Best Local Stand-Up Comics And Comedians In The Bay Area
Nato Green
www.natogreen.com
Native Nato Green is a local favorite, bringing his biting and hilarious commentary, often political, to San Francisco and the Bay Area every week. Natohas appeared with San Francisco's longest-running alternative comedy show, The Business at the Dark Room Theatre, and is often a featured comedian st SF Sketfest. Nato wrote for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on FX, with whom he co-founded the comedy group, Laughter Against the Machine, along with the charming Janine Brito. And Nato recently released his first comedy album, The Nato Green Party, through Rooftop Comedy. Nato is definitely going places, and you catch him while he's still based in the Bay.
BATS Improv
Bayfront Theater
8350 Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 474-6776
www.improv.org
Come out to Bayfront Theater on Friday and Saturday nights for great comedy. BATS Improv features a twisted regular cast and some show-stealing guests. The troupe performs at a small and intimate theater at Fort Mason in the marina and any performance makes for a great date night. Founder William Hall made one fair maiden when BATS performed "Improvised Shakespeare." Former Cirque du Soleil clown Ben Johnson, who appeared in "Improvised Hitchcock," can raise an eyebrow higher than anybody with a face as elastic as Jim Carrey and arguably better looking. Stanford grad Lisa Rowland won "Best Actor" 2012 Best of the Bay from SF Bay Guardian. Regina Saisi plays some bittersweet or twisted souls, you see sweet and nerdy characters from genius Diane Rachel or delightful composure from Rebecca Poretsky. See them all try to make sense of 90 minutes of mayhem by wrapping up a show with a moral or at least an ending. Shows change monthly and "Double Feature" plays in March.
Related: Best Comedy Clubs in San Francisco
Kurt Bodden
The Marsh San Francisco
1062 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-5750
www.themarsh.org
Kurt Bodden performed at BATS Improv and will play The Marsh solo with his joyful satire of the inspirational speaker market, playing inane self-help guru Steve Seabrook. Catch his act from February 22 through March 30, 2013. His character places the audience in his personal-growth workshop. The Marsh provides the perfect setting as it's small and intimate and the seats are up close and personal. Bodden actually used to teach at BATS Improv. He also trained in sketch comedy at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and has toured as a stand-up comedian.
Sandy Stec
http://sandystec.com
A regular at the Punchline and Cobbs Comedy Club, Sandy Stec is one funny broad. Sandy has entertained audiences with her sarcastic life-stories and dialect-driven characters from coast to coast.
Her stand-up has allowed her to work with greats like Dana Carvey, Jake Johannsen, Brett Butler, Chelsea Handler, Gilbert Gottfried, Greg Behrendt, David Alan Grier and many, many others. Sandy regularly performs throughout the Bay, so check her website for upcoming gigs.
Will Durst
www.willdurst.com
Will Durst is a 5 time Emmy nominee; has been fired by PBS three times; told jokes in 14 countries; racked up 7 nominations for Stand-Up of the Year; and his 800+ television appearances include Letterman, HBO, and Showtime. Referred to by the New York Times as "quite possibly the best political satirist in the country today", Will is a San Francisco local, performing regularly at clubs all over the Bay.
Cindy Warner is a freelance writer and a San Francisco Bay Area native. Cindy has covered SF theater and opera for Examiner.com via her bicycle since January 2009. Check out her work on Examiner.com.
