The Grand Theatre presents Comedy at The Grand this Saturday, October 26, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Grand will welcome two Crookston natives, Steve Windels and Ali Hormann.
“Most people in Crookston would know me by Ali Rude,” said Hormann. “I graduated from CHS in 2002 and since then I have lived all over the country, but currently am in St. Paul, which is where I started doing comedy in 2019.”
Hormann says it’s been a fun journey, though harder than she thought. “It’s been an incredible time to get to produce shows, to perform on shows, and now, being this far into my career, I’m getting to headline shows, which is an incredible honor, so coming back to Crookston to do so is a lot of fun for me.”
The other comedian who is doing the show at the Grand is Steve Windels. Hormann fills us in on Comedy at the Grand’s Feature Act. “Steve Windels, who is the featured comedian on the show, is also from Crookston, and he graduated class of 1991,” said Hormann. “It was actually really cool how we met in the Comedy Space because he started doing comedy about a year and a half ago, and he did a guest set on a show that I was on, and then I got up and did a joke, and I mentioned that I had to drive all the way up to Crookston; basically the joke was I wanted Chippers.”
What happened next, Hormann says, is why they are coming to Crookston together. “He looked over at my husband and said, is she really from Crookston? I’m from Crookston,” says Hormann. “So, ever since we met about a year ago, we have been trying to plan this exact show.”
Along with Hormann and Windels, their host will be Justin Neal, aka funny_juddy. “He has been a really fun addition to the comedy scene here in the twin cities,” says Hormann. “He is going to be hosting, which is always a really difficult job. I don’t think enough people understand how hard of a job being a good host is because you really gotta get the crowd ready.”
Besides having Neal ready the crowd, Hormann explains they have a Special Guest, the Grand’s very own Bo Brorby. Brorby had expressed to Hormann that he loves comedy and that he has been trying it out to which Hormann expressed her thanks. “We are appreciative that he is hosting, so we told him to come on in. So, we get to have people who have been doing comedy for a lot longer but someone who is trying it out brand new,” says Hormann. “We get to do this together as a community, and that is really fun.”
We asked Hormann what it feels like coming home and getting to do this show in our Historic Grand Theatre. “I have always loved that theatre so much,” says Hormann. “I remember even being there when it was almost Christmas time, and our parents would go shopping and just drop us off at the theatre, and we’d watch The Three Stooges and eat peanuts,” Hormann says she just has such fond memories of the theatre as a whole and she remembers as a kid thinking it was just the most beautiful space and how she wished she could see it used in other ways. “Now that I actually get to make that a reality, it’s really cool, especially since I get to do it with fun people.”
We asked Hormann what else she wanted people to know about Comedy at The Grand. “The tickets are going really fast, which is incredibly heartwarming, and it makes me excited because other people are seeing that this is something that Crookston wants to do,” Hormann explained to us what you are in for if you come to Comedy at The Grand.
“Come see a show full of people who have jokes that basically only people who have driven during beet season understand and people who understand just how important it was to have your formative years be watching the people at Happy Joe’s make pizza,” says Hormann. “I need more people to understand those jokes, so I get to come and tell these jokes that are very hometown specific to a hometown crowd, and it’s not an impersonal show.”
Hormann explains that they really have this collective humor in this small town that they have cherished for a very long time, and she says it’s going to be a really good night.
Tickets are still available but as Hormann said, they are selling fast. You will find posters around Crookston with QR Codes on them. You can use that to order tickets, or you can use the link https://events.humanitix.com/comedy-at-the-grand. You can also search Comedy at The Grand on Facebook and get your tickets that way.
Hormann has a few reminders about the show. “Tickets are $20, but if you have a UMC or Student ID, they are $15,” says Hormann. “The show is 18+, so, you know, it’s not going to be a terribly crass show, but it is a show for grown-ups.”
Comedy at The Grand is this Saturday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m. The theater will open at 7:00 p.m., and concessions will be available. General admission is $20, and $15 for UMC Students with ID.
