STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — It’s been a whirlwind of a 2019 so far for Steamboat Comedy. When the group formed in January, they were crashing an open mic for stage time and most of its members were trying stand-up for the first time; nine months later, they’re seasoned, practiced comedians, scheduling shows across town and bringing big-name comics to Steamboat Springs. 

On Friday, Sept. 13, Steamboat Comedy presents Comedy Night at Butcherknife Brewing Co., alongside comedians Mark Masters, of Denver, and Pat Treuer, of Chicago. 

According to his website, Masters has performed in 18 states across the U.S. and in Canada and is the author of “Not Good Yet: Lessons from the First Six Months and One Hundred Comedy Performances of a Denver Open Mic Comedian,” available in paperback and online. 

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Treuer worked in the corporate world for 12 years, then quit last August to pursue comedy full-time. His company, Treuer Laughs, puts on comedy shows for corporate events; he also runs the YouTube channel Pat Chat. 

Steamboat Comedy’s local comedians set to perform include Kyle Ruff, Spencer Powell, Mack Maschmeier, Andrhey Martinez and Miles Sanchez. 

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“Most people who are into comedy have to go to a big city — Denver, L.A., Chicago, New York,” said Steamboat Comedy organizer Kyle Ruff. “But, if you go there, it’s hard to get any stage time because there are so many other people there trying to be onstage.

“Here, because we’ve created our own scene (in Steamboat), we can have as much stage time as we want,” Ruff added. “We always talk about how lucky we are.” 

In the past nine months, Steamboat Comedy has done a “Desperation Day” show (on Feb. 14) at Old Town Pub & Restaurant; a series of open mic nights at The Barley Tap & Tavern; a sold-out show at the Chief Theater; and created a podcast: “The Steamboat Comedy Podcast,” currently at six full-length episodes, available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. 

The group has also done a show at Butcherknife once before, at the end of the winter season: a comedy special for those who work in the service industry, full of jokes and observations about restaurant work, customers and tourists, Ruff said. 

“The last Butcherknife show was absolutely amazing; it’s such a cool vibe in there,” said Steamboat Comedy’s Kendra Ruth. “It feels like an underground thing because the show is in the back, with all the industrial brewing equipment. I’m excited to get back there.” 

While marketing for Friday’s comedy show is spelled out in creepily-dripping lettering and adorned with the silhouette of a graveyard, fear not. The Friday the 13th theme is more of a match to the show’s date and to Butcherknife’s horror-esque motif, such as the Amputator and Decapitator beers, than to the content of the comedy.

“We’ve done some shows that are more theme-based, but we mostly steer away from that because that narrows what your material can be,” Ruff said. 

Ruff and Ruth applaud the progress of the Steamboat Comedy comedians and are looking forward to the stand-up they’ll bring to the Steamboat community on Friday and in the coming months.

“It’s great to see a lot of people being brave and getting up there — because it’s terrifying,” Ruth said. “I feel like we’ve opened an avenue for that here.”  

The Friday the 13th show begins at 8 p.m. 

Julia Ben-Asher is a contributing writer for Steamboat Pilot & Today.