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Austin theater invites friends to pregame comedy festival shows on Big Gay Nights Out
The Paramount Theater and Little Gay Shop are hosting Big Gay Nights Out for comedy lovers to meet up before shows.
So you broke out your fastest gay stride and you’re still late to the venue for the comedy show — no time to chat with your friends, and you’ve rendered them more escorts than show companions. Whether you’ve squandered your pre-planned social efforts or you don’t know anyone to bring to the show in the first place, Big Gay Nights Out are here to shift the focus to the pre-show routine.
The Paramount Theatre, founder and host of Moontower Just For Laughs Austin comedy fest, is teaming up with the Little Gay Shop to host a series of outings before the festival shows, as well as some other independent sets. Before each happy hour, there will be a chance to win tickets to each show from The Little Gay Shop and Paramount Theatre on Instagram.
Different spaces — the Paramount Theatre’s mezzanine Houdini Lounge, Stateside at the Paramount, and Moontower Comedy club spaces around town — will host hangs with music, specialty cocktails, and merch from the Little Gay Shop to serve as conversation starters for arts lovers before the show.
“We want you to get rowdy, we want you to feel comfortable, we want you to feel just how much this space is for you,” said Paramount marketing communications and partnerships manager Ryan Thompson. “It’s for the girls, the gays, the allies, the queers, and everyone in between.”
The Moontower Nights Out so far will precede six specific shows: “Cheers, Queers!” showcases at Creek & The Cave and Higbies, Guy Branum, Ashley Gavin, Y’all Gay Podcast Live, and Punkie Johnson. Paramount location Nights Out include Cameron Esposito, Billy Porter, Emily King. More will be announced soon.
“The Little Gay Shop exists to support and uplift queer identifying creatives in all mediums, so we are so excited to be partnering with the Paramount to continue this mission,” says Little Gay Shop co-founder and co-owner Justin Galicz. “For too long, queer artists, comics, musicians, performers, and creators have been overlooked, and underrepresented, so we are so excited to help break down these barriers to give them the recognition and platform they deserve.”
Anyone with a ticket to the corresponding show or a Moontower badge during the festival can arrive early to the pre-show space with no RSVP. Single tickets to the shows are available at austintheatre.org, through the Paramount Theatre box office, and via phone at (512) 474-1221.
