Comedy Open Mic, we hardly knew ye

It's a sad but true fact: the First Thursday comedy open mic at PACE is done.

Basically what happened is that it wasn't making PACE (a nonprofit theater) enough money. They wanted me to do more to try to make the show money. I cannot afford to do anything more without getting paid. So we had a parting of the ways.

I did that show for seven years, first at Fire & Water and then at PACE, and I never made a single cent at it. I missed only two first Thursdays in that entire time. Once I had Boney fill in for me and the other time I had Ann. Twice in seven years!

I've really loved doing the open mic, particularly giving feedback to the new comics. Sometimes if a comic was new-new, I wouldn't lay into them from the stage preferring to give them a little space to figure things out themselves first. Regularly they would come up to me after the show to ask me why I didn't critique them. I loved writing new punchlines for other comics. Oh, I'd be so gratified to see them actually try the new lines at other shows. Oh!

I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I'm not sure if I should start it up someplace else or just let it be over for now. I really worked hard to create a place that was supportive of new comics and was a place where people could feel free to try new stuff or improve old stuff or whatever.

What do you think I should do? Do you have ideas for where I should start over? Tell me what you think, please.