As El Paso’s comedy scene evolves and becomes more relevant, the comedic scene is also beginning to see new faces. The El Paso Comic Strip has national touring comedians every single week. Comedy club “Chucotown Comedy”, hosts open mics and “Battle Royale” style competitions where local comedians play until a winner is titled Comedian of the Month.
The Battle Royale hosted at Chucotown Comedy normally generates a great crowd, with nine comedians competing in games judges would select by spinning a numbered wheel. Each number carries its own challenge in which the comedians have one minute to improvise and complete the challenge.
A few of the crowd favorites included comedians choosing a fellow comedian to make laugh through their own jokes and tactics. Another challenge was finishing the set-up to a punchline.
Sammy Mendizabal, a local comedian who has been performing stand-up for only two months explains his start as one of the competitors at the Comedian of the Month “Battle Royale”.
“I have this little joke where I saw a bunch of ads (on comedy) on my Instagram feed, and I saw a bunch of ads for therapy. And I decided to do this one (stand-up comedy) because it was the free one.” Mendizabal said.
When asked if the local comedy scene has seen any growth, Mendizabal says that there is even more room for growth.
“I think El Paso has a lot of potential. There are a lot of talented people here. Comedy and music wise. And I think both scenes here are getting bigger and bigger.” Mendizabal said.
Aaron Barbar is a judge on the Comedian of the Month “Battle Royale” who has done comedy all over the world, beginning his career in Malaysia. Barbar said he’s been doing comedy in El Paso for two years now. He says he loves the comedy scene in El Paso and points out how dramatically the comedy scene here has grown.
“There’s still new stuff happening, there’s new people getting involved. I think that’s a really great thing to see post-COVID because everyone went on pause and so you didn’t see as many people enter the scene afterwards,” Barbar said. “Then all sudden you started seeing new people at the mics, signing up, giving it a try. Watching those guys progress over a six-week to six-month period, getting on shows and hosting, and things like that. It’s really a phenomenal progression to see.”
As audiences get bigger, Barbar hopes to see more El Pasoans recognize the comedy scene in El Paso.
“Audiences are getting bigger and better all the time,” Barbar said. “We want more women in comedy. I want more people outside of El Paso to recognize what is going on here.”
The future of comedy seems to be on the rise as more people are showing up for shows and more comedians try for the open mic. Many of the comedians here encourage others to attend and participate in open mics. There are more comedy spots now to choose from, including the El Paso Comic Strip open weekend nights. Chucotown’s next Battle Royale will be held in May 2024; date and location are expected to be announced by next month.
Chucotown Comedy will be hosting their first annual comedy festival in El Paso. The comedy club plans to host the event in September of this year.
Esteban Corona is a staff reporter and can be reached at [email protected].
