Live comedy in San Jose has returned after 21 months of remote shows and outdoor sets, giving audiences a chance to laugh from behind masks.

The San Jose Improv located at 62 S. 2nd Street was one of the first comedy clubs in the country to close during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. General manager David Williams said that the club management wasn’t interested in hosting remote shows.

“While I respect the people that did [host remote shows], it’s just not our brand. We didn’t go near that,” Williams said in a phone interview. “Ask any comedian, they’ll say it’s just not the same. It’s like swimming with seven wetsuits on.”

As the number of COVID-19 cases increased, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order on March 19, 2020 shuttering all non-essential businesses in California, including comedy clubs, according to a March 19, 2021 ABC10 News article.

Williams said although hourly staff was furloughed, the Improv’s rent and manager’s wages were subsidized during the club’s closure by parent company Levity Live, an entertainment production company based in Los Angeles.

Levity Live produces other entertainment including scripted and unscripted television shows, documentary series and multi-camera live events, according to its website.

Several comedy club managers and performers said they had to reimagine their shows’ productions because of the pandemic. 

Improviser Robert Cochrane said he had to find ways to continue his comedy career online.

Cochrane, Ph.D. student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, teaches applied improvisation to private groups and companies including Google.

Applied improvisation takes concepts and techniques of improvisation and connects  them to business, relationships and life, according to the Applied Improvisation Network website.

Cochrane said conducting remote shows was challenging when many in-person events were halted.

“For the online shows, there was a lot of resistance at first, both from a number of players and some audience members,” Cochrane said in a phone interview. “You’re so used to picking up on every cue in a live setting, and now we’re trying to do this over a flat medium like Zoom with multiple windows and technical problems.”

Cochrane said while Zoom issues often lend themselves to comedy, live shows are still preferred.

“It’s never reached the same fever pitch of going to a live show,” he said. “There’s nothing like being in the room for live improv, it’s electric.”

Jeff Kramer, San Jose improviser and Chief Entertainment Officer of San Jose ComedySportz at 288 S. Second Street, said performers quickly adjusted to the evolving platforms for comedy shows.

“We had to completely rediscover how we could do improv on Zoom. But we figured out a way to do it, and that’s just due to the skill of the players,” Kramer said. “Even our fans we’ve had for 25 years thought it was an interesting format.”

Kramer said while adapting to remote work, performers experienced “Zoom burnout.” 

Kramer aims to reopen San Jose ComedySportz for live audiences in January 2022, but will broadcast shows simultaneously for audiences who don’t feel comfortable in-person, he said.

The reopening date is subject to change as the comedy club team monitors the number of COVID-19 cases, Kramer said.

“We’re just waiting. We definitely don’t want to put our audience in danger, or our performers,” he said. “When we open we’re going to make sure everyone is masked and vaccinated before they can come to the show.”

While a traditional indoor comedy club may be ideal for most comedians, Bay Area stand-ups BMo, who requested to be referred to by his stage name, and Ruben Escobedo III took their comedy outdoors in September 2020, hosting a series of comedy events at Excite Ballpark, home of the San Jose Giants.

As audiences watched from their parked cars on the field, comedians performed on home plate with help from the stadium sound system and a high definition video board, BMo said in a phone call.

“You’re used to talking to somebody straight to their face, now you’re talking to a windshield,” BMo said. “Instead of claps, you’d ask for honks.”

The comedians also explored performing over Zoom, he said, using any method that would still allow them to produce a show.

“We all made more money than we did doing regular shows,” BMo said. “A lot of people weren’t affected financially because they kept their jobs, they could work from home. [Audiences] were very generous in supporting the shows.”

Although remote shows were difficult at first, alternative platforms like Twitch will remain a popular venue for comedy, BMo said.

Twitch ​​is an interactive livestreaming service with content including gaming, entertainment, sports and music, according to its website.

“A lot more comics got YouTube and Twitch channels because you had to put out content to some degree,” BMo said. “I never would’ve had a Twitch, I probably would not have known Twitch existed if it weren’t for the pandemic.”

BMo and Escobedo returned to hosting their monthly live comedy competition show “Pick Your Poison” indoors in June 2020 at Clandestine Brewing in San Jose, BMo said.

The San Jose Improv club also reopened on June 25, 2021, with a sold out show headlined by comedian and actor D.L. Hughley, David Williams said.
He said he’s noticed new audience members attending shows since the club reopened.

“We have a lot of new faces. Maybe they got into Zoom comedy during the pandemic,” Williams said. “We’re getting a new audience that even before the pandemic hasn’t been to a comedy show.”

For Williams, he said being back in the club reintroduces live comedy into people’s lives, but also allows him to return to the joys of his own life.

“I missed the daily comradery and seeing people socializing,” he said. “I’m so glad to be around not just the comics, not just the guests, but my staff. They’re my pseudo-family, I’ve really missed my staff and my team.”