![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
![All smiles. The group poses for a photo with last year’s book, “This is Our House,” along with their award for third Best in Show. Meikle, who was an Editor-in-Chief for the yearbook last year as well, holds both and stands at the center of the group. “That was an amazing feeling, going and grabbing the third place award,” Meikle said. “All of it paid off. I cried so much over that book, being able to receive [the award] was one of the highlights of my high school career, it was like the coolest thing ever.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/8bookpose_philly-1200x800.jpg)
For a city of only 593,820, it’s impressive that Portland has one of the largest and most dynamic comedy scenes of any city in the country outside of Los Angeles and New York City. Portland has it’s own comedy festival, two comedy clubs, two comedy theaters, a monthly showcase series and countless open mic nights, where anyone can try their hand at stand up. Because many of these shows are open to all ages, and most are very inexpensive, if not free, they are a great option for the bored West Linn High School student on break.
The two premiere all-ages comedy venues in Portland are the Curious Comedy Theater, located at 5225 NE Martin Luther King Boulevard, and the Brody Theater, located at 16 NW Broadway. These theaters both offer not only a plethora of live sketch, improv and standup comedy but also a wide variety of classes to learn these same disciplines.
With a few shows each week ranging from free to $10 for admission these two theaters are great options for the avid live comedy fan or someone just looking for something to do. For those looking for a higher caliber of show, the monthly showcase series “Funny Over Everything” at the Hollywood Theatre, located at 4122 Northeast Sandy Boulevard, has hosted some nationally recognized comedians and always features the best in home-grown comics.
The next show in this series, on Dec. 28, will feature Portland natives Matt Braunger and Ron Funches. Braunger, the best known still-active comedian from Portland, has released two stand up albums and his credits include MadTV, The Tonight Show with David Letterman, Conan, Up All Night and many more. Funches’s credits include Conan, Portlandia, and Esquire’s list of the best new comedians of 2012. Funches, truly a comedian of the Portland scene, moved to Los Angeles over the summer to launch the next level of his career. With a price of just $8 for students, this show is well worth a night of winter break.
