Minority Retort, a showcase of local comedians of color, celebrated its debut show Friday, Jan. 23 at Curious Comedy Theater. The recurring show is the brainchild of local comedians Jeremy Eli and Jason Lamb.
Minority Retort is designed to generate interest in Portland’s people of color comedy scene, which has, until now, been sorely lacking a spotlight.
As a stand-up comedian in Portland for roughly two years, Eli grew frustrated with the seemingly nonexistent scene.
“The goal is to showcase talented local comedians of color and to display to national…brown [and] black performers that Portland is a place that welcomes them and wants to see them perform,” Eli said.
Minority Retort is getting the word out about performers and offering a platform to both enjoy and participate in.
This month’s headliner was Nathan Brannon. Being a comedian of color in the city of Portland, Brannon said he understands the challenge to get noticed and the opportunity to make people laugh.
“This show aims to remedy that by giving them a platform, solely for them, to show their city what they can do,” Brannon said.
Brannon said he hopes the show will not only make people laugh but also serve as a way to gain attention for new people in the Portland comedy scene.
Even though this month’s Minority Retort has passed there are plenty more chances to catch future shows, and at $7 per ticket it makes for a very budget-friendly night out.
The next show is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27 at Curious Comedy Theater at 9:30 p.m.
Presently, shows are scheduled for every fourth Friday through the end of the year. Additional info on the show and tickets can be found at bit.ly/comretort.
