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Despite whatever your least-favorite uncle says, the new POTUS will not be good for comedy — and comedy has no intention of being good to him. The campaign that never seemed to end finally did in the worst way possible for many. And while stand-up acts from coast to coast spent more than a year cracking jokes, comedians now appear to be tired of merely ranting about the sentient Cheeto and are ready to do more than just talk.The Atlanta comedy scene, in particular, is standing up and fighting back. Pop-up shows and city staples have been busy collecting money for those who will be threatened under the new administration (i.e., everyone).“I remember standing with
local comedians David Perdue and Cherith Fuller at Star Bar one Monday right after the election talking about our frustrations, feeling helpless and saying that we needed to do something, anything, with comedy to raise money for organizations,” Andrew Michael says. “The next week I was contacted by Jenn Welch and Emily Winter from the
What a Joke Comedy Festival about putting on an Atlanta show. … It was perfect timing.”Teaming up with Perdue, Michael brought the national festival to Eventide Brewing inauguration weekend, joining 33 other cities across the U.S. to raise money for the American Civil Liberties Union. This isn’t the first time Michael has given back to the community. The WonderComedy producer has often used his monthly showcase as a vehicle for change. In addition to collecting coats for the homeless every winter, the November showcase supported Lost-N-Found Youth, which works with LGBTQ homeless youth in Atlanta.This cavalcade of goodwill is anything but a one-man show. Since the election, you’d have a hard time finding a poster for a comedy show that doesn’t include the logo for a charity or organization. Monthly stand-up and sketch show Ladie’s Night used its two-year anniversary on Jan. 5 to champion more than just the film community. “We knew that our two-year anniversary show would sell out in no time, so we wanted to take advantage of that not only for ourselves, but for a good cause,” producer Joel Ruiz says. Ruiz and his co-producers Zach Lamplugh and Brian Emond raised $200 for both the ACLU of Georgia and Southeast Planned Parenthood.Amber North has quite the honorable track record of donating proceeds of her show, Grrrls Nite Out, to various organizations dating back to June — the time of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. “Whenever something tragic happens to a minority group fueled by hatred, the worst sound to hear from so-called ‘allies’ is silence. … I wanted to show that I will always stand with them, especially to the LGBTQ community.” North followed up with shows dedicated to the Boys and Girls Club of America and has the ACLU and Planned Parenthood on her mind.Paige Bowman, Cherith Fuller, and Jen O’Neill Smith spent election night together, hoping for a night of revelry. As night waned, revelry turned to despair — for a minute. Despair then became action. Forgoing any subtlety, the trio of jokesmiths prepped for
Laughs Trump Hate, a one-off show to benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center held on Jan. 13.“Going to comedy shows regularly can make you a little cynical, but the response we received from the show’s audience was amazing,” Bowman says. “Through ticket sales, we raised $800, but at the end of the show, our host, David Perdue, motivated the crowd by saying that $800 was great, but $1,000 would be even better. After that … we actually had a donor come forward, ask what we needed to get there, and give us $200. I won’t even pretend I did not tear up as I ran her credit card through the Square.”When it was clear their message was reciprocated in rival amounts of passion from the audience, the trio realized this didn’t need to be a one-time show. A March 10 show at the Highland Inn Ballroom to benefit Planned Parenthood is set with the hopes of making Laughs Trump Hate a regular show that helps refugees, LGBTQ organizations, environmental groups and more.
“Seeing the response from the Laughs Trump Hate show and other shows, it would be absurd to not continue to try and do something with the platform of stand-up comedy to contribute to a cause,” Michael says. “I feel like not acting is in itself an action, so it’s time that we should all think about how we can help.”