Comedian Jim Tews To Tape Upcoming Shows at Imposters Theatre

A veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, comedian Jim Tews, who now lives in New York, studied film at Cleveland State University while launching a standup career here in the early 2000s. He regularly returns to Cleveland to perform, and he’s just announced that he’ll bring his new standup hour to Cleveland.

Jim Tews will perform at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at Imposters Theatre.

Dubbed Jim Tews with Pictures, the show will feature visuals, short animations, drawings and photos, and Tews will tape the concerts for a live release.

The show’s genesis dates back to the pandemic when Tews, who has an art background, started drawing more.

“As I was doing more standup, I was getting bored with it, and when I was at Hilarities two years ago, I suggested doing this show, and they were very open to me doing different stuff,” he says via phone from his New York home where he was doing some animation work. “I had a slideshow of drawings that went along with the standup and were in the background. I got a good response, and it was fun and energized me a little bit. I kept working with that, and now I really like using the visual aids. It fits the way people consume stuff now. It’s two-screen entertainment. I’m not the most energetic performer, so having something to point at while I can get a laugh and sit back for a second – I’m all for that.”

He’s been developing the show in pieces. In New York, he says, it’s difficult to find opportunities to perform for a full hour, but he’s done parts of it at clubs that can accommodate the audio visual aspect.

For the upcoming shows at Imposters Theatre, Tews has recruited some of his local friends to help him tape the gigs for a self-released special. And he’ll have various “creative locals” making guest appearances as well.

“I’ll probably throw in some extremely local references,” he says. “I’ll have some semblance of my usual group of weirdos possibly appearing in the show. They’re not big on commitment, so I don’t want to promise anything at this point. I’m doing it at Imposters because it’s a smaller room, and it’s really great. The owner Michael Busch has been accommodating. I shot things in Cleveland before and directed a Mike Polk special and shot a documentary in Cleveland too. I went to film school at CSU, so I’m working with one of my former classmates and a guy I worked with on Mike Polk’s special. It’s just another way to involve friends and the people I like working with in Cleveland.”

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