nothin Best Video Keeps It Reel | New Haven Independent

Best Video Keeps It Reel

Allison Hadley Photos

Dawsey.

The parking lot was full for Tuesday night’s Black History Month-themed edition of Reel Life, a monthly comedy showcase at Best Video, hosted by New Haven comedian Kendra Dawsey.

The room, full of friends and local enthusiasts of comedy and Best Video Film and Cultural Center on Whitney Avenue in Hamden, buzzed happily and welcomed Dawsey as she stepped center stage. She warmed the crowd up — I don’t vacuum enough to have a side piece; my girlfriend’s hair is everywhere,” she joked — and adeptly handed the mic off to the next performer, David Perez, and continued to handle the room to create a night of diverse comedy in style and appearance.

The performers — David Perez (Brooklyn), Caitlin Arcand (Boston), Nick Grunerud (New Haven), Carmen Washington (New Haven), Dame FK (Brooklyn), and Kwasi Mensah (Boston) — all brought deeply individual takes on common themes: interracial dating, what it is to be a black person in a white state doing comedy (four of seven performers were black), awkward situations, depression, and Connecticut. Ranging from entirely surreal to one long tale of an awkward bathroom encounter, each comic brought their own style and take on life over the course of their 12-minute sets.

Washington.

Perez, checking in on everyone’s New Year’s resolutions (“I’m on the whole 30 diet — I eat a whole pizza in 30 minutes”), used masterful command of the room to his advantage, culminating his set with a horrifying story of a romantic relationship revealing intimate secrets. Arcand leaned heavily on her experience as a student (“trail mix is just chocolate chips with obstacles,” she said). Grunerud channeled Andy Kaufman in a surrealist barrage of one and two sentence jokes. Washington led the audience into her home with a son going through puberty. Dame FK navigated the difficulties of highway left exits and entirely white rooms. Mensah finished the night with a set focused on family tendencies. The audience was not quiet, chuckling loudly, gasping, and interlocuting with the comedians, very primed to go in whatever direction the comics chose.

What was truly striking about Reel Life was how infrequent a show like it is in the broader Connecticut and New Haven scene. There is a divide between open mics and comedy tours, and Reel Life neatly fits the bill of well-curated, intentionally booked comedy shows that feature rising talent at small, intimate venues. 

Grunerud.

I try to make sure it’s not just one type of comic,” said Dawsey, who has been active in the CT comedy scene for about two years and booked this show. You don’t want entirely high energy or low energy, so I tried to mix it up with different types of humor.”

Reel Life, monthly since last October, is certainly growing, and gaining its own audience — but is still very much growing. Dawsey, in an effort to reach out, has flyered neighborhoods and tried to make connections in the community, but recognizes that it always takes a moment to cultivate a warm room for comedy.

I think we have an audience, but I would like it to grow more — when there’s a lot of people it’s been really great,” she said.

Finding venues that value and promote comedy, like Best Video, has been essential to growing small shows like this one. Recognizing that there is a difference in experience between a show such as Reel Life and the open mic circuit, where most local comics workshop new material or attempt comedy for the first time, Dawsey suggested that Reel Life can be a good introduction to the local, upcoming comedy world.

The scene has changed — I think there’s more women, and the women are doing well,” she said. The benefit of booking as a comic herself is that there is much more mutual support available. I know I’m not changing a lot in comedy but it [Reel Life] is providing a space for people to keep working on their material and for an audience to see some quality work.”

A booked show is a more curated experience into the local comedy scene that, while less frequent than open mics, provide a very gentle introduction into the neighborhood’s comedic minds. Dawsey also recommends The Rough Draft’s Roomies comedy show and Lyric Hall’s open mic (hosted by Dawsey and more comedy heavy). The next Reel Life is on Mar. 19 at 8 p.m., at Best Video, 1842 Whitney Ave., Hamden.

Tags:

Sign up for our morning newsletter

Don't want to miss a single Independent article? Sign up for our daily email newsletter! Click here for more info.


Post a Comment

Commenting has closed for this entry

Comments

There were no comments