Longmont creatives prepare to bring talents to local variety show

Dana Cadey, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·3 min read

Dec. 5—From authors to filmmakers, local creatives are gearing up to wow the crowd at a variety show in Longmont this weekend.

"The Momedy Club: Escape from the Holidays" is the third event put on by local entertainment group Longmont Out Loud. This Friday and Saturday, LOL is taking the Longmont Museum's Stewart Auditorium stage to showcase a range of talent from 15 performers and artists.

In the lineup are several creatives from Longmont, including writer Lisa Trank. Trank will perform three personal essays that focus on her experiences as a mom. She'll also end her set with a piece about Hanukkah, keeping with the show's holiday theme.

"My hope is that people will laugh — that's the greatest thing in the world," Trank said.

Trank has a background in performing and lived in arts hubs including New York City and Los Angeles before coming to Longmont. This is Trank's second show with LOL; she first performed at the group's open mic night in October.

"For me, this is a full circle," Trank said. "I started out as a performer, and then I turned to writing. Now I feel like this is an opportunity to bring those two worlds together, because I'm performing my own material."

As a Longmont resident for 23 years, Trank said she's grateful to have LOL as a local, welcoming and fun venue for creativity.

"The world is hard, it's stressful," Trank said. "I just want to be able to connect with people, and laughter's a great way to do that,"

Also joining is Longmont filmmaker Katrina Miller, director of the award-winning documentary "This is [Not] Who We Are." At this weekend's show, Miller will present two of her music videos: "Flame" and "New Me."

"These are some of my works that bring people together, and some of my most empowering work, I feel," Miller said. "So it's really exciting to play it for this event."

Miller said both "Flame" and "New Me" touch on themes of racial equity, the strength and beauty of Black women, and human resilience.

"At the end of the day, these music videos are my pieces that really give hope and demonstrate what power a community can have, and how beautiful it can be when a community can get together," Miller said.

Miller featuring her videos at the "The Momedy Club: Escape from the Holidays" will mark her first collaboration with LOL.

"Boulder has really embraced a lot of my work, but I don't live in Boulder," Miller said. "My kids go to school here in Longmont, as well. It's nice to be able to showcase some of my work here in my own community, and I really hope for more of that."

The show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the museum, 400 Quail Road. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit longmontoutloud.com/momedyclub.