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# Strokes of ‘Genius’ in alley
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/strokes-of-genius-in-alley/
- Published: 2007-07-05T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:13:23.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Entertainment, Promenade, #archive-import

*Eclectic comedy show puts gag writers front and center*

DOWNTOWN SM In a dark room tucked away in a back alley off the Third Street Promenade, a popular East Coast comedic performance style is set to make some sound.

The Westside Eclectic — a comedy theater located in the alley between the promenade and Fourth Street — will launch a new comedy reading show on July 12, showcasing humorous stories by both well known and up-and-coming comedy writers each month.

“The Genius Show” features a collection of performances by comedians, bloggers and writers reading amusing personal essays, adopting a style of comedy popular in New York City clubs.

“It gives comedy writers and comedians an alternative outlet, not to stand-up, but to read an essay or poem or some creative piece they’ve written,” said Jamie Flam, creative director of the Westside Eclectic.

The inaugural show boasts a diverse line-up, well represented by a variety of entertainers, from stand-up comedians to actors to screenwriters.

Perhaps the most well known name on the roster is Oscar Nuñez, who plays the character, Oscar Martinez on the NBC hit comedy “The Office.”

A newcomer to the storytelling format, Nuñez said he intends to read a story about an experience in which he got high with some friends in high school.

“It’s a funny story about guys getting high, so I think I’ll have to put the paper down and go off page for a while, do my thing,” Nuñez said.

A face behind the jokes cracked in “The Office,” screenwriter Brent Forrester is also in the line-up for the “The Genius Show.”

Forrester has written for several popular TV shows, including “The Simpsons,” “The Ben Stiller Show” and “Mr. Show.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 5, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/070507.pdf?ref=smdp.com)