Summary Of Community Observation

Over the course of the past few months, I have visited a “dive bar” in a strip mall residing in Santa Clara. On Mondays, from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, I visited Woodham’s Sports Lounge (referred to by the patrons as Woodham’s) on their Open Mic night. During these observations, I specifically noted the behavior of those who reside in the bar. In my performance, I will be focusing on the comedians/patrons who repeatedly would take the stage every week.
There are three compelling cultural practices that I want to convey through about this community. The first is the insecurities, prejudices, and values that comedians feel comfortable talking about in their comedy sets. I’ve recorded plenty of direct quotes from the comedians that show a vulnerability, that many people aren’t exposed to while interacting with a person. One comedian who was Hispanic and/or Latino and in his fifties. This comedian discussed when he turned eighteen, his father gave him the keys to a truck and two hundred dollars to get a prostitute to “become a man”. This comedian focused on it jokingly, however, there was an underlying feeling of it being uneasy. Another comedian, a woman …show more content…
The regulars, those who perform on a weekly basis, have a family-like connection with one another. They will often reference one another in their sets. They will make inside jokes that only the other person will get. There were multiple instances where one Latino/Hispanic man in his late fifties, Birdman, would bring food to help raise money for a friend in need. Other comedians would joke about how they had suffered adverse effects from Birdman’s cooking, however, they would encourage everyone to spend the money and buy a plate of the food. In other instances, they would imitate each other and talk about their bad jokes, but it would be received more as a roast, rather than assuming it’s mean