Native comedy pioneers take the mic at the Moss Arts Center

Susan Bland

10 Feb 2025

This is a composite of three separate images. From left are Comedian Jim Ruel, a middle aged Indigenous man with long straight brown hair, wears a red long-sleeved T-shirt under a black floral patterned vest and looks towards the camera. The photo was taken outside. Indigenous comedian Marc Yaffee, a middle aged Native man with shoulder-length dark brown hair, wears a white button down shirt in front of a black background and smiles towards the camera. Indigenous comedian Ernest Tsosie, a Native middle aged man in a blue T-shirt and black blazer with a black and white patterned bandana tied around his head, winks one eye and holds a microphone towards the camera. — (From left) Comedians Jim Ruel, Marc Yaffee, and Ernest Tsosie take the stage for "Native Comedy Jam." Photos courtesy of Jim Ruel, Marc Yaffee, and Ernest Tsosie.

Native comedy is having a moment, and the Moss Arts Center is bringing together three veteran comedians who are at the heart of its resurgence. Join Jim Ruel, Marc Yaffee, and Ernest Tsosie for a casual evening of legendary laughter. “Native Comedy Jam” features two performances by the comedians on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7 and 9 p.m. in the Cube at the Moss Arts Center.

Having worked for decades in all major comedy clubs, on television, and in movies, these uncles of the comedy craft have paved the way and are shaping the future of Native comedy on television and in film. Now, they are bringing their stories and charming humor to Blacksburg for a night filled with joy and good-natured teasing — no one is safe — blending humor, storytelling, and rich cultural backgrounds.

“Comedy was brought up in conversation after conversation in the many meetings I did around Virginia Tech and in the community,” said Andre Bouchard, the center’s 2024-25 independent guest performing arts curator. “In this show, we find three comics who have been working to break barriers for decades and through their hard work have trailblazed for the current wave of Native comics.”

Bouchard — of Kootenai/Ojibwe/Pend d’Oreille/Salish descent — is an activist, director, producer, and consultant who was born and raised on the Flathead Reservation in western Montana and is the Moss Arts Center’s second guest curator. Launched in 2022, the independent performing arts curator program brings new perspectives to the center. The guest curator hand-picks a selection of performances to be included in the center’s season.

About the comedians

Ruel is a comedian, writer, director, producer, and actor. A member of the Bay Mills Band of Ojibwe, Ruel grew up in Milwaukee, where he spent the first 10 years of his career performing in comedy clubs around the Midwest. He was a finalist in NBC’s “Diversity Talent Search,” which led to his first television appearance on “The World Stands Up,” recorded in London. He was also featured on “Goin’ Native: The American Indian Comedy Slam” on Showtime and “First Nations Comedy Experience” on FNX.  He currently tours with “Another Indian Uprising.” Ruel also works in film and media under Frybread Productions, a Native-owned video production company. He is a co-host of the “Hollywood NDNz” podcast, which highlights careers of Native American professionals in entertainment.

Yaffee is also a co-star in the Showtime special “Goin’ Native.” He can also be seen on Amazon Prime and his own Dry Bar comedy special, “Mid-Laugh Crisis.” He was a Best of the Fest selection at the 2022 Burbank Comedy Festival and was named one of the 25 Indigenous comedians to watch by IllumiNatives Magazine.

Tsosie, a comedian and actor, is a member of the Screen Actors Guild with professional acting credits that include the Netflix movie “Rez Ball,” as well as multiple appearances on the popular AMC TV shows “Longmire,” “Better Call Saul,” and “Dark Winds” and NBC’s “Rutherford Falls.” As a comedian, Tsosie has entertained coast to coast, from the world-famous Laugh Factory in Hollywood, to the House of Comedy in Phoenix, and even the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Please note, these performances may contain mature language.

“Native Comedy Jam” is one of a trio of performances handpicked by Bouchard for his curatorial collaboration with the center. The series also features writer, performance artist, and social justice advocate george emilio sanchez’s “In the Court of the Conqueror,” a multidisciplinary theatre work reexamining place and its relationship to the past and present historical conflicts of Indigenous lands, which comes to the Cube on Thursday, April 24, and Friday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets

Tickets are $25 forgeneral admission and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the Cube at the Moss Arts Center. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.