Sure, Valentine’s Day is a time for love.
But even Cupid needs to take time to laugh.
Funny Lady Sonya ‘D’ will host the “These Queens Wear Crowns” Pre-Valentine’s comedy show Feb. 12 at Center Stage Theater in Naperville. Shows are at 6 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Both shows are ages 21 and older. Masks are required when entering the building but can be removed once seated.
“It’s going to be amazing show,” Executive Producer Sonya ‘D’ said. “People that are in love, people that are broke up, trying to get your marriage together, this is the place to be.”
Along with host Sonya ‘D,’ who has appeared on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central and more, the show will feature comedians Tara Terry, Cecilia Gonzalez and Ms Cut’n Up.
Just because the show’s lineup is all women, doesn’t mean the audience is all female.
“We get both men and women. We get a very diverse crowd,” Sonya ‘D’ said. “Comedy is for everybody. We all like to laugh.”
The name of the show, “These Queens Wear Crowns,” is an acknowledgment of women though, she said.
“Even in this comedy industry — you see female comedians, but we don’t get the exposure, we don’t get the work. We don’t get it like people think we do,” Sonya ‘D’ said. “So for 2022, I wanted to create something that gives back to women. Not just in entertainment, but women-owned businesses. Because that’s the whole point, (it) is collaborating with women businesses to get them on board so we could promote their product or brand or business with this show.”
The “These Queens Wear Crowns” tour features comedians performing at smaller, female-owned venues around the country. The performers and venues both benefit from the exposure, especially at a time when many places have limited capacity due to the pandemic.
“From the conversations I’ve had with a lot of these venues, they’re suffering. Yeah, we’re opening but you guys are putting these capacity limits on, these people can’t even get the right amount of people to come in to recover revenue,” Sonya ‘D’ said.
That’s when she decided to reach out to smaller venues with the idea for the comedy shows.
“Instead of going for the big kahunas, (I) try to tap into some of the small locals that can use the revenue from food and beverage or whatever it is they’re selling,” she said. “And pray that our (audiences) want to come out and laugh. It’s a struggle.”
Sonya ‘D,’ who has produced comedy shows in Bolingbrook and DuPage County, said she was surprised when she discovered there is a theater in Naperville.
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“I love that they have this local theater that gives artists a platform,” she said.
After Sonya ‘D’ hosted a comedy show at Center Stage in January, theater owner Kandiss Hernandez said she heard from people who didn’t know Center Stage exists.
“She has brought in people that have never been into the theater,” Hernandez said. “So not only getting them back in but also making an awareness that we’re here and we’re still plugging away.”
Sonya ‘D’ is someone who thinks outside the box and “definitely is a community liaison … and thinks if you can open up the doors somewhere, people will come and get back into it. Especially if you do it safely and make people feel comfortable taking baby steps getting out,” Hernandez said.
“She was very confident in bringing people here, we just had to be ready for them, and we were. It worked out great. It’s nice that she wants to do it again and kind of make it a continual thing.”
A monthly show at Center Stage provides exposure for the theater, but also gives the performers a venue, Hernandez said.
“(Sonya ‘D’) definitely has a love for her other comedian friends,” Hernandez said. “Finding venues is really the hardest part in a comedian’s world. Especially in these times where venues don’t have the resources that they might have had at one time. So she’s taking a creative approach to it.”
Because the theater is smaller, the audience gets to experience a more intimate show, where it feels like the comedian is talking directly to you, Hernandez said.
Sonya ‘D’ said she loves the intimacy of smaller crowds, as it gives the performers a chance to meet with audience members after the show to answer questions and take photos.
“A lot of good things happen after the show,” she said.
Sonya ‘D’ encourages audience members to buy their tickets online early in case they sell out. The show, she said, offers a brief escape from the everyday world and worries.
“Comedy is the best medicine you can have at any given time. It has nothing to do with pandemic. It heals. It saves you. It gives people a whole other world to live in, even, if it’s only 45 minutes,” she said. “You get to laugh off your problems, laugh off your stress. You get to leave that world of depression, for a little bit. And if we can help as comedians, we’ve done our job.”
‘These Queens Wear Crowns’
When: 6 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Feb. 12
Where: Center Stage Theater, 1665 Quincy Ave., Naperville
Tickets: $25 adults; $55 VIP couples
Information: centerstage-theater.com or standupandlaughtour.com
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.