Photo courtesy of Scott Gordan.
Goulash Comedy_Funny Free Friday 2018
Chris Ivey is pictured at a comedy show.
As the comedy scene continues to grow and attract out-of-towners, Birmingham Festival Theatre and Goulash Comedy have teamed up to bring locals a new set of shows called “Comedy at The Theatre.”
Local comedian and Goulash Comedy creator Chris Ivey said after he was booked at an improv and stand-up comedy show at the theater on 11th Avenue South in the spring, he loved how beautiful it was and thought it was one of the best venues in town. Later, he met with Rhonda Erbrick, the president of the theater’s board of directors, and they came up with a monthly show idea.
On the last Sunday of every month, Birmingham Festival Theatre hosts two of Goulash Comedy’s newest shows in a back-to-back comedy night called Comedy at The Theatre in Five Points.
At 7 p.m., a rotating set of comedians host the “Storytellers Comedy Show,” which gives people the chance to see three comedians — some of them longtime local comics and others nationally-known acts — doing 30-minutes-long headlining sets. The show is named after sculptor Frank Fleming’s famous “The Storyteller” fountain in the heart of Five Points.
“It’s a way for the community to see some of the really great comics we have, and also, I have national headliners who are coming in as well who have TV credits and stuff, so it’s a really good mix,” Ivey said.
He said this is the only comedy show downtown so far where people get to see such long, polished sets from seasoned comedians.
“The shows at Saturn, Good People, etc., typically they only get to do like 10 minutes, but most of us have a lot more time than that,” Ivey said. “… So this is the first show that really gives people, local people, the ability to headline their own show, and you kind of get to see what people have been working on for years.”
Such long sets allow comedians to set a theme throughout their act. Ivey said open mics and showcases act as more of a snapshot or trailer of a comedian, where this show is more like the whole movie.
At 9 p.m., “FAME! A Comedy Show” is hosted by Ivey and Peter Davenport, who bring up a local comedian or friend to tell a memorable story about meeting someone famous. This show is interactive and includes audience participation at the end of each story.
“You have no idea what people are going to tell stories about. … It’s really interactive, really fun. It’s something that I haven’t seen before, but everyone who has come to it has been like, ‘Well, I didn’t know that would be so much fun,’” Ivey said.
The final show wraps up at around 10 p.m. People are welcome to come to one show or both.
The next Comedy at The Theatre is Aug. 25. To learn more about the comedians and guests, go to Goulash Comedy’s Facebook page at @goulashcomedy, or to purchase tickets, go to bftonline.org.
