What do you get when Kickstand Comedy meets Laurelhurst Park? An uproarious good time

Published 12:15 am Monday, June 17, 2024

Of course Kickstand Comedy couldn’t hold standup shows at Laurelhurst Park all year — it’d be hard for people to find good humor sitting there in the cold and wet weather.

But, come spring and summer, and it’s a great time on Fridays at Laurelhurst, as Kickstand Comedy in the Park has been a hit for three years. The fourth year started June 7 and continues 6:30 p.m. June 21 and each Friday into September (except for July 21), and it culminates with the new Comedy in the Park Fest, 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7.

Sponsor Portland Mercury wrote that “it’s the summer event of the year, one of the most visibly successful arts endeavors in Portland.” Indeed, photo evidence shows that thousands of people show up for Comedy in the Park. Dylan Reiff, Kickstand artistic director, said the shows attract 3,500 to 4,000 people.

“It’s grown a ton,” Reiff said. Julia Corral and Rachelle Cochran host Comedy in the Park.

“It’s a lot of local comics, some national headliners, and special guest drop-ins doing shows in the Pacific Northwest,” Reiff added. “It’s such a unique show that (comic) people are stoked to jump on in front of thousands of people in a beautiful setting. Our quality of comedians is so high.”

Portland natives Matt Braunger and Ian Karmel have appeared at Comedy in the Park recently.

It’s a “barebones” setup with a stage at the concert pad and a series of speakers at Laurelhurst Park, Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Stark Street. For comics, it’s a different kind of venue, but the jokes still hit, Reiff said.

“It’s big, free and accessible,” he added. Donations are asked for, of course.

Meanwhile, Kickstand Comedy, a nearly 10-year-old company, continues to raise money to purchase its space at 1006 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. — a block away from Helium Comedy Club. Reiff said the location of the Kickstand club near Helium was ideal because the two venues complement each other, and it creates a “comedy corridor.”

Previously, Kickstand had an arrangement to take over the old Brody Theater space in downtown Portland on Northwest Broadway. Renovation started March 7, 2020, and the next week the world started shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We couldn’t afford to sit on an empty building,” Reiff said.

So, Kickstand hopes to eventually purchase its own space. Meanwhile, outdoor comedy reigns in Southeast Portland.

The Laurelhurst comedy series gets support from Portland Event and Film Office, Travel Portland, Regional Arts & Culture Council and Portland Parks & Recreation.

“I’ve seen a lot of comedy shows in a lot of places, and there’s nothing like Kickstand Comedy in the Park,” Reiff said.

More: kickstandcomedy.org/comedyinthepark.