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The Creek & the Cave was the best of stages and the worst of stages. Like every venue, it was swimming with gatekeeping, toxicity, and abusive behavior. It also gave thousands of comics thousands of hours of desperately needed free stagetime, myself included. It will be missed. https://twitter.com/zinoman/status/1326966833786785797
The Creek was the only venue where you could kill on an open mic downstairs, go up and buy a burrito, eat it while watching a nudist comedy show, go down and bomb on another mic, then get drunk watching someone's weird one-act play. We spent countless evening just wallowing in it
I don't mean to romanticize it; I also saw things at the Creek that should have no place in comedy. It's vital that we rebuild the comedy scene to be healthier, less toxic, and less exclusive. But for so many, it was the best stage we had; and far better than none at all.
More important than venues are the SCENES that arise from them: social spaces where artists put up work, watch each other, and talk shit afterward. Without a scene, there's no growth. The Creek had one; now it's gone. Worth mourning, all the while striving to build a better one.
