One year ago, Gigantic Brewing partnered with local comedian Seth Allen on a new monthly comedy series held at the brewery in its spacious Barrel Room. Thursday, April 6 will mark the One Year Anniversary of Seth Allen’s Comedy Extravaganza.
We first met Allen years back when his alias, Seth Johnston, hosted Over It, the weekly comedy shows at The Upper Lip that was located above the defunct Bailey’s Taproom. He did a phenomenal job at securing some talented comedians to perform standup in the quaint beer bar.
Now a few years later he teamed up with Gigantic Brewing to start a new monthly comedy series featuring both local and national comedians. With twelve shows now under his belt, that past year of Live Comedy Extravaganza has been bringing in near capacity crowds each first Thursday. There have been tweaks each month and now there’s dimmed lightening that allows for a full-on comedy experience.
Not only have these shows been important to Gigantic, but other breweries have also teamed up with local comedians to launch monthly shows, building a tight knit community of Portland beer and comedy lovers. We feel fortunate to be a part of this growing coterie and hope you will join us as it keeps getting better and better. – Gigantic Brewing
“The Comedy Extravaganza grew up so much in its first year because everyone at Gigantic Brewing is a part of the show, and everyone who comes to the show is a part of the show, and the comedians are a part of the show, and together we learned the only thing that can divide us are opinions on The Rainstorm,” said Allen, when reflecting on the past year. “That’s a running joke you would get if you came to the Comedy Extravaganza. We’ve become the hottest (and wettest) show in town, and we’re just getting started!
For the one-year anniversary of Live Comedy Extravaganza, Allen has secured a great lineup of comedians, including Andrew Sleighter, Shain Brendan, Tory Ward, and Kyle Adams.
Headlining the anniversary party will see the return of Portland favorite Andrew Sleighter! Andrew has performed on Last Comic Standing, recorded a comedy special for Dry Bar and made his late-night stand-up debut on Conan. He’s also written and performed sketch comedy for Comedy Central and wrote and blogged for the Sports Show with Norm Macdonald on Comedy Central. Most recently Andrew appeared on the Late Late Show with James Corden.
The other three comedians are also quite funny and entertaining. Shain Brenden has been a Portland’s Funniest Person winner and also co-hosts Assville, a podcast with Seth Allen. Tory Ward is a Helium Comedy Club regular and has appeared at SF Sketchfest and Limestome Comedy Festival). And rounding out the list of comedians is touring comic Kyle Adams that’s making his Extravaganza debut!
Seth Allen’s Live Comedy Extravaganza One Year Anniversary is scheduled to begin 30 minutes earlier than normal and will run from 7:00-9:00pm on Thursday, April 6, 2023. As always, admission is free but it’s super cool to tip the comedians. Remember to arrive early to secure seats.
Gigantic Taproom & Brewery – Barrel Room
5224 SE 26th Ave
Portland, OR 97202
About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.
