ROGERS PARK — An open mic comedy night is coming to Rogers Park.
The Comedy Social will run 9-11 p.m. July 5 at Rogers Park Social, 6920 N. Glenwood Ave. It will continue at the same hours the first and third Tuesdays of every month.
Rogers Park resident Anthony Aguinaldo organized the event, wanting to create a spot in the neighborhood where people can come together and laugh. Aguinaldo said he finds a sense of belonging in comedic spaces, especially open mics, and the first thing he does when he travels or moves somewhere is check out the comedy scene.
“Where are their funny people?” he asks himself.
That’s exactly what Aguinaldo did when he moved to Rogers Park six months ago, he said. He found he often had to go to other neighborhoods, including Logan Square or Downtown, for open mic nights and live comedy.
Aguinaldo posted on Facebook in early June to gauge neighbors’ interest in organizing an open mic night.
“Others with experience in the field reached out to me. I had the support of really funny people, at least in my opinion,” Aguinaldo said. “There was interest from residents and neighbors.”
Liam McShane, Rogers Park Social’s assistant manager, said the venue has hosted locally produced events and performances in the past — including burlesque and queer dating shows — but this will be its first open mic night.
“We don’t really have that much in terms of a stage, per se, but that kind of contributes to this sense of being right up in the action, theater on the ground,” McShane said.
Aguinaldo said the bar’s lounge setting creates a more relaxed and welcoming environment than a stage with a spotlight.
“Hopefully the performers see this space as hospitable and feel brave enough to try this,” he said. “Because I’m trying — I’ve never hosted a mic. … I hope that I can model that to my neighbors and they can do something courageous, as well.”
The open mic night will be scheduled between Rogers Park Social’s Monday jazz nights and Wednesday bartender-led trivia nights.
Anthony Siraguse, 30, who recently moved to Edgewater, said he’s looking forward to having more options for open mics in the area beyond Red Room Comedy Club in West Ridge.
“Chicago’s a city that’s known for its performing arts scene,” Siraguse said. “There’s not much on the Far North Side, and it’s kind of a shame.”
Rogers Park resident Chelsea Rae Dvorchak said Red Room is “really cool,” but she lives on the opposite side of the neighborhood and is excited to have a closer option.
“Having something on this side of the neighborhood would add to it,” said Dvorchak, 36. “The more cool stuff we can have going on in this neighborhood, the better.”
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