Rising comedian brings diversity to the forefront of the Colorado scene

By Natasha Lovato

Denver-based comedian Roxey Grant is working to shake up the comedy scene as a non-binary, fem and Black person. As Denver continues to grow, so do the artistic expressions, and Grant utilizes their experiences to relate to the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community.

“I feel like people would like to see themselves onstage and content they can relate to,” Grant said.

Grant stated that their comedy is mostly about life. Race, sex, religion, pets, and their interracial relationship.

“When I go to a comedy show, I want to laugh and try to not take life too seriously so that's what I try to bring to my comedy shows. We can laugh about things that are serious,” Grant said.

Grant started comedy just before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020, but since then their career skyrocketed and Grant is excited to be in a position to help share the space with other comedians.

Just this summer, Grant performed comedy throughout Pride Month, at the Speak Cheesy Lounge in Fort Collins, at BlueStocking Burlesque, the Denver Queer Comedy and Arts Festival, the Boulder Comedy Festival and more. Grant has also previously performed at Comedy Works, Denver Improv and RISE Comedy.

Among the most notable shows for Grant was the Juneteenth comedy show that Grant produced at the Museum for Black Girls, located inside the Denver Pavilions on the 16th Street Mall.

“We ran out of chairs and it was my first time producing,” Grant said. “It was a really cool opportunity.”

The show was so successful, Grant will now produce a show at the Museum for Black Girls quarterly.

Grant’s show is called, “The Culture,” and it features various local BIPOC comics.

“There's a lot of talented people in Colorado that just don't get the stage time so that's what I’m trying to do because that's what I struggled with when I first started out too,” Grant said.

The next performance of “The Culture” will be on Sept. 28 at the Museum for Black Girls. For more information on the show and to reserve tickets, email poproxxcomedy@gmail.com.

Grant said that producing has been incredible to build a network of BIPOC comedians.

“Even if I can’t put someone in the next show, I'll put them in the one after that. So I'm making an archive of talent and if someone asks me if I know any comics, I can pass them along and help share the talent,” Grant said. “I feel like it can get catty in the creative space but it's not a limited resource. There's always pieces of the pie and everyone can have some. It’s all about networking, of course, you actually have to be funny too.”

Grant is excited to keep the momentum in their comedy career going and although Grant said they don’t want to leave Colorado, the next goal would be to get a comedy feature on TV or travel and do shows out of state.