10 fantastic comedy resources to get your local laughs going

Denver is a great town for comedy. Maybe it’s the thin air, or perhaps it has something to do with our proclivity for staying medicated (i.e. stoned), but we are a city that likes to laugh. Even more, we are a city that knows how to laugh. Long-running local institutions like Comedy Works—itself a well-respected club among working comics—and a growing roster of hometown talent have trained us on how to watch stand-up, to abide by two-drink minimums, and to jeer when appropriate. It’s nice to live in a place that appreciates comedy, and it feels even better to be a part of the audience that supports it. Here, The A.V. Club lists 10 ways to get to know your local comedy scene, in no particular order.

10. Start with Twitter
Twitter is probably the easiest way to connect with local comedians. It’s free and doesn’t take much more effort than signing up for an account. But more than just a way to keep up with show announcements, most comics have taken on the 140-word limit as challenge to churn out daily punch lines. See these tweets from @jimhickox: “A McDonald’s inside a Wal-Mart is like your tumor having cancer” and “Boy, I sure hope the guy who killed Osama bin Laden is named Colonel Mustard.” 

9. Read Mock Stars: Indie Comedy And The Dangerously Funny
Mock Stars is more a book about humor than it is a humor book. It’s a short history of alternative comedy, tracing it from the mid-90s to today. Alongside interviews with guys like Patton Oswalt and David Cross, local author/Denver Post editor John Wenzel includes quotes from local comics like Ben Roy and Adam Cayton-Holland.

8. Trek to Aspen once a year
Aspen has been host to a few different comedy festivals over the past couple decades. There was the long-running HBO-sponsored U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (which has since changed sponsors and moved to Las Vegas). Following that, there was the short-lived Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. And most recently, the reigns were taken back by local promoters who earlier this year debuted the Aspen Laff Festival. The quality and quantity of acts varies from year to year, but that’s to be expected.

7. Almost every night is a taping at Comedy Works
Ever wanted to hear your laughter on tape? Several well-known comedians, including Josh Blue and Dave Attell, have recorded albums at the famed venue. Many more tape themselves just for the video clips. The black hole of YouTube circulates an impressive array of recordings from the club, some better quality than others.

6. Funny in the ’burbs
We’d be remiss not to mention the Denver Improv in Stapleton. It’s part of a national chain of clubs, which means a year-round calendar of almost all touring comedians.

5. Sketch and improv in the city
Funny thing about the Denver Improv is that it doesn’t actually host much improv. That’s okay, though, because there’s always the Impulse Theater (a mix of theater and comedy), the Bovine Metropolis Theater (a real-deal improv house with shows and classes), as well as Madcap Theater (another improv stage that also has children’s shows).

4. Open mic comedy at the Squire Lounge
It’s every Tuesday night, and it’s free. The tiny stage is open to anyone who signs up—and just about anyone does. It’s known as having one of the harshest comedy crowds in town, as well as being in one of the grimiest bars on East Colfax, which makes for a comedy experience that can both lift souls and break spirits.

3. Comics on film
The Laugh Track Comedy Festival returns this year, scheduled for July 15 and 16 at the Oriental Theater. It’s a combination film festival and stand-up showcase that bills itself as a fiercely independent, inclusive event with an open submission policy.

2. The Chuck Roy Show on indie303.com
Chuck Roy is an incredibly funny comedian, a seasoned local who has appeared at just about every venue in town and is a familiar face at Comedy Works. His weekly podcast runs a gamut of topics, from “straight” bears to spring break alternatives. There’s usually a guest commentator, and sometimes there’s singing. 

1. Grawlix
Grawlix is a newer event, a mixed-bag comedy night that goes down the last Friday of the month at the Avenue Theater. It’s a late-night show (which means a lot of profanity and usually an abortion joke or two) that incorporates stand-up, sketch, and video. It’s fun and feels loosely scripted, a little chancy even—just the way comedy should be.