Established comedy venue DC Improv will host “Been Funny,” a night of stand-up comedy exclusively for American University students, on Monday, March 18. The show was originally meant to be part of Founders Week, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather.
Admission is free for AU students and students may bring one outside guest. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The event will be the first exclusive event for AU students by DC Improv, although The District's Funniest College Competition, a local comedy competition at the venue, has featured students in past years.
Eight comedians will perform at the event. Even though they're up-and-coming entertainers, most are well-known in the D.C. comedy scene, said Allyson Jaffe, head of DC Improv.
Performers include Jason Weems, a former finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and Martin Amini, who was featured on truTV’s comedy series, Laugh Tracks.
“Comedy is subjective, so we put together a lineup to ensure we had something to offer everyone,” Jaffe said.
Jaffe is an AU alumna who first worked at DC Improv as a waitress in 1998 while she was a sophomore in college. As a senior, she interned the Improv and continued to work as a waitress and helped with marketing and promotions, eventually becoming the owner and principal of DC Improv’s comedy school and co-owner of the venue as a whole.
Jaffe said she believes the DC Improv experience is unique and that AU students should embrace the local comedy scene.
“We are an old-school comedy venue with close seating and low ceilings. That's the way comedy is supposed to be to be seen,” Jaffe said. “Laughter is contagious, and a venue like ours helps it spread. There is an energy and vibe in our space that performers and audiences love.”
All of the acts scheduled to perform are young, local comedians who “have their own unique style,” Jaffe said.
Established in 1992, DC Improv has hosted renowned comedians such as Dave Chappelle, Ellen DeGeneres, John Mulaney, Nick Kroll and Jim Gaffigan.
Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect that the show begins at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
