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Fun for Funds

Albuquerque native hosts comedy jam for AIDS research.

By Steve Roe

NEW MEXICO IS FAMOUS FOR LOTS OF THINGS: NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE, SPICY CHILI PEPPERS, ROUTE 66. It is not known as a hotbed for stand-up comedy.

But that hasn’t stopped professional comedienne Dana Goldberg from planning and hosting the Southwest FunnyFest in Albuquerque for the last four years. The event serves as a fundraiser for New Mexico AIDS Services, a support and education organization, and has already contributed more than US$10,000 to the nonprofit’s coffers.

An area native herself, Goldberg is a frequent participant in humanitarian events that fight HIV/AIDS and raise awareness for equality issues in the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community. She has had a hand in raising more than $200,000 for human rights causes through performances in Austin, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and she works with nonprofits as far-flung as New York, Phoenix and Toronto.

“The community is very supportive of me,” Goldberg said. “I thought I would bring my colleagues back together for FunnyFest, but it had to be a fundraiser. I wanted to give back to the community.”

The true challenge for Goldberg is performing as host and emcee, promoting and staging the event on a strict budget. Every dollar that isn’t spent on production is another dollar that goes to the HIV/AIDS charity. Partnerships with local businesses—including the Albuquerque CVB, the city of Albuquerque, Olivia Travel and others—help defray event costs. And sponsors abound, despite the downturn.

American and Southwest airlines have both helped bring performers to Albuquerque for the event. In four years, Goldberg has had only one performer miss a flight, a potential disaster largely diverted by the airline ensuring a seat on the next jet out. The local venues do their part as well.

The Hyatt Regency in downtown Albuquerque has played host hotel for all four years of Southwest FunnyFest. Located just one block from the KiMo Theatre and a 10-minute drive from the airport, the Hyatt is an ideal choice, for both its location and because it offers deep discounts to people attending the show.

Meanwhile, the historic KiMo Theatre in downtown Albuquerque sets the stage. The KiMo has a capacity of 677, making it large enough to draw a good crowd, while maintaining an intimate atmosphere for stage performances. It’s where Goldberg made her professional comedy debut.

Performing is easy compared to finding sponsorships. Goldberg has played in dozens of nightclubs and festivals and on college campuses and cruises across the globe. She has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and recently starred in comedy special One Night Stand Up 4 on TV network LOGO. Other Southwest FunnyFest performers—including Vickie Shaw, Dana Eagle and Poppy Champlin—are highly acclaimed and renowned comediennes.

Shaw has appeared on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, in numerous clubs, festivals and the award-winning documentary Laughing Matters More. Eagle has made appearances on CBS, ABC and HBO and alongside notable performers such as Roseanne Barr and D.L. Hughley. Champlin recently completed a comedy special for Showtime and has been seen everywhere from VH-1 to LOGO to A&E to The Oprah Winfrey Show. Meanwhile, Goldberg works to bring in new talent each year so the audience gets a different show every time. In four years, Shaw is the only live performer to make repeat trips to Southwest FunnyFest, appearing this year and in 2008.

The comedy festival fills a void for the community that supports it. Albuquerque’s comedy club, Laughs, closed its doors about a year ago. So it isn’t surprising that Southwest FunnyFest sold out each of its first three years and fell just short of a capacity crowd this year (which Goldberg attributes to the economy). E-mail blasts and strategically placed promotional advertisements help Goldberg (in photo, far left) reach out to her audience. As she likes to say, even in hard economic times people will always find money for food, booze and entertainment, not necessarily in that order.

Meanwhile, she continues to raise her profile in the world of comedy and earn rave reviews everywhere she performs. Goldberg will also continue to bring her sharp style of humor to Albuquerque, where everything started, for the enjoyment and the betterment of her community. One+

STEVE ROE has enjoyed his first foray into covering the meeting industry. His milieu is sports writing and profiles.

Fun Facts

• Albuquerque is home to several of the world’s largest events. The Gathering of Nations brings thousands of Native American tribes together each year for the world’s largest powwow with singing, dancing and art. The Albuquerque area is a hub for 19 Pueblo tribes who play a huge role in hosting the event, but ironically, the Pueblo do not powwow.
• The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta features more than 600 balloons and is the largest international ballooning event, and the largest annual event held in America.
• The KiMo Theatre opened in 1927 featuring a short-lived architectural style known as pueblo deco: a blend of then-popular art deco and a traditional Native American color scheme of red, white, yellow and black. Featured native images include buffalo skulls, Navajo rugs, rain clouds, birds and swastikas—a symbol of freedom and happiness.
• Bobby Darnall has inhabited the KiMo Theatre since his death in 1951. A water heater explosion in the lobby killed him and injured several other people. According to local legend, performers who leave toys, candy and small gifts for Darnall enjoy great shows, while those who do not suffer odd occurrences.

Transportation

• The legendary Route 66 runs through Albuquerque as Central Drive, the original main street of Albuquerque. While much of the original roadside architecture that developed during the westward migration along America’s Mother Road has been lost, Albuquerque’s Nob Hill-Highland stretch is considered the most intact portion of Route 66 in the entire state.
• For travelers, the Rail Runner train system between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is powered by solar electricity.

What’s New

• The Hilton Albuquerque recently became the first hotel to receive New Mexico’s Green Zia Environmental Excellence Recognition Program for a US$14 million renovation project that included recycling 70 percent of all materials that come out of the hotel, including carpets, bathtubs, sinks and other fixtures.
• Heritage Hotels and Resorts is moving toward sustainability with water conservation practices, non-disposable dishware and seasonal locally grown food on its menus.
• The Hyatt Regency Alberquerque is the only hotel in the city to earn the AAA four-diamond rating, and just recently it completed renovations on guest rooms, meeting areas and the in-house McGrath’s restaurant.