Seven years ago, Devin Siebold was a professional comedian whose day job, teaching, was a bottomless source of relatable comedy. He began posting funny videos about his more ridiculous teaching experiences, and as they developed a following, he attracted the attention of Bored Teachers.
Bored Teachers was, and is, a sprawling website featuring a panoply of discussion groups, resources and advertising of interest to teachers. They invited Siebold to develop exclusive video content for the site. As more funny teacher-creators emerged online, the site scooped up the ones with the largest followings. Live touring soon followed taking Bored Teachers beyond the cyber-verse to their fans around the world with Siebold as headliner.
“I’ve learned that the problems are universal,” Siebold said. “I’m in Florida and I’m not sure if my stories, my jokes about what I go through are going to resonate elsewhere. But I did a tour to Australia, and my first show, the teachers were losing their minds, laughing so hysterically at it. Same problems, same crazy parents, same kids out of control. Same pay and politics and all that.
“We see the commonality of the ridiculousness,” he said. “TikTok and Instagram and Facebook have kind of turned into the virtual teacher’s lounge where we can vent and understand that everybody else is going through it too.”
Siebold said he loved teaching and when he left the classroom, it was to become something of a comedy consultant.
“I actually go around to schools and teach the healing power of laughter,” he said. “Teachers don’t realize they need it. Laughter has a natural healing property to tell us that everything’s going to be OK. It’s a signal of safety. When they start laughing, they are able to release the tension and the stress and get through the day.
“It’s a neat power,” he said. Yes, and so is the ability to empower teachers to be funny.
Siebold heads a lineup of professional comedians, all current or former teachers with large followings on social media. They include Kc Mack and Liz Blan,c who recently performed in the renowned “Just for Laughs” comedy festival in Montréal.
While audience members know they’re in for an entertaining evening with colleagues, Siebold said they are often surprised at how hard hitting the comedy is.
“We are comedians first and foremost, and you’re getting a top-tier comedy show. We get into the reality of teaching. We get into, ‘This is what really happened to me, and this is how crazy it gets.’ And people are shocked. But they’re always impressed with how hard reality hits in our jokes and how deep into it we go.”
Given all the hard realities of teaching, and especially, now, all the alternatives available to women, why do they still choose to teach? Siebold credits the strong bonds formed among teachers. “You create a community to make everybody successful. It’s definitely there.”
Most important, he credits their character. “I think teachers have an empathy about them that they want to give back to their kids, the community,” Siebold said, “and there’s a passion about it. There’s a really great feeling about seeing a kid that has struggled reading this whole year pick up a book and finish it. Teachers love seeing those success stories.
“As much as the craziness, as much as the pressure, as much as the politics have invaded, it’s still the kids that we’re there for. And it’s just that intuition that really kind of supersedes all.”
The Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, tickets start at $29.50, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, rialtotheatre.com
UNSCREWED NERD-A-THON
Folks looking forward to nerding out at this weekend’s Tucson Comic Con may be happy to learn that Unscrewed Theatre plans to reboot the vibe at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16.
According to the improv company’s honcho Chris Seidman, “We’re going to have a show called “Into the UnscrewDiverse,” which focuses a lot on things that you would find at Comic-Con — superheroes, pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, that kind of thing. The subtitle of the show is “Nerds Night Out.” Cosplay is encouraged.
The show kicks off a series of themed shows Unscrewed is instituting in the 7:30 p.m. time slot along with three uncensored shows each month at 9 p.m. “Our founding house team started in May of 2002,” he said. “Now it’s 21 and old enough for X-rated shows.”
OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK
Chuckleheads, 41 Brewery
Avenue, Bisbee, 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, chuckleheadsaz.com, $10. Butch Lord, 20-year comedy veteran and club favorite
El Jefe Cat Lounge, 3025 N. Campbell Avenue, Suite 141, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, eljefecatlounge.com, reservations $18. Produced by Lady Haha Comedy, 21+, BYOB and snacks, hosted by Mo Urban and Priscilla Fernandez, lineup includes Mia Dain, Max Adler, Laura Out Loud and Nate Beck
Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E.
Broadway Boulevard. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, and 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating. Mike Merryfield, winner of “Trial by Laughter
Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Avenue. 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 7, ticketmaster.com, sold out, Nate Bargatze, “The Be Funny Tour”
The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street, 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 4,
screeningroomdowntown.com, $15. Mi Vecina Nice and ComicCon present “Comic Comics,” an elimination competition with cos-playing comics vying for audience votes.
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street. tucsonimprov.com, $9, featuring Rory Monserat, Clint Lapsansky, Kristine Levine, Lux Shree, Stacy Scheff, Whacko the Clown
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street. tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, Improv 101 and Improv 301 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox;” 9 p.m. Stand Up Showcase; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, “The Dirty Tees” and “The Meeting;” 9 p.m. “The Dating Scene”
Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard,
unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, From the Top improvised musical; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, Family-Friendly Improv; 9 p.m. The Backyard Improv Playground, pay-what-you-will admission.
