San Francisco Comedy Blog

By Drew Harmon

After two months of competition and a field that began with 36 performers vying for the title, on Wednesday night the 2009 San Francisco Women’s Comedy Competition came to a conclusion and named Janine Brito the winner.

The competition began with preliminary rounds at The Brainwash, the popular café/Laundromat/performance space located on Folsom near 7th in San Francisco, where it could be argued every Bay Area comedian must do standup at to be considered part of the club. After multiple rounds the shows moved to Club Deluxe during the popular Monday night comedy shows near the historic Haight/Ashbury intersection.

Co-producer Caitlin Gill hosted the shows throughout the competition, with fellow producer Al Gonzales never far away, aiding with promotion and organization of the contest. And for the big finale the competition took place at the beautiful Improv in San Jose. The six competing for the title were Janine Brito, Emily Heller, Liz Grant, Yayne Abeba, Sheila Bryson, and Chris Burns.

Backstage beforehand, some performers were nervous and jittery, while others walked the hallways confident and calm. Competitor and competition veteran Yayne Abeba took it all in stride as she prepared to take on not only her fellow comics, but the number one performance spot for the night.

Eventual winner Janine Brito greeted a few friends in the lobby about 15 minutes before the show started, then said out loud to nobody in particular, “I’m going to go back upstairs (to the green room) and freak out some more.”

The competition highlighted not only the six female performers, but the great quality of Bay Area comedy in general. As the competition moved on it became harder and harder for audiences and judges to choose their favorites. At the Improv on Wednesday night, comedian Kris Tinkle – who just released his first album, “Almost Awesome,” available on iTunes – found a spot in the balcony to watch the show.

“I don’t have any favorites,” Tinkle said. “When I got the ballot thing, I was like, ‘I can’t vote for anybody; I’m friends with all these people!’ I just want everybody to do well.”

Host Caitlin Gill gave the crowd a quick explanation of the rules and how they could affect the outcome. Each audience member could text in their votes and the judges would be considering the top vote-getters in the final decision, in a nearly instant tally courtesy of sponsor Rogue Communique.

Each of the competitors put forth strong performances during the show. Abeba started the show with a low-key and confident style that has helped make her a favorite up-and-coming comic around the country. Brito took the stage second, showing a few noticeable jitters until the audience greeted her first big punchline with a big laugh and from there she was on a roll.

Emily Heller was strong out of the gate and got big reactions with her material. Liz Grant, a former massage therapist, got the crowd on her side immediately as she discussed her previous marriages and trouble dating. Chris Burns had a steady momentum from the beginning, starting more casual and building to her last joke which had half the crowd emitting shocked “ooh’s.” And Sheila Bryson took the number six performance slot, introducing herself to the crowd by admitting that she’d broken an undergarment backstage just moments before and utilizing the casual, conversational style that helped make her the winner of the Wild Card online spot, in which internet voters chose the woman to take the final slot in the finale of the competition.

After the six competitors did their thing, Jackie Kashian took to the stage. Kashian is a 20-plus year veteran of standup comedy, with a Comedy Central special and a stint on “Last Comic Standing” under her belt. As Kashian kept the crowd going, the judges huddled over a computer backstage, watching the audience reaction roll in via text votes. After the numbers came in, the judges made their decision: Janine Brito had taken a strong lead in audience voting, and it was agreed she had won the grand prize.

Emily Heller took the Runner Up spot, with Yayne Abeba rounding out the top three. After the announcement was made, all six gathered for a moment in the backstage area and signed a copy of the Metro weekly that featured a cover story (by upcoming comic Colleen Watson) about the competition and congratulated the winners.

As part of the grand prize, Brito will receive a new, professionally-designed website, new headshots and makeup and a visit with an image consultant. Janine noted that it really was a great night of comedy, regardless of the competition, and that all the women performing that night had been fantastic and made it clear that the Bay Area was home to some of the funniest up-and-coming comics in the country.

Leave a Reply | Trackback