NYC’s SMUT show gets TV treatment
By Jonas Barnes
Coming up on October 6th & 7th, the man writing this article and the editor of this very website are taping The SMUT Show for a TV pilot. But wait, you haven’t heard of The SMUT Show? Well, first off, how dare you. Second off, you’re in luck! This article right here…this very article…is about the show so you get to learn all about it!
Producers Jonas Barnes and Lauryn Petrie
Back in 2008, a couple of rebellious comedians in Seattle by the names of DC Chapman and Rodger Lizaola got sick of the PC bullshit and decided to bring the darkness of comedy to the stages of the Pacific Northwest. In that same year, Jonas Barnes (ME!) came on as a regular performer and sometimes host. Life happened, as it tends to do, and DC & Rodger were no longer able to continue producing the show and I stepped in to save the depraved comedy orphan that which was SMUT and took it on. The beginnings were tough but the show thrived until I had to leave the Seattle area for the bearded hipster wasteland of Portland, OR.
The Portland chapter of The SMUT Show takes place at The Funhouse Lounge with side ventures at Dante’s and The Star Theater. It was here that Lauryn Petrie came into the mix as co-producer and the show thrived in the bowels of Portland’s dark side. The show was a hit monthly, that featured many traveling headliners including CONAN writer Laurie Kilmartin and “Jackass” alumni Danger Ehren. The show saw multiple variations throughout Portland and settled upon The Funhouse Lounge as a home. The show is now produced by Portland’s own Belinda Carroll.
Laurie Killmartin
And now we arrive to the great, salty ass Northeast where The SMUT Show currently resides. NYC is the home of many, many famous comedy venues like The Comedy Cellar and Caroline’s on Broadway. But what you may not know is that, in Long Island City, there is a venue called The Creek and The Cave, owned by comedy godmother Rebecca Trent, which showcases some of the best shows in the entire city. The cali-mex restaurant & comedy venue is a labor of love from Trent that is one of the most beloved venues in the city. The SMUT Show has called this little slice of comedy heaven home for a year, with productions every first Wednesday at 10pm.
Mehran Khaghani
At the one year anniversary, we’ll be taping 4 episodes of The SMUT Show series for a TV pilot. The pilot will feature comedians from all walks of experience, letting all their guard down to give you the most raw, stripped down, hilarious comedy experience they can.
But what is “The SMUT Show”, really? You’d think by the name that it’s your run of the mill dirty show where the comics slip some creative swearing into the set, right? Well, not exactly. “The SMUT Show” is the safe space for unsafe comedy. We push the envelope of material traditions and challenge some of the funniest comics in NYC and abroad to take the dark sides of life and talk about them on stage. We’re not a cookie cutter comedy troupe filled with family friendly fun; we’re the antithesis of just that. The pain, trauma, filth and fun of life is what we talk about on The SMUT Show.
Jay Whitecotton
We champion freedom of speech and live or die by the mic in front of our faces. And in October, our vision comes to life in an underground, after hours comedy concert showing the OTHER side of big city comedy. We strip it down to its gritty, bare essentials and give the audience a humorous look into the dark sides of life we don’t talk about at parties. Get ready to blow the curtain off your triggers and sensibilities and get ready for The SMUT Show.
Dates: October 6th at 8pm & October 7th at 8pm
Cost: FREE
Location: The Creek And The Cave 10-93 Jackson Ave, Long Island City
Show #1 (Oct 6th) Aaron Berg, Jonas Barnes, Richie Redding, Jay Whitecotton, *Surprise headliner*
Show #2 ( Oct 6th) Aaron Berg, Lauryn Petrie, Victor Varnado, Lucas Connolly, *Surprise headliner*
Show #3 (Oct 7th) Aaron Berg, Justy Dodge, Wendi Starling, James Mattern,*Surprise headliner*
Show #4 (Oct 7th) Aaron Berg, Quinn Quintana, Mehran Khaghani, Frank Liotti,*Surprise headliner*
