The May edition of the Local Grins comedy roundup by Virginia Anzengruber spotlights upcoming shows by national stars as well as must-see local events.
Releasing ‘Yearbook’: Stand-up comedian Gerrit Elzinga
EDITOR’S NOTE: Local Spins regularly rounds up area comedy news and upcoming shows with “Local Grins,” a spotlight on the region’s comedy scene compiled by writer and comedy maven Virginia Anzengruber.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Email comments, questions and show additions virginia.anzengruber@gmail.com. View full comedy show listings across the region online here.
Gerrit Elzinga Shares Twenty Years of Jokes in Yearbook – Fans of Dr. Grins Comedy Club are very familiar with its house emcee, Gerrit Elzinga. The longtime host and stand-up comedian has welcomed audiences from around the world to the Dr. Grins room, creating a friendly, funny atmosphere that showcases both local talent and national headliners. When he’s not delighting rooms as host, Elzinga has worked tirelessly as an editor and comic in his own right, releasing multiple albums over his 20-year career. And it’s this experience that’s inspired his latest release, “Yearbook,” which is a chronological collection of jokes written and performed by Elzinga since he began standup in 2006 at 17 years old.
Elzinga shared the inspiration behind “Yearbook” with Local Grins: “I feel like as comedian[s] we go through ups and downs so I wanted to showcase that with an album marking my twenty year anniversary of performing. My first show was at a high school talent show so that’s included. The album goes chronologically and I selected everything intentionally. I’m tired of seeing men doing jokes I was doing at 17 years old because I didn’t have a grasp of the world yet. These guys are 40 and they’re thinking like a child. The goal is evolution so I want people to hear that evolution (and regression at times) as the album/career chugs along.”
When asked what he loves about comedy, all these years later, Elzinga responded: “When I started, it was getting laughs. Now, it’s the connection you create with those laughs. There’s something special about crafting an experience into a joke that the majority can relate to and laugh at.” Folks can catch Elzinga weekly at Dr. Grins and performing all over West Michigan.
In celebration of the “Yearbook” release, Elzinga will be headlining a takeover of Back Door Comedy, the weekly free open mic at Hard Times Bar in Grand Rapids on May 18. Folks can listen to “Yearbook” on Bandcamp now. Follow Gerrit Elzinga on Facebook and Instagram for more information on upcoming shows. And check out the Dr. Grins schedule here.
OUT Loud Comedy Festival Returns for Sophomore Year – After the success of its sold-out event in 2025, OUT Loud Comedy GR, West Michigan’s only queer comedy festival, is expanding in its second year on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 at The Comedy Project, located at 540 Leonard St NW B, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. OUT Loud Comedy Festival uplifts queer voices and fosters community in West Michigan by creating vibrant spaces for comedy, art and joy. All proceeds benefit The Grand Rapids Trans Foundation.Tickets range from $15-$25 and can be found at https://thecomedyproject.com/shows/.
Founded by comedian Zach Jacobs, and produced by Jacobs and comedian Gwen Bagley, last year’s inaugural event raised over $1,500 in support of The Grand Rapids Trans Foundation and The Grand Rapids Pride Center. This year, the team has set a loftier fundraising goal of $5,000, and focused their efforts on The Trans Foundation, which in recent months experienced flood damages to its offices. Through a combination of ticket sales, drink specials and sponsorships, they hope to make a tangible financial impact for the West Michigan trans community. “OUT Loud was built out of a desire to highlight and create space for queer performers in Grand Rapids,” said Jacobs. “We want people to come to the shows and experience unbridled joy, laugh, meet people and build connections.”
Festival co-producer Gwen Bagley expanded on this ethos: “For years, folks would tell me they didn’t feel comfortable going to comedy shows. They liked comedy, they liked watching comedy videos, they wanted to try standup or improv, but they didn’t always feel there was a safe place for them. We’ve got a lineup of a variety of really seasoned performers, newer performers, and everything in between. Across the board we want to provide opportunities for queer people: to build community, to have fun, and to laugh. It’s all rooted in joy.”
The festival this year features four unique shows with performers from Michigan and throughout the Midwest. Shows will take place at 7 p.m. June 1, 5 and 6, and 10:30 p.m. on June 6. Tickets are available on The Comedy Project’s website. OUT Loud will also host an Ensemble Clown workshop led by Duncan Young and Elise Chillson, who have performed and taught worldwide. The workshop takes place 12-3 p.m. June 6. Space is limited.
As the ONLY queer comedy festival in West Michigan, OUT Loud Comedy Festival shines a spotlight on LGBTQIA+ comedians from across the Midwest. For more information, follow OUT Loud Comedy GR on Instagram and Facebook.
Open Mic Nights Spotlight Up-and-Coming Comics – Nearly every day of the week, you can find comedy in West Michigan. But did you know for comics looking to get stage time and work on their material, Grand Rapids is full of rooms meant to give comedians of all experience levels a shot at the mic? While the list of shows and rooms might be always slightly expanding and contracting, the team at Local Grins wanted to highlight a few shows you might not know about. Who knows? You might even discover the next huge talent in comedy, right in your own back yard.
● Back Door Comedy at Hard Times Bar
○ This Monday late night open mic in Grand Rapids is hosted by comedians Virginia Anzengruber and Christ Wright, produced by A La Carte Comedy, and runs 9-11 p.m. every week. Follow them on Instagram for more details.
● Manny’s Comedy Open Mic at Manny’s Bar & Grill
○ This weekly mic in Wyoming begins at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 21 and is hosted by Natalie Renee. Follow them on Facebook for lineup details.
● High Score Comedy at The Pyramid Scheme, 8 p.m. on May 17 and June 7
○ This monthly comedy mic features a pre-booked showcase (comedians can submit for consideration via the Pyramid Scheme’s website), and a special segment at the end of each show set aside for 60-second “show up go up” sets – meaning no comic is able to sign up for it without being in the room on the day of the show. For those wanting to try standup for the first time, this is your show. Each lineup features a seasoned group of some of the most hilarious comics in the state, so you’re guaranteed a night of laughs – even if you bomb your first 60-second set.
Brad Wenzel’s New Special Out Now on YouTube – Local Grins favorite and all-around Michigan comedy all-star Brad Wenzel (CONAN, Don’t Tell Comedy) has released his latest hour long special, “Desperate Times,” via YouTube here. Or, buy the album on vinyl via Third Man Records.
Big Comedy Names Coming To West Michigan – While West Michigan is bubbling over with local and regional comedy talent, our city also boasts some venues large enough to bring in national touring acts to make you giggle. Check out this non-definitive list of some bigger comedy names coming to West Michigan soon:
● May 30: Comedy Bang! Bang! at GLC Live at 20 Monroe
● July 3: Weird Al Yankovic at Acrisure Amphitheater
● August 1: Nate Bargatze at Van Andel Arena
● August 20: Gary Owen at DeVos Performance Hall
● September 12: John Mulaney and Friends at Acrisure Amphitheater
● October 17: Beth Stelling at The Pyramid Scheme
● November 14: Leslie Jones at The Big Room at Silva
● November 19: Dustin Nickerson at The Pyramid Scheme
● January 2, 2027: Marlon Wayans at GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Local Grins is assembled by writer and comedy devotee Virginia Anzengruber. Email comments, questions and show additions to virginia.anzengruber@gmail.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
The Comedy Project – The Comedy Project (TCP) is a comedy theater and moonshine bar in Grand Rapids’ vibrant Westside Business District, Joe Anderson and Kristin Kendall helm TCP and foster an incredible community of comedic performers and writers right here in West Michigan. Anderson, a veteran of improvisational theater training, created The Comedy Project’s Training Center Program, which “provides training in Improvisation, Sketch Comedy and Stand-Up Comedy.” They host private events, and their slate of weekly sketch and improv comedy shows can be found at https://thecomedyproject.com/shows/.
Copyright 2026, Spins on Music LLC
