Chicks and Giggles Every Tuesday At Mo Pitkins
In the spring of 2004, I had a idea. I wanted to create an all-girl stand-up comedy show. I am not a comedian; I am an accountant. I had never produced a comedy show, but I knew how to throw a fun party! Armed with an idea and a love of comedy, I took steps to create my show.
To find comedians, I took a unconventional approach–I placed an ad on Craigslist. Within a few hours of posting my ad, I received about four email from female comedians eager to do my show. At that time, I didn’t even have a name for the show or a venue. One of my friends told me about a new comedy club downtown called the Laugh Lounge. I met with the manager, and they agreed to let me do my show here. I remember thinking that I had to “fake until I make it”. I appeared to be really professional and savvy about the comedy world even though up until then I was mostly an audience member.
Once I had the venue, the comedians, and the support of friends; there was only one thing missing–a name for the show. I asked an ex-boyfriend for suggestions, but all of them were awful. I was starting to worry because I knew how important a good name is. The desire to go ahead was more than any fear of failure. I had to plow though. Fortunately, one night while I was out at a happy hour, I was talking to a perfect stranger about my show and through that conversation, I came up with the name “Chicks and Giggles“. The first Chicks and Giggles show was May 11, 2004 and since then it has gone from a monthly show to a weekly show at Mo Pitkins. In the process, I have a wonderful co-producer and host Carolyn Castiglia, and in two years the show has featured a talented community of over 80 performers including female comedians, musicians, humor essayists and a ventriloquist. Next year, we plan to book Chicks and Giggles for more college shows.
Chicks and Giggles is every Tuesday at 8PM at Mo Pitkins (34 Avenue A) in New York, NY. It’s Free!
Submitted by Nichelle Stephens
