"I don't know if it's that there were more comedies being made or people have started to realize that SXSW is a festival that really celebrates and can launch comedies. So, we really sparked a lot of them this year. They have a lot of dark sense of humor, a lot of ways to accept the sort of harsh world around us and still find light in it. I think that's in a lot of the films that we're playing."
(For many Americans, it's also Presidents Day Weekend, a federal holiday on Monday, plural to honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In Florida, the governor in January sidelined Lincoln and officially declared it Washington's Birthday Weekend, part of what Secretary of State Cord Byrd called a movement "to teach the next generation about the principles our Founding Fathers enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution." To quote the great Teddy Riley: "No diggity.")
I was a smiley, happy child. I've had cerebral palsy since birth, so I've never known any other reality. At three years old I went to a disabled nursery connected to a disabled school, and I remember thinking, Why am I here? At the end of the day, the teacher brought my parents in and said, Rosie should be in a mainstream school.
Blue Oak Brewing Co has become a staple of the Bay Area. Blue Oak is notorious for their award winning beer, but did you know that Blue Oak also hosts an Incredible Stand-Up Comedy Show!? Once a month, in their event space The "Ales & Tales" Comedy Show takes place. This show consistently draws a good audience and has an underground following.
Happy snow day, DC! Have a snowball fight, indulge in frosty food deals, and then venture out to the theater. There are several new performances opening this week, such as Chez Joey and world premieres from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Plus, Ramy Youssef arrives at Warner Theatre to tell his hilarious clean jokes. Best Things to Do This Week and Weekend January 26-February 1
When it comes to building athletic strength and resilience, a well-known phrase captures the process: "no pain, no gain." That rhyming philosophy may apply to mental growth as much as muscle growth, according to research involving one of the world's most famous comedy clubs, Second City in Chicago. Yes, that Second City. In this case, researchers conducted a study with cooperation from Second City improv instructors, who ran classes by giving one of two possible sets of instructions to students.
Mesa Maguey, a contemporary agave bar and Oaxacan kitchen, has recently taken over the former Copper Spoon space in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood. Known for its mezcal cocktails and happy hour specials, the restaurant offers a menu featuring dishes like mole, tacos, enchiladas, soups, and ceviche. With a welcoming dining room and bar, Mesa Maguey has quickly gained attention for its flavorful, thoughtfully prepared plates. Mesa Maguey, 4031 Broadway (between 40th and 41st), Oakland.
Get ready for the return of MLK Day 2026 HellaFunny comedy night to Temescal with a series of pop-up live comedy shows at unique spots all across the bay. This HellaFunny comedy show takes place at Mesa Maguey, an upscale agave bar and Oaxacan restaurant that's a perfect date-night spot with lots of delicious plates around $20 and under. It's a 70+ minute show with 4-5 comics on the bill with credits like Cobbs, Punchline, SF Sketchfest, ABC and NBC.
See the show the SF Chronicle calls one of 22 San Francisco things everyone must do! 50 weekends a year, the critically-acclaimed San Francisco Neo-Futurists present The Infinite Wrench, an attempt to perform 30 bite-sized plays in a frantic race against the clock, in an order determined by you, the audience. Each week, the ensemble offers up new plays ranging from the personal, to the political, to the profoundly WTF, all truthful and inspired by the lived experiences of the performers.