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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2025)
COMEDY and early evenings before shows. After school, Shardé says, Lexy’s will be a hangout spot for kids interested in comedy, “where they can do improv work- shops, play games and interact. And then we turn the room to get ready for the fi rst show of the night.” Hayward’s Kitchen, currently a food in 2023. Shardé says she’s encouraged by its truck and catering service based in Spring- success, and her timeline to open is early fi eld, will provide food and drink for the in 2026. Setting Lexy’s apart, Shardé says, new club, which has a capacity of 75. is an educational component to her plan. One day, Shardé hopes to expand into She’s taught stand-up comedy classes at other areas of the building where Lexy’s is places like Oregon Contemporary Theatre located, creating something like a co-work- in downtown Eugene, and will use Lexy’s ing space for creatives, where creators can as a space for youth record podcasts or make TikTok posts and and adults to take Instagram Reels and other social media classes and work- content to promote themselves and shops in the their craft. afternoon Once established, Shardé says she also intends to franchise the concept to other cities. Eugene standup and former Eugene Weekly B e s t o f Eugene Best Come- dian winner Seth Milstein supports more spaces for comedy in the area, and says that Lexy’s promises a completely new way for the comedy scene to connect with the public. LEXIS SHARDÉ “Using comedy as a way Photo by M5N5D Photography to educate and socialize can be a positive way to engage young people,” Milstein says. Comedy Central Eugene’s second full- time comedy club, Lexy’s, opens in early 2026 BY WILL KENNEDY L exis Shardé has a lot going on: She hosts several pop-up stand-up comedy shows at different venues in Eugene each month, performs with her Eugene-based improv troupe, Weird Kids at Recess, and tours as a stand-up comedian around the West Coast. Add to that her day job in real estate, and now Shardé is starting Lexy’s Comedy Club on River Road in Eugene. Of her busy schedule, Shardé reassures Eugene Weekly, “I sleep!” Lexy’s is the second venue solely dedi- cated to comedy in Eugene, and the rare spot in Oregon outside Portland that strictly hosts comedy, both improv and standup. Lexy’s will host touring comedians as well as comedians from Eugene and the Pacifi c Northwest. E u g e n e ’s f i r s t comedy club, Olsen Run Comedy Club & Lounge, opened “I’m optimistic about how this new space will help build and connect locals to our comedy community.” Shardé was born in Eugene, and after graduating from the University of Oregon, lived in Los Angeles and Phoenix, where she started doing comedy, fi rst improv and then later standup. While in L.A., she studied sketch writing and standup at Upright Citizens Brigade, a world-renowned comedy troupe and training center founded in part by Amy Poehler, where comedians and comedic actors like Aubrey Plaza, Bowen Yang and Ilana Glazer performed and studied. Through Lexy’s, Shardé currently hosts well-attended pop-up shows featuring local, regional and touring comics at places like Gratitude Brewing, Arable Brewing, Fath- oms Bar near the UO campus and Cowfi sh in downtown Eugene. Once her brick-and-mortar spot opens, she says she’ll likely continue produc- ing these shows in other venues to build awareness of her brand. These performances often have themes. Comic, Interrupted, for example, is a recur- ring open mic where audience members tip the comics for a chance to heckle them, letting the comedians practice their response. “With what’s going on in the world, people need this,” Shardé says of the live comedy boom in Eugene and elsewhere. “That’s why I strive to do this. People need healing.” With a tentative timeline to open in January 2026, Lexy’s Comedy Club is at 2747 River Road. For more information about the club and for a schedule of Lexy’s pop-up events, go to LexysComedyClub.com. SEPT. 26 - 28, 2025 LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III KATIE PRUITT · GRACE BOWERS MARTYN JOSEPH · KYSHONA AMERICAN PATCHWORK QUARTET JOHN FULLBRIGHT · SEAN HAYES THE BONES OF J.R. JONES WHITEHORSE · GOODNIGHT, TEXAS KALETA & SUPER YAMBA BAND GABY MORENO · HUMBIRD TRAY WELLINGTON BAND BOBBY ALU · MASON VIA THE FRETLESS AND MANY MORE! Voting Open! vote.eugeneweekly.com TICKETS ON SALE AT SISTERSFOLKFEST.ORG support.eugeneweekly.com September 11, 2025 21
