The History of Standup returns for season two

What’s the difference between a theater and a club? Why do standup comedians say low ceilings are better for comedy? Where do you perform when you can’t get any stage time? More than just the material, the room also plays an important part in the history of standup comedy.

Season 1 of The History of Standup chronicled the events and evolution of standup comedy from vaudeville to Netflix — Season 2 takes a closer look at the venues where standup took place, from the people who were there.

Beginning on June 4, 2019, The History of Standup returns to examine why these rooms played an important role in standup’s history in America. From the Chitlin Circuit to the Apollo Theater, from Chicago’s Lincoln Lodge to San Francisco’s Holy City Zoo, Season 2 will explore eight of comedy’s most iconic venues. (You can see The History Of Standup’s Season 2 venue list here).

Season 1 consisted of a 6-episode look back at the evolution of standup comedy from Vaudeville to Netflix, plus 3 bonus episodes. Each week, comedian Wayne Federman taught Andrew Steven about the history of standup and were joined by Judd Apatow, Jimmy Pardo, Tig Nitaro, Margaret Cho, Demitri Martin, Kliph Nesteroff and more, featuring archived audio and recounts of some of comedy’s most interesting moments.

The show was featured on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Castbox, TuneIn, and Laughable; critics from The New York Times, New York/Vulture, Paste, The AV Club, Chortle, Forbes, The Interrobang, and The Geekiverse loved the show; iHeartRadio called the show the best podcast of September, and Wayne was interviewed on dozens of podcasts.

The History of Standup has a simple mission, to tell the story of standup comedy in America, and to have fun doing it.

Join Wayne and Andrew for lively discussion beginning on June 4, 2019. Subscribe, listen, and join the conversation around The History of Standup podcast, available for free wherever you listen to podcasts.

Wayne Federman has been performing standup for over 30 years and has appeared in numerous television programs and films including Step Brothers, Funny People, Crashing, The Larry Sanders Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In addition to more than 160 IMDB credits, he was the head monologue writer for Jimmy Fallon in 2009. He also co-produced the Emmy-winning HBO Documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling. Federman is an adjunct professor of standup and comedy history at USC, and a comedy historian who has written articles for Vulture, Splitsider, and The Atlantic. He appeared on CNN’s The History of Comedy and will be featured in CNN’s upcoming documentary on late-night television, Light Up The Night.

Andrew Steven is a podcaster, producer and fan of comedy. He’s worked with NBCUniversal, Seeso, Bravo, Oxygen, VRV, Creative Commons, and numerous others to help them tell their stories in new and compelling ways.

Jeff Umbro is the Executive Producer for The History of Standup and a principle at The Podglomerate, a podcast company charged with producing and distributing amazing audio content.

This show is part of The Podglomerate network, a podcast company that produces and distributes exciting new shows. Select clients include NBCUniversal, CoinDesk, Castbox, the Daily Dot, and Serial Box, among others.