Though students may not be aware, the Triangle area has been nurturing a growing comedy scene. And according to Adam Cohen, one of the creators of Dangling Loafer, a free monthly stand-up comedy show, people are starting to take notice. 

Now a little more than a year old, Dangling Loafer stands as an example of a growing desire for comedy in the area, both for those coming to the shows and those performing.

“The main reason why we did this was so that we could guarantee ourselves some stage,” Cohen said. “I had been doing comedy a little less than two years than Shane has, but we noticed that more and more stand-ups were doing shows here, and it was getting harder and harder to get the stage time that comics had been getting previously.”

Cohen noted that many venues in the area that had once been easy to get a time at on a weekly basis now required waiting periods up to a couple of months.

Now, thanks to an agreement with the owners of the coffee shop Morning Times, Cohen, along with Shane Smith, another comic, manage Dangling Loafer at the store every third Friday of the month, to the relief of many amateur comics and professionals alike. According to Smith, audiences seem to love it too.

“Luckily, it has turned into this great thing,” Smith said. “It’s just amazing that it has grown so much. We’ve done a little promotion but in the long run, it has just been word-of-mouth.”

During its latest show, Jan. 18, audience members filled the staircase leading up to the second floor to listen to the comics showcased. Holden Broyhill, a junior in criminology, heard about the show from a few of his friends.

“It was a lot of fun,” Broyhill said. “The attitude was really laid-back. It was a great time with great people. I had never been to a comedy show like that. I had a great time. I’d definitely go back.”

Cohen said a lot of the comics love the laid-back atmosphere as well.

“All the comics in the area love this because it is just such a rare set-up,” Cohen said.

“People come to laugh,” Smith said. “There are a lot of open mics where people are just kind of there and they may not be listening. Here, it’s like the real thing, without the money.”

Cohen said that this desire from people to seek out comedy is a growing trend that he might not be able to explain, but is something that is undeniable. He said that just like it has been with music for years, people are now starting to relate to each other by what kind of comedy they enjoy.

With Louis C.K. and other comics quickly becoming household names, the growing importance of comedy is hard to deny.

According to Smith, the economic downturn also gave many people an excuse to try to try new things, which led to a growth in the number of comics.

Smith said he observed this trend when he first started doing stand-up in 2008 after quitting a previous job that he had gotten tired of.

Cohen said his personal foray into the world of comedy a couple years after Smith was completely unexpected.

“It came out of nowhere,” Cohen said. “I was on vacation and I just woke up one morning dreaming comedy bits and I had watched a great comedy show the night before and I just started writing them down and I was like, ‘Wow. This is fun.’ It’s a weird mid-life kind of thing that hit me out of nowhere.”

With Cohen and Smith’s contribution to the Triangle’s comedy scene coinciding with much of the development of downtown Raleigh, both attendees and businesses such as the Morning Times seem to be enjoying the fruits of the two’s work.

“For a while, before I started doing comedy, I was kind of on the outskirts and seeing all these people that I really respected like Holly Aikin start up,” Smith said. “Seeing First Friday come together was amazing. Now, it’s nice that I can kind of give back as well and be a part of growing this culture, this renaissance.”

For more information on The Dangling Loafer and its schedule, readers can visit the website at www.facebook.com/TheDanglingLoafer