Common Fields food truck pod and taproom has been bringing comedy to Corvallis, Ore. since its opening and now features free monthly Friday night shows.
According to Shelby Johnson, Common Fields marketing director, they started out doing weekly comedy Tuesday nights, but recently shifted to be monthly events, taking place at 8:30 p.m. as an after hours 21+ show.
Jacob Oliver and Cherish Oliver co-own the Common Fields business, which opened just over a year ago in downtown Corvallis. They quickly incorporated comedy into their events after they opened.
“This place is all about being a place people can hang out, eat, drink and have something to do,” Oliver said. This concept of a community space made adding comedy shows to their regular programming a no brainer, according to Oliver.
The company Soul of Wit has partnered with Common Fields in the past to run trivia events with a stand-up comic. When the Olivers wanted to expand to regular comedy shows, the connection was organic.
“It’s a unique landmark for the community of Corvallis in that there is no other place to my knowledge that has been consistently doing regular either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly [comedy] shows,” said Ty Boice, comedian, founder and producer for Soul of Wit.
According to Boice, Corvallis has been a unique place to produce entertainment for as there are so many demographics in one continuously growing place.
“If [Soul of Wit] had a mission statement, it would be to bring diverse experiences and diverse stories to diverse communities,” Boice said.
As producer, Boice is in charge of the setup of the show, getting the comics’ schedules, ensuring the venue is good for the comic, vendor and audience alike.
“I think [Common Fields] does a really great job, I think it is a unique place to go watch comedy, and it’s outdoors, but they have done a really wonderful job facilitating that year round”, Boice said. “They have provided a really comfortable environment for people to go and laugh.”
According to Johnson, the venue offers heated seats, fire pits and an open outdoor space so many people who may not be comfortable being in a small comedy club can come be comfortable throughout the pandemic.
While the Friday events have only just begun with the first Friday of March, the event brought in a crowd of about 35-45 people, despite the temperamental weather. This winter attendance makes Oliver hopeful that the summer will bring even bigger crowds, especially now that the event has been moved to Fridays.
“Part of our place is we want to have a lot of cool things for different people, from doing our music and trivia to drag shows and comedy, ‘’ Oliver said. “Having a stage and thinking how we can utilize this stage, and we very much liked the idea of having free shows.”
Oliver and Johnson are excited to see more community attendance at the Friday events as they continue to offer Corvallis an experience it had been lacking with shows year round.
“Watching somebody forget about the pressures and anxieties about their lives and sit down in a room full of people in a community and laugh, it really feels like a secret superpower,” Boice said.