{"id":499353,"date":"2026-10-17T15:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T15:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/499353\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T15:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T15:22:10","slug":"comedians-are-holding-secret-shows-in-world-war-ii-training-huts-and-other-random-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/499353\/","title":{"rendered":"Comedians are holding secret shows in World War II training huts and other random places"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post<\/a> appeared first on LA Local<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Go past the dog walkers and strollers up the hilly street with the massive refinery. You\u2019ll see an aerospace company\u2019s moon buggy mural. Head toward a classic dingbat apartment and you\u2019ll find a surfer-themed bar in a WWII-style Quonset hut.<\/a><\/p>\n

Shh. There\u2019s a secret comedy show happening in there where a comic is revealing secret techniques to make babies fart.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Tell Comedy shows like this one at Boardroom Brewery in El Segundo last month are happening all around Los Angeles County. They are stand-up shows where the crowd is only given venue clues ahead of time and only told where to be just hours before. The sites vary from parking lots, furniture stores, wine shops and other unconventional settings for stand-up comedy.<\/p>\n

How to find a secret comedy showThe first step is fairly simple. Visit the Don\u2019t Tell Comedy website<\/a> and look for a show in a city you don\u2019t mind driving to.You\u2019re going to have to buy tickets without knowing anything about the show. That means you won\u2019t know who is performing or where the show is being held.The morning of the event, you will receive a text message or email with the address to the secret location.<\/p>\n

What a typical show looks like<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Go past the dog walkers and strollers up the hilly street with the massive refinery. You\u2019ll see an aerospace company\u2019s moon buggy mural. Head toward a classic dingbat apartment and you\u2019ll find a surfer-themed bar in a WWII-style Quonset hut.<\/p>\n

Boardroom Brewery bartender Rick Mathiesen told The LA Local that the night started with folks \u201cgetting out of their Ubers with confused looks on their faces.\u201d They were trying to figure out if they got the right place, especially when the beach town bar rolled down its see-through hangar door.<\/p>\n

The secret comedy show organization started in 2017 with backyard and living room pop-up shows. It has expanded its clandestine comedy format to more than 200 cities, including areas across LA such as downtown, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Pasadena.<\/p>\n

Griffin James, the emcee of the night and a local producer for Don\u2019t Tell Comedy, was seen putting 80 chairs away by himself \u2014 hey, legendary comic Sam Kinison got his start as The Comedy Store\u2019s doorman.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old Griffin said the gigs are still as competitive as landing a stage at The Laugh Factory, where he\u2019s performed. There\u2019s an added benefit for the audience: There is no mandatory two-drink minimum, which makes it more affordable than a night at a traditional comedy club.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Go past the dog walkers and strollers up the hilly street with the massive refinery. You\u2019ll see an aerospace company\u2019s moon buggy mural. Head toward a classic dingbat apartment and you\u2019ll find a surfer-themed bar in a WWII-style Quonset hut.<\/p>\n

Most comics at Don\u2019t Tell Comedy shows are up-and-coming locals, but a few big names like Ali Wong, Nikki Glaser and Michael Che have appeared.<\/p>\n

Jenna Lewanda told The LA Local that she and her boyfriend, Manny Aguilar, decided to take a trip from their West Hollywood home to the mystery spot in El Segundo. Their usual haunts for live comedy are the Hollywood Improv and a friend\u2019s show, Hambone Comedy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lewanda received a message at 9 a.m. that Saturday with the location details. She looked it up and committed the odd curved building to memory. She was happy that night\u2019s headliner was a famous stand-up: Brad Williams<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams \u2014 a comedian with dwarfism who has two Showtime specials and a Netflix stand-up episode under his belt \u2014\u00a0closed out the seven-comic show that night.<\/p>\n

He got a lot of laughs recalling a camping incident where a park ranger told him to \u201cget big\u201d when confronted by a bear. The 4-foot-4-inch Williams\u2019 response: \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n