Jen Kober: Laughter Finds Common Ground in Slidell

When Jen Kober took the stage at Saint August Maison in Slidell, one of the first things she noticed was who had come to see her. The crowd included people of different ages, backgrounds and walks of life. By the end of the night, what stood out to her was the experience they had shared.

 

“I love how diverse the crowd was!” Kober said. “Gay, straight, young, old, Black, Asian, Latino. I mean everyone was there!”

 

A comedy crowd does not have to agree on everything to laugh together. Kober felt that in Slidell. “It didn’t matter what everyone thought outside of that room,” she said. “While we were together, we were LAUGHING, and it was a really fantastic night.”

 

For Kober, who grew up in Louisiana and now performs around the country, coming back to her home state also opens up a different set of jokes. She can talk about the things people here recognize immediately: local politics, familiar restaurants and commercials that somehow become part of the shared vocabulary.

 

“The fun thing about doing more localized shows is getting to make fun of the local stuff,” she said. “All of it is like having one big inside joke with a huge group of friends.”

 

That familiarity gives a comic a lot to play with. An audience can hear the name of a place or the first few words of a reference and already know where the story might be headed. Kober gets to take those shared memories and find the funny part she sees in them. For people in the room, it can feel like hearing a friend tell a story about home.

 

Finding the Bit

 

Much of Kober’s comedy starts with her own life. She does enough shows, and spends enough time onstage, that almost anything interesting from her day has a chance to become material.

 

“Truthfully, it’s all gonna get used in some way,” she said.

 

That does not mean every passing thought becomes a finished joke. Kober tries things in front of audiences and pays attention to what gets a reaction. When a story earns a big laugh, she returns to it, adds detail and keeps developing it over multiple shows. A moment from an ordinary day can grow into a piece of her set because audiences showed her there was something in it.

 

“The things that get big laughs get worked on, fleshed out, and developed night after night,” she said.

 

Kober has acted on television and performed standup in Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple. For her, a regular standup show is still the best part of the job. She loves the freedom to play with words, follow a thought and talk directly to people in the crowd. The audience helps shape what happens that night.

 

“Regular stand up shows are the best part of what I do,” she said. “It’s very loose and free. I can say what I want, I can play with words, I can mess with people in the crowd, I can talk to people I don’t know and feel understood.”

 

For an audience, that freedom is part of the fun. A joke may have been developed over many nights, but the conversation around it belongs to the room. Kober’s description of the Slidell crowd suggests that Saint August Maison gave her plenty to work with.

 

A Crowd That Helps Build a Scene

 

The Northshore has been seeing more comedy shows, with audiences turning out at venues across the area. From Kober’s perspective as a touring comic, those audiences are essential to what happens next.

 

“Any scene needs good crowds to continue to thrive, and North Shore has that!” she said.

A good turnout does more than make one show feel successful. It gives venues a reason to host another one and gives artists a reason to come back. Over time, that support can help a local scene grow and bring more performers into the area.

 

“When the community supports a venue or an artist it can really cultivate the scene and attract bigger names to the area,” Kober said. “So keep supporting local artists, venues and events! It makes all the difference.”

 

It is advice that comes from someone whose own career has taken her much farther than she expected when she started. Asked what her younger self would be most surprised to learn, Kober pointed to the places she now gets to tour, including Europe, Canada and Australia. She also mentioned the response to her standup special, UBER FAMOUS, and the growing audience discovering her work. UBER FAMOUS is available to watch on Prime Video and to rent or buy through Apple TV.

 

Those milestones matter to her. So does the chance to walk into a room in Louisiana, talk about the things people here know, and leave with the memory of a crowd laughing together. At Saint August Maison, Kober found the kind of night she loves about standup and the kind of audience that can help Northshore comedy keep growing.

 

You can find more from Jen Kober at JenKober.com.