LEE HARDIN BETS ON ROOMS LIKE 30 BY NINETY

Nashville comedian Lee Hardin likes small theaters. That might sound like an unremarkable preference for a touring comedian, but theaters have become an important part of how he has built his career. Rather than relying entirely on traditional comedy clubs, Hardin began seeking out community theaters and small performance spaces around the country.

 

On Friday, October 2, that road brings him back to Mandeville and 30 by Ninety Theatre, a nonprofit community theater that has increasingly made stand-up part of its programming. He has played the room before. The theater wanted him back, and Hardin was happy to return.

 

The reasons why tell a larger story about what makes a comedy room work and why places like 30 by Ninety could become increasingly important to touring comedians coming through South Louisiana.

 

THE ROOM MATTERS

 

Anyone who has produced comedy in a bar knows that putting a microphone on a stage doesn't automatically turn the place into a comedy venue. There are televisions, dartboards, glasses hitting the bar, people ordering drinks and conversations happening at tables. Sometimes there are regulars who walked in because they always walk in on Friday night and had absolutely no idea somebody was about to start telling jokes.

 

A good producer works around those things. You turn off the televisions, lower the lights, get the sound right and point the chairs toward the stage. You're temporarily transforming a bar into a performance venue.

 

A theater already is one.

 

People walk through the doors expecting to sit down and watch whatever is happening onstage. The lights come down, the room gets quiet and everybody faces the same direction. There is almost zero chance somebody is going to leap out of their seat in the middle of a punchline and scream “YES!” because LSU just scored.

 

That difference isn't lost on Hardin.

 

“I just love and prefer the overall experience of a small theater,” he said. “The audience is set up directly in front of the stage so you have their undivided attention.”

 

Hardin believes it changes the experience for the audience, too. “The experience just feels a little more significant too for the audience, when they buy a ticket to an event at a live theater.”

 

That's what has always interested me about theaters as comedy rooms. The audience enters already understanding its relationship with the stage, giving a comedian something every comic wants but doesn't always get: the room's attention.

 

LEARNING TO WORK ANYWHERE

 

Hardin had always wanted to try stand-up but wasn't sure how to begin, so he took a joke-writing class at Zanies in Nashville and started going to open mics. He knew almost immediately that he wanted to pursue it.

 

From there came the education familiar to working comedians: getting onstage wherever possible and learning from whatever happened next. Over the years, that has meant comedy clubs, theaters and plenty of rooms never designed with stand-up in mind.

 

“Sometimes you have a gig in a place where standup comedy shouldn't exist, so you learn to adapt and make it fun,” Hardin said. “There's a crowd that came to see you so be mindful of those people and have fun.”

 

Those rooms taught Hardin how to adapt, but eventually he started deliberately looking for the environments he preferred.

 

BETTING ON SMALL THEATERS

 

Hardin's idea took several years to develop. Instead of waiting entirely for comedy clubs to book him, he began building shows in small theaters himself.

 

“It took a few years to build so I could do theaters and I'm very grateful for the development prior,” he said. “I'm still trying to develop, honestly.”

 

That humility is revealing. Even after years on the road, a Dry Bar Comedy special and television appearances, Hardin still talks about himself as someone trying to improve and figure out the next step.

 

Small theaters became one of those steps.

 

There are community theaters scattered through towns and suburbs across the country, many nowhere near a traditional comedy club. They already have stages, seats and audiences accustomed to buying tickets for live entertainment. Hardin realized those rooms could also be comedy rooms.

 

It's the kind of move I admire because it feels like betting on yourself. Instead of waiting for somebody else to provide the traditional path, you start building your own. For Hardin, 30 by Ninety is exactly the kind of room that made that approach possible.

 

COMEDY FINDS 30 BY NINETY

 

30 by Ninety Theatre was founded in 2014 as a nonprofit community theater. Plays and musicals remain its foundation, but the larger goal has always involved bringing live entertainment to the Northshore. For Jason Leader and the team at 30 by Ninety, stand-up wasn't a departure from that mission.

 

“Stand-up comedy felt like a natural extension of that mission,” Leader said. “There's something special about bringing people together for an evening of laughter, and comedy allows us to reach audiences who might not ordinarily attend a theatrical production.”

 

The theater has since made comedy a recurring part of its programming, working with producers including Gina Gomez and GG's Comedy Tour to bring regional performers and touring comedians to Mandeville.

 

“People love having the opportunity to enjoy quality entertainment close to home without having to cross the lake,” Leader said. “Our comedy nights have attracted both our regular theater patrons and new faces who may be visiting 30 by Ninety for the first time.”

That's important for the Northshore comedy scene. It doesn't all have to happen in one kind of room. Bars can work. Breweries can work. Theaters can work. Each reaches audiences who might never attend a show in one of the others.

 

Sometimes the right comedian also finds exactly the right room.

 

THE RIGHT FIT

 

Hardin is known for working clean, something he says reflects the comedians he gravitated toward, the way he naturally talks offstage and his faith.

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“The most important reason is I try to make my faith and relationship with Jesus a priority so I want to carry myself in a way that best represents that,” Hardin said, before quickly adding, “Don't get me wrong, I can still be an idiot on my best day.”

 

That combination seems particularly suited to 30 by Ninety. Leader describes Hardin's comedy as “clean, clever and relatable” and says his ability to connect with an audience works especially well in an intimate theater.

 

“Bringing him back was an easy decision,” Leader said.

 

The feeling goes both ways.

 

COMING BACK

 

Touring comedians remember promoters who treated them well, audiences that showed up and rooms where the show worked. If it doesn't work, there are plenty of other towns on the map.

 

So I asked Hardin what brought him back to Mandeville.

 

“I love the crew that runs this theater,” he said. “Jason and his staff are supportive and accommodating. They bring a fun crowd every time and Louisiana just has the best people. Hospitality is a No. 1 priority for everyone in the state, and it shows.”

 

Leader describes the relationship similarly.

 

“We love building relationships with performers who enjoy coming to 30 by Ninety just as much as our audiences enjoy seeing them,” he said.

 

The comedian found a room he likes. The room found a comedian it likes. The audience gave them a reason to do it again. That's how a room starts becoming part of a touring comedian's route.

 

ANOTHER STOP

 

The Northshore doesn't need to replace New Orleans or compete with it as a comedy destination. It can simply become another stop.

 

At local comedy shows I've been involved with producing, weekend crowds around 80 to 100 people have become common. These aren't always nationally recognized performers. They're working comedians putting on good shows, and Northshore audiences are buying tickets to see them.

 

30 by Ninety is seeing its own evidence of that appetite. Leader says the theater wants to continue growing its comedy programming with both returning favorites and new performers, including comedians with national recognition.

 

If a touring comedian is already coming through South Louisiana, Mandeville, Covington or Slidell can become another date on the route, another audience and another payday.

 

But becoming a real stop isn't just about getting someone here once. It's about giving them a reason to return.

 

A PROFESSIONAL IDIOT RETURNS

 

For all the discussion about touring models and building a comedy scene, Hardin has a considerably simpler description of what people should expect Friday night.

 

“Prepare for a lot of dumb jokes from a professional idiot,” he said. “The crowd is going to know I'm thankful they showed up and it won't take long to laugh at my expense.”

There's one other promise.

 

“You also get to see me try to pronounce names of your cities.”

 

Good luck, Lee.

 

There's something fitting about Hardin returning to this particular stage. He spent years figuring out what kinds of rooms he wanted to play and eventually began seeking out small theaters himself. Meanwhile, a community theater in Mandeville decided stand-up belonged alongside the other forms of live entertainment it was already bringing to the Northshore.

 

They met somewhere in the middle. A producer connected the pieces. An audience showed up. The show worked well enough that the venue wanted him back, and Hardin wanted to return.

 

That's when you've got something.

 

Getting them here once is nice.

 

Getting them to come back is how you build something.