Joshua Emerson says it can get lonely being one of the few Indigenous comics in Denver.
But he'll have some company next week at the three-day Colorado Native comedy showcase taking place across three Front Range cities from Aug. 23-25.
The showcase will kick off in Fort Collins at The Comedy Fort on Aug. 23 (doors at 7 p.m.). Then it'll stop by the MCA Denver Holiday Theater on Aug. 24 for a 7 p.m. show. The final leg will be a double header show ( 7 and 9 p.m.) at Boulder's Dairy Arts Center on Aug. 25.
Tickets to the MCA Denver show are $20; student admission is $5.
The show will feature two local Indigenous comics, one national headliner and a "token white" comic, as Emerson puts it.
Los Angeles-based comedian and TV writer Siena East (Choctaw) will headline the showcase. East has written on the reboot of "Clone High" and she's an actor on HBO Max's "The Sex Lives of College Girls."
Emerson (Navajo) and two other local Denver comics, Evan Johnson (Comanche) and Elliot Weber, will also perform.
"Denver has always had a tumultuous relationship with the Native community," Emerson said. "We have an opportunity to make this a destination for Indigenous comedy. That's a good thing. That's something we should be proud of."
The showcase, Emerson said, was organized to make one important point: Natives are funny, too.
"Oftentimes when people are exposed to Natives, it's often something sad," said Emerson, the showcase's founder. "We are more complex than that. We do laugh a lot."
When Emerson is not on a comedy stage, he's the jumbotron host for the professional lacrosse team Colorado Mammoth, a founding member of the award-winning comedy troupe and production company DeadRoom Comedy and he is Co-Chair of the Denver American Indian Commission.
All the while, Emerson is trying to do his part to inspire young Natives to go into comedy.
"I want young Native kids to know they can also have a career in comedy," Emerson said. "If you're funny and talented and have a good work ethic, you can do this."
The first Colorado Native showcase was in 2021 and Emerson says it's his way of bringing Native comics to urban settings, creating space to develop quality talent and letting the city know that Natives still exist.
"There's something about laughter that brings community together," Emerson said. "It's bigger than me. This isn't just about developing me as a comedian, it's about how we can create more Native comedians."
