We are filled with hope every time UnCabaret convenes. We are curious about each other’s stories, and our own. What do they mean? How are we changing? What’s funny about that? We rejoice in the right to assemble, to meet friends of friends and the person at the next table reading that book you love.
We commit to the courage of making the uncomfortable funny. We love our adventurous audience. We intend to uplift. We work to be a safe space for women and the LGBTQA community without excluding CIS men. We look for people who make the most beautiful mistakes, original thinkers and open hearted lovers. Those who are self knowing without being self-obsessed. And of course who love to laugh.
We enter into partnerships and community. We seek to be a full chakra experience. We have an attention span. We understand silence. We try to respect our own history while staying in the now. We have a sense of urgency. We have never written an artist’s statement before but are always up for the new. Thank you for being here tonight. Thank you for being part of UnCabaret.
UNCABARET
IS THE ORIGINAL ALT COMEDY SHOW
UnCabaret is a legendary venue for wildly fun, idiosyncratic, intimate, conversational comedy. Arguably the original 'alt comedy ' show, now in our 27th year. Currently both live-streaming and live in person. This is your engraved invitation to join us! Tickets here.
"Best live streaming comedy shows!... UnCabaret passed its quarter-century mark last year as a time-honored vanguard of the alternative-comedy scene in Los Angeles. In its tenure, it has maintained its magical life-giving mystique of mixing beautiful, hilarious storytelling with new material from seasoned comedians and truly special musical guests. Host Beth Lapides has somehow captured that very same energy that has made one of the more name-checked comedy shows in L.A. comedy history in the Zoom editions of UnCabaret."
Vulture
We're a place for comedy luminaries to tell stories ripped from the headlines of their lives. Always focused on the now. Whatever, and everything, that means.
"A COMEDY BE IN."
ROLLING STONE
“A PROGRESSIVE COMEDY INSTITUTION!”
VARIETY
UnCabaret's on...
Produced five critically acclaimed CD's on Spotify and Soundcloud
Why the Un? Unhomophobic, unxenophobic, unmysogynistic. Unhacky.
Here's our Mission Statement.
"Seminal!" The New York Times
On 11/18/18 we celebrated our 25th Anniversary with a sold out show featuring Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, Julia Sweeney, Maria Bamford, Sandra Bernhard, Alex Edelman and more at CAP/UCLA at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on 11/18/18. Here's Variety's story about it. And check out Beth's LA Weekly cover story about how we got there.
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"LIBERATING!" ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"LEGENDARY! " LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE
"A TRIUMPH!" VARIETY
We've been featured in and on CNN, NY Times, PBS, LA Times, The LA Weekly, melmagazine, Entertainment Weekly, NPR's 'This American Life' and 'All Things Considered', Vanity Fair, Variety, etc.
As well as in "We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy", CNN’s 'History of Comedy', PBS’s 'Women in Comedy', and in Kathy Griffin’s memoir.
"NOTHING'S COOLER!"
VANITY FAIR
Among our performers: Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, Sandra Bernhard, Kathy Griffin, Maria Bamford, Julia Sweeney, Tig Notaro, Julia Sweeney, Isaac Mizrahi, Jud Gold, Judd Apatow, Baron Vaughn, Greg Behrendt, Taylor Negron, Jeff Garlin, Rob Delaney, Scott Thompson, Byron Bowers, Andy Dick, Laura Kightlinger, Baron Vaughn, Jennifer Coolidge, Merrill Markoe, Alex Edelman, Roseanne Barr, Greg Proops, David Cross, Rick Overton, Eddie Pepitone, Rory Scovel, Jen Kirkman, Moshe Kasher, Taylor Negron, Casey Wilson, Michael Patrick King, Jen Kirkman, Sarah Silverman, Karen Kilgariff, Kira Soltanovich, Byron Bowers, Natasha Legerro, Rebecca Corry, Moon Zappa, Cheri Oteri, Tim Bagley, Jordan Black, Julie Goldman, John Riggi, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Randy and Jason Sklar, Liz Feldman, Casey Wilson, Ali Wong, Kate Willett, Lauren Weedman, Carrie Fisher, Dave Holmes, Drew Droege, Ellen Cleghorn, Dave Holmes, Judy Toll, Erin Foley, Shane Torres, Jackie Kashian, Alec Mapa, Paul F Tompkins, Del Shores, Aparna Nanchurla, Miss Coco Peru and so many more!
"Hilarious!" All Things Considered, NPR
We're an incubator and many projects, including Julia Sweeney’s 'God Said, Ha!' have come out of our Sunday nights.
"THE MOTHER SHOW OF ALTERNATIVE COMEDY!"
THE LA WEEKLY
UnCab has had extended residencies at LunaPark, HBO Workspace, Skirball Cultural Center, The Knitting Factory, First & Hope/AuLac.
We've toured and done events at The Getty, Joe's Pub, The Friar's Club, The Player's Club in collaboration with The Moth, The Los Angeles Public Library Main Branch, Laugh Factory, The Great American Music Hall, Knitting Factory, CAP/UCLA at The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Ace Palm Springs, Earlham College, Washington University and more.
"Flat out hilarious, refreshingly positive!" Frontiers
Spin off shows have included...
The critically acclaimed “Other Network Festival of UnAired Pilots” featuring interviews and pilots from Conan O'Brien, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Gary Jenetti, John Riggi, Seth McFrarlain and more. It toured to independent theaters and the Montreal Comedy Festival.
“Say The Word” TV writers from top shows including 'The Simpsons', 'Will & Grace', 'Sex & The City', 'The Office', 'Roseanne', 'Freaks and Geeks', 'Late Night with David Letterman' reading stories from their own lives. Many of those are up on audible.
“A place where you were allowed — and expected — to dig deeper into some of the more emotional, real-life aspects of how you got to that joke.” Patton Oswalt in melmagazine
Beth Lapides is the creator, host, producer and muse of UnCab. Besides leading UnCab through it's many iterations she is known for her campaign to make First Lady and elected position, her appearance on Sex & The City her one person shows, including 100% Happy 88% of the Time, her workshops, and her writing.
Mitch Kaplan is our musical director and co-producer. Musical guests have included Phoebe Bridgers, Shelby Lynne, Sandra Bernhard, Jake Shears, Lisa Loeb, Dweezil Zappa, Sam Morrow, Terra Naomi, Judith Owen, Magnolia Memoir, Jill Sobule, Zach Sherwin, Syd Straw, Kevin Yee, Charlie Hickey, SpaceCream, Harrison Whitford, Logan Heftel, Ruby Friedman, Kelly Mantle, Allee Willis and Garfunkel and Oates.
"It ruined other comedy for me." Quentin Tarentino
Our .edu branch has helped writers and performers find their unique voices and figure out what to do with them for almost 16 years.
Classes have been presented by Second City Chicago, UCLA Extension, IOWest, The Skirball Cultural Center, mediabistro, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, LA Gay and Lesbian Center, PS 122, Actors Comedy Studio and are currently online .
Students have gone on to greater success as TV writers, stand-ups, authors, one person shows, directors, actors, producers, teachers, speakers, online content creators and more.
Beth's talks: You But Funnier and 8 Habits of Highly Creative People are both up on our YouTube Channel.
For more info on workshop schedule check this out.
