A nationally touring comedian brought her humor and wit to downtown Phoenix’s ThirdSpace restaurant Thursday evening, with several other comedians entertaining the audience during the show, as well.
Jackie Kashian performed live at the local bar and restaurant, followed by several local comedians such as Jason Gonzalez, Erin Ontko, Steve Marek, and James Hoenscheidt. Kashian’s material consisted of witty jokes about previous life experiences.
Attendees enjoyed beverages and food while taking in the humor of the live performance.
“I have seen Jackie perform previously in Tempe a few years ago,” said audience member Brian O’Toole. “I love comedy and have seen Erin Ontko and Steve Marek as well.”
Kashian was on Conan O’Brien’s late-night comedy show in February and is also known for her work on the NPR show This American Life with Ira Glass.
Additionally, Kashian has her own half-hour segment on Comedy Central and her own weekly podcast called “The Dork Forest.” She was also a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing, an NBC reality television show where comedians compete for a contract with the network.
According to ThirdSpace’s manager, Richie Andrew, the bar and restaurant has comedy shows every Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Ontko, a comedian as well as Thursday’s show producer, creates the lineups for each week. Ontko has a network of local Phoenix comedians that reach out to her to perform at ThirdSpace.
“The great thing about here is that it is a free and independent show,” Ontko said. “It is a much more relaxed environment rather than paying to get in somewhere.”
Kashian has shows in Tucson before heading to the Pacific Northwest next week.
Contact the reporter at Emily.Lockwood@asu.edu
