Spokane Comedy Club showcases new talent every Tuesday

Montana native Chris Jessop cut his teeth as a stand-up comedian in the land of the Great Wall just as a worldwide pandemic was breaking out.

“When I got back and everything happened in December 2019 there, people in America looked at me like I was Patient Zero,” Jessop said. “It was an interesting experience with comedy in China, but I couldn’t wait to work on it back in America.”

However, Jessop, 30, had no choice but to wait when he was getting ready to take it to another level during the spring of 2020. COVID-19 hit North America and the U.S. was in lockdown.

In 2021, Jessop moved to Spokane to work on comedy.

“This city is the perfect place for me as a comic,” Jessop said. “There is a great comedy scene here. I wanted to learn as much as possible in Spokane.”

Jessop jumped on the open mic nights at the Spokane Comedy Club. Every Wednesday he tried to be part of the bill.

“The only thing is that the comedy scene started to blow up here and it became very competitive to get a spot,” Jessop said.

Since so many comics were vying for minutes onstage, “New Talent Tuesday” was born.

“If your name is picked, you get four minutes on a pro stage,” Jessop said. “It’s perfect for the comics and the club. People come out on an off night.

“The club makes its money on the weekends and does well on the trivia nights. But Tuesday at the Spokane Comedy Club is the place for people like me, who want to make comedy a thing in their life. You go out on a Tuesday and you put the time in and who knows what can happen?”

A comedian can be tabbed as an opener for a national act during the weekend at the Spokane Comedy Club, like Jessop has been over the last year.

“What’s been amazing is that I’ve learned so much from comics that have headlined here. Martin Moreno, who is hilarious, was so generous with advice and so encouraging. It’s just so much fun hanging in the Spokane Comedy Club green room.”

Jessop is an entertaining work in progress.

“I’m just trying to figure out who Chris is,” Jessop said in the third person. “I’m getting there and I’m having fun doing dumb, stupid jokes that are harmless and ridiculous.”

Jessop will continue to hone his craft in Spokane.

“I believe this city is the perfect place to gauge a joke,” Jessop said. “That’s due to the size of the city, which is big enough and small enough and diverse enough to see if a joke works. If a joke works in Spokane, it should work in most cities.”

For now Jessop, is part of the Tuesday Night Joke Club.

“It’s so good for me to be part of the Tuesday scene here,” Jessop said. “I know I’m getting better as a comic, and I know what I do Tuesday night is a big reason for that.”