I just did 6 shows in 6 days!

The Best Week of My Life

Just did 6 shows in 6 days!

And I booked 66 performers too!

And I performed at 4 amazing LA Theaters: The Lyric Hyperion, The Glendale Room, UCB, and The Pack Theater!

I did 3 improv shows, 1 bit show, 1 game show, and 1 sketch show!

This was probably the biggest week I’ve ever had as a performer.

Of all the hats I wear, that’s the one I wear the easiest.

The shows were good – I mean like they were fire good!!! – but hanging out with so many of my amazing peers from across different LA communities was probably the thing I’ll remember the most.

Plus, I got to hangout with Kristen Gull all week, which was a gift.

My life has been filled with extreme highs and lows as of late, but it felt good to have an amazing week like this past one, s week that was unlike anything I’ve ever done. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

#improv #duoitagain
#theduplex #menudo #bithole #cuñadoscuñadasycarnales
#moonshotcomedy #lyrichyperion #theglendaleroom #ucb #packtheater

Shows 47-52

I Love The Deconstruction

Nuisance. From left to right: (Top Row) Me, Rena Hundert, Colin Longstaff, Jay Light, John Conroy, our coach; (Bottom Row) Liz Galalis, Kristen Gull, Lily Holleman

Good Times with Nuisance

Well Nuisance had another banger show on Sunday along with Mind Reader at the Pack Theater!

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a team that consistently practices the same form over and over, so I’ve forgotten how fun it is to have a form in your bones.

What I’m liking the most about the Deconstruction is that it inspires you to pull every premise possible from the opening scene.

Whether it’s interesting lines of dialogue, off hand cultural references, character traits and emotions, developing themes undergirding the 2-person dynamic– or just whatever spoke to you in that grounded scene – everything is ripe and valid to be brought back later on in the show.

If there was one form that would benefit comedy writers, I think it would be the Deconstruction. It truly shows you how to use the whole buffalo when done right. In fact, I don’t know when I’m going to do this, but I’m going to make a sketch show consisting of scenes developed in a Decon. (Not now, but I’m the future!)

I’m so happy that Nuisance stuck with the Decon because we are definitely reaping the artistic and creative rewards of all the hard work we’ve put in.

Next show is Sunday March 12 at 8pm at The Pack Theater – join us then.

#improv #nuisance #packtheater #deconstruction #writer #performer #premise

Show 22 of 2023

Moonshot Opening + Sketchy Comments = Crazy Feelings of Validation

Sketchy Comments + Moonshot: (From left to right) Dan Burt, Tess Menzies, Giuseppe Restrepo, Fernando A. Funes, Jonathan Farach. Not pictured, Mike Hughes.

Bonus Show Validation

Moonshot opened up for Sketchy Comments this past Friday night at The Pack Theater!

Sketchy Comments is a cool new sketch show inspired from people’s real internet comments!

It was a well executed premise pulled off by powerhouse writer-performers, Dan Burt and Tess Menzies. You don’t need a whole sketch team – these two are enough!

It was extra special for me as I used to see Dan destroy every Friday night years ago at Endgames Improv when I was an intern.

We had a great little mini Moonshot set! Our material played well!

It’s a special kind of validation when you test new material that gets a positive response, dust off an old classic to see if it still has its umph, and when you put something up that has played well with other audiences and continues to play well with new people seeing it for the first time.

As a house sketch team, we don’t get a lot of chances to test new material or revisit old classics. So this little bonus show ended up becoming an actual spiritual bonus because I felt amazing afterwards and validated as a sketch comedian.

Sketchy Comments was an amazing show! Stay Tuned for the next one!

#moonshotcomedy #sketchcomedy #sketchycomments #packtheater

Show 13 of 2023

My First Show of 2023!

Love these payasos. From left to right: Fernando A. Funes, Jared Lomeli, Elizabeth Covarrubias, Joe Salas, CJ Villagomez, Linzy Beltran.

Show No.1 of 2023 is in The Books!

First show of 2023 is in the books!
Thank you to these payasos chingones for playing on Cuñados, Cuñadas, y Carnales, the Latinx Quiz Show!

And it was awesome to play at the Pack’s new home at The Broadwater!

The Latinx Comedy Pachanga will be back on Friday, January 20th for a special variety show at The Ledge Theater! See you then!

#improv #sketch #standup #quizshow #packtheater #latinxcomedy #latinxcomedypachanga

Show 1 of 2023

Dream Warrior is Alive! I Finally Read My Pilot!

I Finally Read Dream Warrior!

I read my pilot “Dream Warrior” at Re/Arte Centro Literário with the Latinx Comedy Pachanga ensemble + friends!

Man, it was a powerful moment to finally share this very personal piece of writing with the world.

Basically, a cowardly and selfish community college English teacher has to become a superhero when he inherits the mantle of “Dream Warrior” (a shaman who fights people’s demons in their dreams).

Towards the end I wanted to start crying – hearing everyone read the script in the room together with the audience reconnected me with the work in a way I didn’t expect; it took me back to the moment I finished it and accepted that I had written something special.

It was the kinda moment that felt scripted, but that there was no way I could write – validation from the universe.

Big Thanks to My Cast:

Audrey Pinto
Gio Ornellas
Frankie Estrella
Oscar Ramirez
Victor Bryan Olivas
Jonathan Farach

Thanks to Rearte LA for hosting us (host your events here! Just hit them up on IG)

Thanks to my sis, Melissa Funes, for all the help with social media and producing.

Thankfully to Chris Trovador for the amazing artwork.

And a very special thanks to the Pack Theater’s Pilot Writing Class. Keisha Zollar and Andrew Kimler guided me from start to finish with this pilot, helping me grow this seed into a beautiful garden of a pilot. If you want to write your first pilot, I highly recommend you take their “Writing a Pilot” online class ASAP.

So now what? The ensemble gave me a bunch of great notes, so now it’s time to punch up! Stay tuned for the next chapter of “Dream Warrior!”

Write the thing because writing it will change you for the better.

#latinx #latinxcreatives #latinxcommunity #latinxcomedy #latinxcomedypachanga #writer #pilot #reartela #packtheater