EMMAUS, Pa. — Who is the Lehigh Valley's No. 1 comic?
The Emmaus Theatre is on a quest to find that out.
The first of the new "Lehigh Valley Funniest" competition — which the theater said will be annual — is in the midst of its first round.
It will be working its way through more than 80 standup entrants hoping to win a title, and a spot on a national tour.
Two more bouts of the first round remain, starting at 7:30 p.m. today, July 18, and Thursday, July 25.
"Over the past couple years, we've really been diving in heavy with the comedy, and I've noticed — I don't know if it's partly because of us — but the comedy scene in Lehigh Valley has tripled."Emmaus Theatre owner Robert Audibert
"Over the past couple years, we've really been diving in heavy with the comedy, and I've noticed — I don't know if it's partly because of us — but the comedy scene in Lehigh Valley has tripled," theatre owner Robert Audibert said.
He said it was amazing to see local talent pop up in the region, thanks to greater exposure and growing popularity from comedy podcasts, and he wanted to take advantage of the typical summer downtime for live comedy and instead make something special.
"I get a lot of emails from comics I've never seen before that want to get on shows," Audibert said.
"So it's really hard to see the talent level. That's kind of where the idea came from. We were like, 'Let's start a summer-long competition so we can see really, who's out there.'"
'More of our own stuff'
Audibert said the plan is for whoever gets first place to get a spot as an opener for a to-be-determined national touring act.
The top three finishers also will get cash prizes and be prioritized for future shows.
"There was always a general vibe of if you were a Lehigh Valley comic, a lot of the stuff you're gonna do is you practice here, you go to open mics. But your real career, your real shows and all that, are going to be in Philly or New York."Comedian Brendan Smith
Comedian Brendan Smith, who made it to round two of the competition, said he's also noticed a big growth in the community and opportunities here, and is excited to see the rest of the competition play out.
"There was always a general vibe of if you were a Lehigh Valley comic, a lot of the stuff you're gonna do is you practice here, you go to open mics," Smith said.
"But your real career, your real shows and all that, are going to be in Philly or New York."
"I've noticed, as comedy has bounced back from COVID and gotten really strong with a lot of great comics in the area, that we're getting more of our own stuff.
"We're getting more of our own competitions, our own venues, in Emmaus Theatre, SteelStacks and other places where great comics can really do stuff in the Lehigh Valley."
Dozens participating
More than 80 comedians are entered, with the majority being locally based, with some from Philadelphia and New Jersey.
About 15 comedians are participating each night in round one.
Following a two-week break because of Musikfest, the competition will return Aug. 15 for round two, where another round of judging will take place for longer, eight-minute sets.
The competition started in June and is planned to go until a finale in fall.
Comedians are judged by audience members who are given QR codes, and judges Audibert, Nick Bruce from Wisecrackers Comedy Club and Paul Krempasky from Muhlenberg College radio station WMUH-FM.
The top five from each round move on to round two.
Other comedy events coming up
Other comedy events coming up at the Emmaus Theatre include:
- "Roasted": A Comedy Roast Battle Competition at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 20.
- Latin Comedy Night: PINA COCO CHERRY at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, July 20.
- Raymond the Amish Comic at 8 p.m. Friday, July 26.
- Comedy Summer Jam: A Night of Surprise Comedians, at 8 p.m. July 27.
More information and tickets can be found on the Emmaus Theatre website.
