for both shows.) Standup with Matt Sadler featuring Derrick Lengwenus and host Ben Lewis, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Thursday, March 19, Improv with Choice Cut and Improv 101, 7:30 p.m. ($5); open improv jam, 8:30 (free), TIM Comedy Theatre.
Free Open Mics
Sunday, March 15, 6:30 p.m., The O; 8 p.m., Chuckleheads, Bisbee; 8:30 p.m., The County Line Lounge and Grille.
Monday, March 16, 6:45 p.m., The Surly Wench; 9 p.m., Kava Bar.
Tuesday, March 17, 6:45 p.m., The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, March 18, 7 p.m., The Screening Room; 8 p.m., The Mint; 9:30 p.m., The Rock.
Thursday, March 19, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe; 8 p.m.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Arts and Culture / Booze / Do This! / Feminism / Fun in General / LGBT / Music / Sex!
Laughing Stock: On genders, sex, switches and surprises
Posted By Linda Ray on Thu, Feb 27, 2020 at 9:29 AM
Cactus Flower blooms Feb. 27-30
Created and performed entirely by funny female, binary and gender-nonconforming humans, the four-day Cactus Flower Comedy Festival will spark loads of laughs in anyone who is not looking for a lot of dick jokes.
The event, which takes place at Tucson Improv Movement's TIM Comedy Theatre, offers storytelling, stand-up, improv and sketch shows to watch, and workshops to exercise your own sense of humor and improve listening and communications skills. All shows are $5 or $7. An all-festival pass is $30, and workshops are $40 each. Reservations are via squareup.com.
Workshop leader Shannon Stott says she has seen improv change lives on and off the stage. She has performed and taught improv for 20 years and now regularly highlights that crossover.
The most important thing, she says, is “to listen to yourself and answer yourself honestly. Your body tells you so much information, and because of society's eyes (a.k.a. the audience) we often don't listen. The consequences can be painful.
That self-awareness makes all the difference in relationships. "Understanding what your relationship is to anyone will inform your scene," Stott says. "Much of the feedback I get sounds like ‘I didn't know I was doing that’. When you are unaware, choices are often made for you, on stage and off.”
Regarding festivals focused on women and non-gender-conforming performers, Stott says, “We must have safe places to practice being strong, outspoken, leading, being loud, silly, emotional and ourselves. Once you experience being heard and seen, you can recognize and internalize it so you can seek it out, on and off stage.”
The CFCF kicks off at 7:30 pm. Thursday, Feb. 27, with F*sT! (Female Storytellers) sharing their best of 2019. It’s likely to be the Fest’s first sell-out. The 9 p.m. show opens with improv duo Allreddy, featuring standup comedian Allana Erickson. Omega creates a long-form Harold, then Baby Fish Mouth Omega performs original sketches.
The 7:30 show Friday, Feb. 28, opens with duo team, I Was Promised Magic. Gretchen Wirges and Ally Tanzillo follow as Ex-Boyfriend. Then comes Phoenix’s RatQween, spontaneously formed at a recent Phoenix festival for female/non-binary/gender non-conforming people.
At 9 p.m., TIM’s premier team, Soapbox, create scenes inspired by true anecdotes from the lives of community leader and former mayoral candidate Randy Dorman and the Fest’s two nationally recognized workshop leaders, Stott and Jill Bernard. A founding member of Minneapolis’ HUGE Theatre, Bernard has been a principal in that city’s ComedySportz franchise since 1993. She has taught improv all over the US, Europe and South America.
Following the Soapbox, at 10:30 p.m., Nicole Riesgo hosts Beginners and Veterans, a standup showcase featuring Rebecca Tingley, creator of the Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby comedy panel, and her frequent co-host, Cami Anderson. Also performing is Steena Salido, co-creator of Tucson's popular standup show Cunts Being Cunts Talking about Cunts and the all-Spanish-Language standup and improv show, Carcajadas, that features TIM’s Como Se Dice team. The rest of the bill comprises comedians who completed TIM’s standup class led by Mo Urban, founder or co-founder of five comedy series in Tucson. Graduates are multiple Moth award-winning storyteller Molly McCloy, TIM Company improviser Holly Hilton, and high-energy newcomer Brandi Dierinzo.
On Saturday at 6, TIM indie teams Three-Headed Monster, #PurseWine and Rough Around the Curves lead up to Unscrewed Theater’s From the Top musical improv team. At 7:30, Urban hosts an especially diverse CFCF Stand Up Comedy Showcase, featuring Jackie Kibler, Andrea Carmichael, Andrea Salazar, Savannah Hernandez and Bethany Evans.
The 7:30 p.m. show features Como Se Dice, TIM’s premier all-female team The Riveters and Jill Bernard performing her one-woman show, Drum Machine. It’s described as a “sweepingly epic, unscripted musical featuring multiple characters.” It’s been featured in more than 40 improv festivals.
Stott and Bernard each lead two workshops on Saturday and Sunday.
The Switch switches to Skybar
Fans of The Switch, where comedians riff off-the-cuff on suggestions texted in by the audience, must remember to head to Skybar at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27. The event has moved following a long run on Mondays at The Hut. The lineup for the debut includes Phoencians Anwar Newton and Erick Biez.
Standups sing, now
Both Tucson’s improv companies have musical teams, and there’s the child of Musical Mayhem known as One Rehearsal Short. Young, brash, awkward and twisted genius Jeremy Segal now has created Show Tune ShowCase, in which seven favorite Tucson Comedians sing show tunes in their sets. We hold our breath for voices we didn’t know existed, but Mo Urban’s always knocks us out in her rock duo. Others in this debut include Joe Tullar, Steena Salido, Tim Maggard, Eli W.T., Jesus Otamendi and Chris Quinn. It’s $5 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 29 at The Screening Room.
Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby
Rebecca Tingley’s no-holds-barred panel of comedy experts returns to Club Congress at 8 p.m., Tuesday March 3. The show pokes fun at taboos, silliness, awkward moments and other somewhat less than graphic aspects of the act, (because, after all, we all know the actual mechanics). Panelists and guests include Cami Anderson, Paul Fox and Charles Ludwig.
Even More Laughs!
Friday, Feb. 28, standup with Andrew Rivers (see last week’s Laughing Stock), 8 p.m., The O ($15, $30 VIP, via Eventbrite.com; $30, door); Patrick Deguire featuring Zach Pugh, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50); and Last Friday - Last Laughs featuring Roxy Merrari, Ali Musa, Phoenix comic Noni Shaney, Battle at the Roast Room winner Allana Erickson, Michael Barnett, Stephanie Lyonga, Jeremy Segal and Eden Nault. Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m.($5 kids and $8 adults),and Free Form Friday Fight Night 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater (free).
Saturday, Feb. 29, Standup with Patrick Deguire featuring Zack Pugh, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Family-friendly improv with (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m., Unscrewed Theater ($5 and $8)
Free Open Mics
Sunday, March 1, 6:30 p.m., The O, and 8 p.m., Chuckleheads in Bisbee.
Monday, March 2, 6:45 p.m., The Surly Wench; 9 p.m., Kava Bar.
Tuesday, March 3, 6:45 p.m., Neighborhood Comedy. The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, March 4, 7 p.m., The Screening Room; 8:30 p.m., The Rock.
Thursday, March 5, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe and 8:30 p.m., Rockabilly Grill.
Created and performed entirely by funny female, binary and gender-nonconforming humans, the four-day Cactus Flower Comedy Festival will spark loads of laughs in anyone who is not looking for a lot of dick jokes.
The event, which takes place at Tucson Improv Movement's TIM Comedy Theatre, offers storytelling, stand-up, improv and sketch shows to watch, and workshops to exercise your own sense of humor and improve listening and communications skills. All shows are $5 or $7. An all-festival pass is $30, and workshops are $40 each. Reservations are via squareup.com.
Workshop leader Shannon Stott says she has seen improv change lives on and off the stage. She has performed and taught improv for 20 years and now regularly highlights that crossover.
The most important thing, she says, is “to listen to yourself and answer yourself honestly. Your body tells you so much information, and because of society's eyes (a.k.a. the audience) we often don't listen. The consequences can be painful.
That self-awareness makes all the difference in relationships. "Understanding what your relationship is to anyone will inform your scene," Stott says. "Much of the feedback I get sounds like ‘I didn't know I was doing that’. When you are unaware, choices are often made for you, on stage and off.”
Regarding festivals focused on women and non-gender-conforming performers, Stott says, “We must have safe places to practice being strong, outspoken, leading, being loud, silly, emotional and ourselves. Once you experience being heard and seen, you can recognize and internalize it so you can seek it out, on and off stage.”
The CFCF kicks off at 7:30 pm. Thursday, Feb. 27, with F*sT! (Female Storytellers) sharing their best of 2019. It’s likely to be the Fest’s first sell-out. The 9 p.m. show opens with improv duo Allreddy, featuring standup comedian Allana Erickson. Omega creates a long-form Harold, then Baby Fish Mouth Omega performs original sketches.
The 7:30 show Friday, Feb. 28, opens with duo team, I Was Promised Magic. Gretchen Wirges and Ally Tanzillo follow as Ex-Boyfriend. Then comes Phoenix’s RatQween, spontaneously formed at a recent Phoenix festival for female/non-binary/gender non-conforming people.
At 9 p.m., TIM’s premier team, Soapbox, create scenes inspired by true anecdotes from the lives of community leader and former mayoral candidate Randy Dorman and the Fest’s two nationally recognized workshop leaders, Stott and Jill Bernard. A founding member of Minneapolis’ HUGE Theatre, Bernard has been a principal in that city’s ComedySportz franchise since 1993. She has taught improv all over the US, Europe and South America.
Following the Soapbox, at 10:30 p.m., Nicole Riesgo hosts Beginners and Veterans, a standup showcase featuring Rebecca Tingley, creator of the Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby comedy panel, and her frequent co-host, Cami Anderson. Also performing is Steena Salido, co-creator of Tucson's popular standup show Cunts Being Cunts Talking about Cunts and the all-Spanish-Language standup and improv show, Carcajadas, that features TIM’s Como Se Dice team. The rest of the bill comprises comedians who completed TIM’s standup class led by Mo Urban, founder or co-founder of five comedy series in Tucson. Graduates are multiple Moth award-winning storyteller Molly McCloy, TIM Company improviser Holly Hilton, and high-energy newcomer Brandi Dierinzo.
On Saturday at 6, TIM indie teams Three-Headed Monster, #PurseWine and Rough Around the Curves lead up to Unscrewed Theater’s From the Top musical improv team. At 7:30, Urban hosts an especially diverse CFCF Stand Up Comedy Showcase, featuring Jackie Kibler, Andrea Carmichael, Andrea Salazar, Savannah Hernandez and Bethany Evans.
The 7:30 p.m. show features Como Se Dice, TIM’s premier all-female team The Riveters and Jill Bernard performing her one-woman show, Drum Machine. It’s described as a “sweepingly epic, unscripted musical featuring multiple characters.” It’s been featured in more than 40 improv festivals.
Stott and Bernard each lead two workshops on Saturday and Sunday.
The Switch switches to Skybar
Fans of The Switch, where comedians riff off-the-cuff on suggestions texted in by the audience, must remember to head to Skybar at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27. The event has moved following a long run on Mondays at The Hut. The lineup for the debut includes Phoencians Anwar Newton and Erick Biez.
Standups sing, now
Both Tucson’s improv companies have musical teams, and there’s the child of Musical Mayhem known as One Rehearsal Short. Young, brash, awkward and twisted genius Jeremy Segal now has created Show Tune ShowCase, in which seven favorite Tucson Comedians sing show tunes in their sets. We hold our breath for voices we didn’t know existed, but Mo Urban’s always knocks us out in her rock duo. Others in this debut include Joe Tullar, Steena Salido, Tim Maggard, Eli W.T., Jesus Otamendi and Chris Quinn. It’s $5 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 29 at The Screening Room.
Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby
Rebecca Tingley’s no-holds-barred panel of comedy experts returns to Club Congress at 8 p.m., Tuesday March 3. The show pokes fun at taboos, silliness, awkward moments and other somewhat less than graphic aspects of the act, (because, after all, we all know the actual mechanics). Panelists and guests include Cami Anderson, Paul Fox and Charles Ludwig.
Even More Laughs!
Friday, Feb. 28, standup with Andrew Rivers (see last week’s Laughing Stock), 8 p.m., The O ($15, $30 VIP, via Eventbrite.com; $30, door); Patrick Deguire featuring Zach Pugh, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50); and Last Friday - Last Laughs featuring Roxy Merrari, Ali Musa, Phoenix comic Noni Shaney, Battle at the Roast Room winner Allana Erickson, Michael Barnett, Stephanie Lyonga, Jeremy Segal and Eden Nault. Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m.($5 kids and $8 adults),and Free Form Friday Fight Night 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater (free).
Saturday, Feb. 29, Standup with Patrick Deguire featuring Zack Pugh, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Family-friendly improv with (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m., Unscrewed Theater ($5 and $8)
Free Open Mics
Sunday, March 1, 6:30 p.m., The O, and 8 p.m., Chuckleheads in Bisbee.
Monday, March 2, 6:45 p.m., The Surly Wench; 9 p.m., Kava Bar.
Tuesday, March 3, 6:45 p.m., Neighborhood Comedy. The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, March 4, 7 p.m., The Screening Room; 8:30 p.m., The Rock.
Thursday, March 5, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe and 8:30 p.m., Rockabilly Grill.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Laughing Stock: So. Much. Comedy!
Posted By Linda Ray on Thu, Feb 20, 2020 at 9:20 AM
Laughing Stock
By Linda Ray
In a backwards ball cap, Andrew Rivers looks a little like Eminem without the pout or the baggage. His affect is a that of a slightly more animated Seinfeld. There’s no threat to his roll, but his comedy won’t let you get away.
Easily relatable, his jokes emerge unexpectedly from stories of life on the road with a not-that-weird upbringing in the rearview. His Dad was a well-known local radio personality and, as he tells it, his mom a lifelong chain- pot-smoker. Looking for love just leaves him bewildered.
Rivers’ laser-focused commitment to the comedy grind keep him on the road half the year. “Now that I’ve had some accomplishments and a comedy special. I’m hoping to take advantage of (it) and just book my own tours.
“I can’t keep plants or animals alive,” he says, “but there is something growing in my fridge right now. I haven’t named it yet.”
The comedy special Rivers’ cites drew 15 million Facebook views. His Dry Bar show, a 42 minute video of clean comedy, is available from his website along with two, full length CDs and a recording of jokes he made on his cell phone for each town he visited in 2016. He’s also in lots of podcasts.
“Having more outlets means more eyeballs on comedy. People can read this and then Facebook stalk me and buy tickets to the show within 5 clicks!”
Rivers performs at 8 p.m., Saturday, February 28 at The O. Tickets are available on Eventbrite for $12 to $30.
Estrogen Hour: Leap of Faith
There may never be a better name than “Leap of Faith” for this loosely-quarterly fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Like some ancient ritual, the event always coaxes a couple of Tucson’s leading women off the cliff into their first-ever standup comedy set. Miraculously, they find thunderous applause from a room full of friends and well-wishers. It almost always sells out.
On Sunday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m., long-time crime reporter, journalist and author A.J. Flick takes the plunge, along with former soldier, radiologist and attorney Ramie Fisher.
The rest of the lineup is seen more often on Tucson’s standup, improv and storytelling stages. Amy Beson, Andrea Victoria Carmichael, Cathy Sproul, Claire Maguire, Mo Urban, Nicci Radhe, Rebecca Tingley and Suzie (Agrillo) Sexton. Estrogen Hour co-founder and Tucson Comedy royalty Nancy Stanley hosts.
Reservations are available for $15 via co-organizer Mary Steed’s LLS fundraising page at https://pages.lls.org/tnt/az/hikepnw20/MSteed. Laff’s has a two-item minimum.
My Bloody Valentine: A Comedy Showcase
Comedy at the Wench explores all the ways love can go wrong with its monthly comedy showcase at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 24. Comedians include locals Allana Erickson-Lopez, the stand-up half of the improv duo Allreddy; Aaron Panther, Eden Nault and recent Austin ex-pat Joe Tullar. Headlining is Curt Fletcher, who has been compared to Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg. Also featured is Tamale Sepp, stopping by while living the dream on a two-year tour in her van.
This event has been selling out, and the layout makes it wise to arrive early to get a seat and order food and drink before the show. Reservations are $5 on Eventbrite.com.
Cactus Flower Comedy Festival
This great annual festival of female funny runs Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 27 through 29 at TIM Comedy Theater. There will be lots more about this in next week’s Laughing Stock, but it kicks off Thursday, with Tucson’s beloved F*ST (Female Storytellers) sharing their favorite stories of 2019 a 7:30 p.m. The 9 p.m. show features women from Allreddy, Harold Team Omega and sketch comedy by the women of TIM’s Baby Fish Mouth sketch team. The shows are $7, or included with a $30 fest pass.
Even More Laughs!
Friday, Feb. 21, Intimate Magic with illusionist Rod Wayne Housley, 8 p.m., The O ($15 via brownpapertickets.com; $20, door). Standup comedy with Gabriel Rutledge hosted by Mo Urban, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Improv with Harold Beta and Improv 101 Showcase, 7:30 p.m. ($5) and The Soapbox featuring Cero Tucson, 9 p.m., at Tucson Improv Movement (TIM Comedy Theatre) ($7 or $10 for both shows). Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m.($5 kids and $8 adults), and Free Form Friday Fight Night 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater (free).
Saturday, Feb. 22, Standup headlining local comedy award winner John Raymond with John “Jon Jon” Hernandez, Nick Chant and host, Rich Gary, 8 p.m., The O ($5) Standup-improv mash-up, Set Unlisted, 7:30 p.m., and The Dating Scene at 9 p.m., TIM Comedy Theatre ($7 each, $10 both). Standup comedy with Gabriel Rutledge hosted by Mo Urban, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m., and Unscrewed Double Feature at 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater ($5 and $8)
Wednesday, Feb. 26, Stand Up Science with Shane Mauss and a cast of scientists and comedians 7 p.m., 191 E. Toole. ($22)
Free Open Mics
Sunday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m., The O, and 8 p.m., Chuckleheads in Bisbee.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:45 p.m., Neighborhood Comedy. The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m., The Screening Room; 8:30 p.m., The Mint; 9:30 p.m., The Rock.
Thursday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe and 8:30 p.m., Rockabilly Grill.
By Linda Ray
In a backwards ball cap, Andrew Rivers looks a little like Eminem without the pout or the baggage. His affect is a that of a slightly more animated Seinfeld. There’s no threat to his roll, but his comedy won’t let you get away.
Easily relatable, his jokes emerge unexpectedly from stories of life on the road with a not-that-weird upbringing in the rearview. His Dad was a well-known local radio personality and, as he tells it, his mom a lifelong chain- pot-smoker. Looking for love just leaves him bewildered.
Rivers’ laser-focused commitment to the comedy grind keep him on the road half the year. “Now that I’ve had some accomplishments and a comedy special. I’m hoping to take advantage of (it) and just book my own tours.
“I can’t keep plants or animals alive,” he says, “but there is something growing in my fridge right now. I haven’t named it yet.”
The comedy special Rivers’ cites drew 15 million Facebook views. His Dry Bar show, a 42 minute video of clean comedy, is available from his website along with two, full length CDs and a recording of jokes he made on his cell phone for each town he visited in 2016. He’s also in lots of podcasts.
“Having more outlets means more eyeballs on comedy. People can read this and then Facebook stalk me and buy tickets to the show within 5 clicks!”
Rivers performs at 8 p.m., Saturday, February 28 at The O. Tickets are available on Eventbrite for $12 to $30.
Estrogen Hour: Leap of Faith
There may never be a better name than “Leap of Faith” for this loosely-quarterly fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Like some ancient ritual, the event always coaxes a couple of Tucson’s leading women off the cliff into their first-ever standup comedy set. Miraculously, they find thunderous applause from a room full of friends and well-wishers. It almost always sells out.
On Sunday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m., long-time crime reporter, journalist and author A.J. Flick takes the plunge, along with former soldier, radiologist and attorney Ramie Fisher.
The rest of the lineup is seen more often on Tucson’s standup, improv and storytelling stages. Amy Beson, Andrea Victoria Carmichael, Cathy Sproul, Claire Maguire, Mo Urban, Nicci Radhe, Rebecca Tingley and Suzie (Agrillo) Sexton. Estrogen Hour co-founder and Tucson Comedy royalty Nancy Stanley hosts.
Reservations are available for $15 via co-organizer Mary Steed’s LLS fundraising page at https://pages.lls.org/tnt/az/hikepnw20/MSteed. Laff’s has a two-item minimum.
My Bloody Valentine: A Comedy Showcase
Comedy at the Wench explores all the ways love can go wrong with its monthly comedy showcase at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 24. Comedians include locals Allana Erickson-Lopez, the stand-up half of the improv duo Allreddy; Aaron Panther, Eden Nault and recent Austin ex-pat Joe Tullar. Headlining is Curt Fletcher, who has been compared to Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg. Also featured is Tamale Sepp, stopping by while living the dream on a two-year tour in her van.
This event has been selling out, and the layout makes it wise to arrive early to get a seat and order food and drink before the show. Reservations are $5 on Eventbrite.com.
Cactus Flower Comedy Festival
This great annual festival of female funny runs Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 27 through 29 at TIM Comedy Theater. There will be lots more about this in next week’s Laughing Stock, but it kicks off Thursday, with Tucson’s beloved F*ST (Female Storytellers) sharing their favorite stories of 2019 a 7:30 p.m. The 9 p.m. show features women from Allreddy, Harold Team Omega and sketch comedy by the women of TIM’s Baby Fish Mouth sketch team. The shows are $7, or included with a $30 fest pass.
Even More Laughs!
Friday, Feb. 21, Intimate Magic with illusionist Rod Wayne Housley, 8 p.m., The O ($15 via brownpapertickets.com; $20, door). Standup comedy with Gabriel Rutledge hosted by Mo Urban, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Improv with Harold Beta and Improv 101 Showcase, 7:30 p.m. ($5) and The Soapbox featuring Cero Tucson, 9 p.m., at Tucson Improv Movement (TIM Comedy Theatre) ($7 or $10 for both shows). Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m.($5 kids and $8 adults), and Free Form Friday Fight Night 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater (free).
Saturday, Feb. 22, Standup headlining local comedy award winner John Raymond with John “Jon Jon” Hernandez, Nick Chant and host, Rich Gary, 8 p.m., The O ($5) Standup-improv mash-up, Set Unlisted, 7:30 p.m., and The Dating Scene at 9 p.m., TIM Comedy Theatre ($7 each, $10 both). Standup comedy with Gabriel Rutledge hosted by Mo Urban, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Laff’s Comedy Caffe ($12.50, $17.50). Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m., and Unscrewed Double Feature at 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater ($5 and $8)
Wednesday, Feb. 26, Stand Up Science with Shane Mauss and a cast of scientists and comedians 7 p.m., 191 E. Toole. ($22)
Free Open Mics
Sunday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m., The O, and 8 p.m., Chuckleheads in Bisbee.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:45 p.m., Neighborhood Comedy. The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m., The Screening Room; 8:30 p.m., The Mint; 9:30 p.m., The Rock.
Thursday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe and 8:30 p.m., Rockabilly Grill.
Monday, February 17, 2020
Things to Do, Monday. Feb. 17
Posted By TW Fun & Games Desk on Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 1:00 AM
Scream Blacula Scream. Part of the Black Renaissance Film Series, The Screening Room is showing a classic “Blaxploitation” film from 1973. A follow-up to the iconic Blacula, Scream Blacula Scream is a prime example of the cheesy blaxploitation horror films of the ’70s: goofy special effects, over-the-top blood spurts, hilarious acting, and murky atmosphere. The film stars the great William Marshall as Blacula, the doomed vampire former Prince Mamuwalde. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17. 127 E. Congress St. $7.
Turning first hand experiences into compelling songs, Canadian folk singer Lucie Blue Tremblay expresses her desire for world peace and LGBT rights on President's Day. At Club Congress...
"Perfect for late-night karaoke comedowns, plaintive morning walks, and conjuring the spirit world," Molly Sarlé (from Durham via Big Sur) brings open-hearted, unflinching songwriting to El Crisol. Songwriter Chelsey Trejo adds appreciably to the evening...
With songs about "Stripper Poles" and "Cherry Pop Tarts," Funky Bonz provided reason to take a "Walk on the Wild Side" on a Monday night. At Elliott's on Congress...
Turning first hand experiences into compelling songs, Canadian folk singer Lucie Blue Tremblay expresses her desire for world peace and LGBT rights on President's Day. At Club Congress...
"Perfect for late-night karaoke comedowns, plaintive morning walks, and conjuring the spirit world," Molly Sarlé (from Durham via Big Sur) brings open-hearted, unflinching songwriting to El Crisol. Songwriter Chelsey Trejo adds appreciably to the evening...
With songs about "Stripper Poles" and "Cherry Pop Tarts," Funky Bonz provided reason to take a "Walk on the Wild Side" on a Monday night. At Elliott's on Congress...
