Iconic LA-based comedian, writer, and actress Nori Reed is coming to Pittsburgh with the eight-city Cheeky Summer Tour.
Reed, who originally moved to California from Christian, Kentucky, to become a therapist, quickly realized she didn’t want to listen to other people’s problems all day. She said, “After one semester, I quit. I had a job in LGBTQ healthcare but was doing standup at night.”
Reed, who identifies as trans, credits Amy Poehler for discovering her. Reed said, “I was doing comedy in Oakland, California, for two or three years when Amy Poehler found me online and asked me to open for her when she headlined the Oakland-based Clusterfest.”
In June 2019, Poehler picked LGBTQ performers such as Reed and an all-female, mixed-race dance troupe Mix’d Ingrdnts to perform at the event. Reed said, “I got to share the stage with Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, and others. I performed in front of 8,000 people at that event.”
The experience was transformative. SF Weekly named her “Oakland’s Next Great Comedian.”
Reed moved to Los Angeles and wrote for seasons five and six of Disney’s “Raven’s Home,” the reboot of Raven-Symoné’s “That’s So Raven,” and joined Taylor Tomlinson’s “After Midnight” as a writer. She was featured in New York Magazine as one of Vulture’s “Comedians You Should Know and Will Know in 2021.”
Her stand-up has been showcased by Showtime, HBO Max, and at many comedy festivals, including Netflix Is A Joke Festival, Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, Moontower Comedy Festival, High Plains Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, and Outside Lands.
“I was afraid to go to Austin, Texas, for the Moontower Comedy Festival, because even though Austin is a progressive city, it’s still in Texas. As a trans person, I didn’t think it would be safe, but it was so fun, and I made so many friends there. I’m so glad I didn’t let my fear win.”
When planning her tour, she had heard other comedians mention Bottlerocket. She said, “My other comedian friends told me it was a great space. I kept hearing about it. They said the audiences were great there.”
Reed has the most fun riffing with the audience. She said, “I like to engage the audience in wicked ways. Every show is different when you’re vibing off the audience’s energy. I do some standup therapy. I like fixing people’s lives.”
Reed added, “My standup comedy is a safe, inclusive space where we can forget that the world is a garbage fire and live in the present moment and have fun.”
Nori Reed will perform in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, August 27, at Bottlerocket Social Hall.
