Nobody will ever refer to Bethesda as the place to go for comedy, but a local group has seen some measured success with a monthly comedy show that picks up again tonight, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Barking Dog (4723 Elm St.)
Brad Ryan, co-founder of District Comedy and Bethesda resident, reached out to a bunch of Bethesda venues before The Barking Dog stepped up. In three previous shows, Ryan’s had more than 100 people attend.
The group began with Ryan and partner Ralph Cooper doing open mic shows together before starting their own series of open mics for local aspiring comics. They have a weekly Monday night show in Silver Spring, a Tuesday show in Petworth and a Thursday night show in Chinatown.
“Bethesda was a lot more kind of laying the groundwork in terms of the promotion of it,” Ryan said. “It’s tougher, but it’s a combination of getting some talent there and finding people with local ties.”
Tonight’s show features headliner Mike Finazzo, Ryan and a few others who’ll perform upstairs at the bar.
For more info, visit District Comedy’s website. For tickets ($5 per person) visit the show’s ticket website.
Photo via District Comedy
