Boogie down and laugh out loud at Saturday Night Laughs

Get ready to laugh – Boogie Down South Productions is bringing comedy to The PIT on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m..

Shari Diaz, the founder of Boogie Down South Productions, will be hosting Saturday Night Laughs.

Boogie Down South is an independent comedy production that gives up-and-coming and green comedians the opportunity to have more stage time and practice their craft. Diaz founded the group after realizing the difficulties of comedians getting enough time and practice in front of crowds.

“As a newer person (in comedy) I wasn’t getting enough stage time,” Diaz said. “The open mic wasn’t enough for me. The three or five minutes wasn’t enough — I wanted to do more. I was like, 'I’ll just create my own and put everyone else who is having the same hard time a chance at comedy.'”

For comedians, working on new material in front of crowds is crucial to the learning process.

“You can’t just write jokes and get up once every maybe couple of weeks and expect to get better,” comedian Tank Smith said. “Get up as much as possible and go in front of many different types of crowds. A joke can work with a certain crowd, and then you can go somewhere else and they will not relate to what you are saying.”

The crowd is a crucial part of any comedy show, and for the comedians performing on Saturday, The PIT is giving them an opportunity to showcase what they’ve been working on.

“I think it’ll be a good showcase to experience the kind of comedy happening at The PIT,” Smith said. “There’s a huge variety of different comedy you’re gonna see, as well as people at the show.”

Diaz is selective about the comedians she chooses to put in her show.

“It is the first installment for Saturday Night Laughs,” Diaz said. “I think the biggest highlight is showcasing new up-and-coming local comedians who have been doing it for a little over a year. It is giving The PIT another way to showcase stand-up for the community in Chapel Hill and an avenue for comedians.”

The comedians showcased feel strongly about the work that they do and giving audiences a good time.

“Make people laugh – that’s it,” comedian Freddy Valoy said. “Make people laugh, and if I can make myself laugh in some stupid way that would be good, too. People first and then me.”

Diaz said she hopes that Saturday Night Laughs will bring the community of Chapel Hill together and hopes people will continue to come out to the show every month.

“I just know that it will give the community something to look forward to every month," Diaz said. "I picked these comedians for a reason — they’re all very talented, very funny (and) they’re great writers. The PIT has been working really hard to establish a home for improvers and stand-up comics.”

Going out to Saturday Night Laughs and experiencing comedy in person is one way to support and appreciate local comedians while also taking a break from the real world for a while.

“Everybody needs a laugh,” Smith said. “Go out and do something in the community like local comedy and support these people who are trying to make it big one day. We need people's feedback to figure out if we should continue that dream or figure out if we should never do that every again, and your laughter is the only way whether we know.”

@beccafiely

arts@dailytarheel.com