Comedy

This year, the show returned with a vengeance and a venue change, showing at Freight & Salvage, where auditorium-style seats unified the mostly full house in proximity and good cheer. 

There’s a reason people showed up, and there’s a reason that people stayed — even if it meant violating fire hazards and waiting for hours in line.

Since the festival’s beginning, each year has seen music scaled back a bit more, resulting in what Sampson hopes is the ideal balance.

In her bits, Dobbins frequently discusses her experiences as a Black, gay comic; she remains conscious of the burden of representation that she upholds.

Whether or not someone appreciates race-related jokes is a matter of taste, but it’s a risky territory that Bentley navigates strategically.

Conover’s method of presentation fused with a lecture-style organization, quirky graphics and pure comedy served to educate and entertain the audience.

Knowing that UC Berkeley has an unmistakably poor diversity of students, with about 3 percent of students being Black, Bell said he felt as though the event might be interpreted as trying too hard to appeal to students. But only time could tell.

The comics at the Ashkenaz on Feb. 14 missed out on a likely success primarily because of a lack of editing — many bits started off colorfully enough, but were quickly pushed past their expiration date, lessening their effectiveness.

The flashy aesthetic of the show, in general, reflected Gomez’s confidence in her identity and enthusiasm for her job. Marga Gomez is undoubtedly an exceptional role model and a shining darling of the LGBTQ+ community.