Nine diverse LGBTQIA+ comics each perform a short set connected by a hostess with the mostest in an orgiastic one-night stand starring fresh comics to veteran comic Jason Stuart and the world’s first intersex comic Seven Graham aka 7G. Laugh Proud is the first LGBTQIA+ stand-up comedy feature film of its kind.
LOS ANGELES THEATRICAL RELEASE MAY 17TH and VOD RELEASE MAY 30TH
Some of the comedians had more energy than a kid on a sugar rush, bouncing around the stage with infectious enthusiasm. Their high-octane performances kept the audience laughing, and enjoying the vitality.
On the other hand, some comedians had less energy and a more subdued delivery. That made it more difficult to remain fully engaged with their jokes. While their material may have had potential, the delivery fell flat, leaving the audience politely chuckling instead of erupting into laughter.
Comedy is subjective, what tickles one person’s funny bone may leave another unamused. This was evident throughout the show as some jokes hit the mark while others did not, quite measure up. But that’s the beauty of comedy – it’s a game of chance, and you never know what will resonate with the crowd.
While some comedians had a higher hit rate with their jokes, it didn’t mean the others were disappointing. Each performer brought their style and perspective, offering diverse comedic experiences. I found the variety of humor on display, from witty one-liners to clever observational comedy refreshing.
The show was a well-orchestrated symphony of laughter, and the organizers did an excellent job in the lineup. They carefully curated the order in which each comedian took the stage, ensuring a smooth transition from one act to the next. This allowed the energy to ebb and flow, keeping the audience entertained.
The more seasoned comics undoubtedly had an advantage, effortlessly commanding the stage and delivering their punchlines with expert timing. Their years of experience honing their craft were evident in their confident performances, leaving the audience in stitches. However, this doesn’t mean the newer or less experienced comedians were overshadowed. They brought a fresh perspective and raw talent to the stage, injecting an equally captivating youthful energy.
The fast-paced nature of the show added to its overall appeal. There was never a dull moment, as one comedian seamlessly transitioned into the next, keeping the audience on their toes.
Yes, some comedians had more energy than others, and some jokes fell flat, but that’s the nature of live comedy. It’s a risky business, and not every punchline will land perfectly. However, the overall experience was undeniably entertaining, and I had a blast watching it.
THE COMICS
7G (he/they) is the stand-up name of British artist Seven Graham: the world’s first Out hermaphrodite (aka intersex) comic to perform at the world-famous Comedy Store and all over Los Angeles. 7G has opened for top comics, Gina Yashere and Monique Marvez, and was featured in a special article in the LA Times Comedy Special, in 2022. Seven is a producer/writer/actor living in Hollywood to get intersex, trans, and LGBTQiA+ stories told by the major studios. Seven produced Hollywood’s first intersex movie, Ponyboi, with Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. 7G is very excited to be part of Laugh Proud and to uplift queer, trans & intersex comedy! This Summer Seven is keeping things very LGBTQiA by creating a queer comedy brunch show -Alphabet Soup -with Alyssa Poteet to premiere at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in Scotland. Seven is very proud to be a Graham. And it feels like there’s a war raging against our LGBTQIA+ community, especially trans people, 7G is a warrior Celtic comic, fearless in the intimate subjects they talk about with searing honesty, taking no prisoners & giving 0 fucks.
Juno Men (she) is a Seattle-based comedian and writer. She is openly transgender and Asian, the daughter of Cambodian immigrants. Her credits include the Upper Left Comedy Festival, Don’t Tell Comedy Seattle and Portland, hosting the Seattle Moth Storyslam, and making her 94-year-old non-English speaking grandma laugh more than her siblings and cousins. She can be found online on Instagram @seattlejuno and performing across the Pacific Northwest.
Christian Cintron (he) is a jack-of-all-trades, master of fun. He’s a writer, comedian, actor, and psychic. He’s written for Hollywood.com, Queerty, The Authentic Gay, and Ranker to name a few. He created Stand Up 4 Your Power, a spiritual, self-improvement standup comedy class.
Jazzmun Nichcala Crayton (hostess with the moistest, they) has a career spanning decades in show business and advocacy for the Transgender community. She has appeared in over fifty television series and movies, with her most recent roles portraying Bobbie Jean Baker, a prominent Transgender Activist and religious leader in the ABC series “When We Rise”; and playing Cindy Whitman, a wrongfully imprisoned woman of Trans experience on Fox’s “Proven Innocent.” As an activist, Jazzmun serves as the founder and coordinator of the Midnight Stroll, which brings awareness and sorely needed self-care supplies for street-based sex workers to empower them to embrace comprehensive community resources such as HIV testing and treatment, housing services, substance abuse counseling, legal and victim advocacy, and medical services.
Jason Stuart (he) came out publicly on the daytime syndicated Geraldo in 1993 and has been dubbed one of “the first openly gay stand-up comedian(s)” by various media outlets. For over four decades since appearing as “The Gay Dude” in Jim Wynorski’s 1984 cult feature The Lost Empire, Stuart has appeared in more than 160+ feature films and TV shows ranging from Amazon’s Goliath to Sundance winner The Birth of a Nation to the LGBTQ+ indie hit Tangerine to creating his short-form series Smothered and winning Best Actor in a Comedy at The Indie Series Awards.
Brian Clark aka Brucey (he) is a 30-year-old stand-up comedian from Washington DC. He comes from a long line of funny Latin women and attributes his comedy career to all of their horrible dating advice. Witty and relatable, Brucey sheds light on the narratives we grow up with and the comedic ways they play out in our adult lives. When not on stage, he can be found avoiding his exes’ DMs on Instagram and watching documentaries about people escaping Mormon compounds. He can be seen at venues in LA and NY.
Asha Hall (she) says what everybody else is too nice to say she’s also an abstract artist, part-time aunt, and a comedian. She’s performed for musicals, and local short films and has a background in art. She enjoys spending time on community-driven projects and technological entrepreneurship.
Rowan Niles (she) is an actor, writer, and comedian originally from Annapolis, Maryland. From a very young age, she developed a passion for the arts and was always eager to get her hands on any creative outlet that allowed her to express herself. Rowan has a background in music, theatre, and film but feels most in her element when she makes the people around her laugh! Rowan is an out and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and can’t wait to laugh proud with you all!
Amanda Alvich (she) is a New York Emmy winner and two-time Daytime Emmy nominated Brooklyn-based LGBTQ+ comedian, comedy writer, and filmmaker. Amanda has been featured on NBC, Amazon Prime, and BuzzFeed and was part of the 2022 New York Comedy Festival. She was also a semi-finalist in the New York Queer Comedy Festival.
Kit DeZolt (he) is an Actor, Producer, Writer, and Director. He was born in Hong Kong. He is an actor and producer, known for Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk (2017), Moon Manor (2022), and Making YouTube (2021).
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
QUENTIN LEE
A 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Nominee, winner of the 2020 Roddenberry Foundation Impact Awards for TV creators, a member of the Producers Guild of America, Canadian Media Producers Association, and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Directors and Producers Peer Group), and a two-time recipient of Canada Council Media Arts grants, Quentin Lee is a multimedia creator and has directed and produced over ten feature films and created over three TV series. His first feature Shopping For Fangs (co-directed with Justin Lin) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival which became a cult classic as part of the Asian American New Wave Class of 1997. His subsequent features Drift, Ethan Mao, The People I’ve Slept With, White Frog, and The Unbidden have all been sold and played at festivals worldwide such as AFI Fest, Vancouver International, Hawaii International, Sao Paulo, Turin, and Cardiff.
As a producer, Quentin has produced Big Gay Love, #1 Serial Killer (aka Chink) and Gay Hollywood Dad. In 2018, he created, produced, and directed Brash Girls Club, the limited TV series now streaming on Tubi. The TV series Comedy InvAsian he co-created, directed, and produced was streamed as a Hulu Exclusive in 2018. In 2020, Quentin produced three stand-up comedy specials including the first gay male comedy special Brash Boys Club for Comedy Dynamics, directed and produced a Zoom feature titled Comisery and a Zoom TV series titled Boy Luck Club. In 2021, Quentin Lee directed and produced a feature film titled Last Summer of Nathan Lee and the second season of the TV series Comedy InvAsian 2.0, now streaming on Peacock. In 2022, he created a science fiction comic book Mystery Brothers, launched at the 2022 Comic-con, and a spin-off TV series, Comedy Invasion, the first all-diverse Canadian stand-up TV series, which has been nominated for a 2024 Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Special. In 2023, he produced and directed Laugh Proud, the first LGBTQ+ stand-up comedy feature documentary of its kind, and is in preparation for a 13-part TV series Rez Comedy.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, China, Quentin attended high school in Montreal and holds a B.A. in English from UC Berkeley, an M.A. in English from Yale University, and an M.F.A. in Film Directing from UCLA.
