Kambri Crews
Encyclopedia
Kambri Crews is an American
comedic storyteller
based in New York City
and author of Burn Down the Ground, a memoir of her chaotic childhood with deaf parents. Crews was spotlighted as a top comedy choice in the May 19, 2008 edition of Time Out New York, which called her an "emerging monologist." Crews has also been referred to as a "world class storyteller".
As a CODA
, Crews' storytelling is notable for mixing conventional monologues with the use of American Sign Language
; and for finding the humor in even the most hair-raising of childhood memories. Crews' tales typically focus on her childhood in the deep woods of Montgomery, Texas
, where she lived in everything from a tin shed to a trailer to a barn.
Crews has performed at most of NYC's top indie comedy
venues, including Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
, Gotham Comedy Club
, Broadway Comedy Club, The Peoples Improv Theater
, The Bitter End
, Comix NY
, and famed literary venue KGB (bar)
; and at such shows at The Moth
, Moonwork, Seth Herzog's
Sweet, UCBT's
School Night, Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends, and the NY/LA comedy show Mortified.
In October 2007, Crews created the alternative performance space Ochi's Lounge. Located in the lower level of Comix, Ochi's regularly features open mics, produced shows and guest appearances by stars such as David Cross, Zach Galifianakis, Jim Gaffigan, John Oliver, Mike Daisey, Adam Wade and her husband Christian Finnegan
. In addition to overseeing the performance space, she owns her own PR and production company Ballyhoo Promotions. She is an Executive Producer of the ECNY Awards
and served as the Executive Director of Marketing and Publicity for the comedy nightclub Comix NY from the club's inception on September 2006. She resigned from that post in September 2010 when Ochi's Lounge was closed by new owners of Comix and became the comedy booker for the 92nd Street Y
's Tribeca location.
On June 29, 2002, her father was arrested for the attempted murder of his girlfriend; an act for which he's currently serving a 20 year sentence in a Texas prison. Crews' memoir includes prose versions of many of her performance pieces. She also provides updates about her father in her blog, LoveDaddy.org, and an essay about her childhood was published by Hillary Carlip
on FreshYarn.com.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedic storyteller
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and author of Burn Down the Ground, a memoir of her chaotic childhood with deaf parents. Crews was spotlighted as a top comedy choice in the May 19, 2008 edition of Time Out New York, which called her an "emerging monologist." Crews has also been referred to as a "world class storyteller".
As a CODA
Child of deaf adult
A child of a deaf adult, often known by the acronym "CODA", is a person who was raised by a deaf parent or guardian. Many CODAs identify with both deaf and hearing cultures...
, Crews' storytelling is notable for mixing conventional monologues with the use of American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
; and for finding the humor in even the most hair-raising of childhood memories. Crews' tales typically focus on her childhood in the deep woods of Montgomery, Texas
Montgomery, Texas
Montgomery is a city located in Montgomery County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 489. It is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag of Texas.-History:...
, where she lived in everything from a tin shed to a trailer to a barn.
Crews has performed at most of NYC's top indie comedy
Alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
venues, including Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
, Gotham Comedy Club
Gotham Comedy Club
Gotham Comedy Club is a venue for stand-up comedy in New York City. The comedy club is located on 208 West 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea.Several movies and television shows have been filmed at the club...
, Broadway Comedy Club, The Peoples Improv Theater
Peoples Improv Theater
The Peoples Improv Theater, or The P.I.T., was established in New York City in 2002 by Ali Reza Farahnakian. Currently located at 123 East 24th Street near Madison Square Park, The PIT's shows include improvisational comedy, sketch comedy, and other forms of theater, all working together to raise...
, The Bitter End
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to The Other End during the 1970s...
, Comix NY
Comix comedy club
Opened in September 2006 by business partners Harlan Halper and Michael Palitz, Comix was a venue for stand-up comedy located in The Meatpacking District in New York City on 14th Street and 9th Avenue...
, and famed literary venue KGB (bar)
KGB (bar)
KGB is a Soviet-era themed bar located in the East Village of New York City at 85 E. 4th Street, New York, NY 10003.-History:Before its present incarnation, the second-floor venue was a speakeasy for Ukrainian Socialists who met behind its double-locked doors to hide their political affiliations...
; and at such shows at The Moth
The Moth
The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It was founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the...
, Moonwork, Seth Herzog's
Seth Herzog
Seth Herzog is an American comedian. Besides being active in New York City performing comedy, Mr. Herzog was the subject of the short film Zog's Place. He has also enjoyed small roles in such films as Safe Men, The Ten and The Baxter. He has also acted in numerous commercials, and on such T.V...
Sweet, UCBT's
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre or UCB Theatre is an improvisational theatre and associated UCB Training Center with locations in Chelsea, New York, the EEast Village, New York and Hollywood, California.....
School Night, Liam McEneaney's Tell Your Friends, and the NY/LA comedy show Mortified.
In October 2007, Crews created the alternative performance space Ochi's Lounge. Located in the lower level of Comix, Ochi's regularly features open mics, produced shows and guest appearances by stars such as David Cross, Zach Galifianakis, Jim Gaffigan, John Oliver, Mike Daisey, Adam Wade and her husband Christian Finnegan
Christian Finnegan
Fletcher Christian Finnegan , better known as Christian Finnegan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in New York City.-Early life:Finnegan was born in Albany, New York...
. In addition to overseeing the performance space, she owns her own PR and production company Ballyhoo Promotions. She is an Executive Producer of the ECNY Awards
ECNY Awards
The ECNY Awards were created in 2003 by Derek Gordon to honor rising stars in the New York Comedy world in various genres, including sketch, stand up, improv, musical comedy acts, and video...
and served as the Executive Director of Marketing and Publicity for the comedy nightclub Comix NY from the club's inception on September 2006. She resigned from that post in September 2010 when Ochi's Lounge was closed by new owners of Comix and became the comedy booker for the 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association...
's Tribeca location.
Personal life
Most prominent in Crews's stories is her father, who was the seventh of ten children of farmers, born completely deaf, and "the black sheep of his very strict Christian family." The summer before Crews entered her senior year at Richland High School (Texas), her father attacked her mother. Crews was able to stop the attack and dial 911. He was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. At seventeen years of age and still in high school, she married a 23-year-old man in the US Navy with her mother’s legal permission since Crews was under the age of consent.On June 29, 2002, her father was arrested for the attempted murder of his girlfriend; an act for which he's currently serving a 20 year sentence in a Texas prison. Crews' memoir includes prose versions of many of her performance pieces. She also provides updates about her father in her blog, LoveDaddy.org, and an essay about her childhood was published by Hillary Carlip
Hillary Carlip
Hillary Carlip is an American author, screenwriter, performance artist, and singer.-Career:Carlip's first book Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out was published in 1995. Her second book, Zine Scene, which she designed herself and co-wrote with Francesca Lia Block, won an American Library Association...
on FreshYarn.com.