The San Francisco Bay area has become a hot bed of great comedic talent. This blog has featured comedians like Will Franken, events like the San Francisco Improv Festival and venues like the Purple Onion in the past and now we’re excited to highlight another incredible venue for live comedy.

The venue is Rhythmix Cultural Works, a beautifully renovated 150-seat theater that’s just five minutes from downtown Oakland in Alameda. They host a wide variety of events: live dance and music performances, art exhibitions and education, cultural exchange programs and even bingo. What we’ve really been noticing, however, is that they’ve been hosting top-notch comedy shows such as their monthly Rhythmix Comedy Jam and the upcoming preliminary week of the 36th Annual San Francisco Comedy Competition.

The Rhythmix Comedy Jam is a new series that features ninety minutes of hilarious standup comedy, quizzes, skits and more. They describe it as “SNL meets The Daily Show on steroids.” The next installment takes place on Friday, September 9th and features the East Bay comedian Johnny Steele. Steele is the former host of several Bay Area radio and TV shows including The Live 105 Morning Show, Green 960 and The Show on KRON 4/Bay TV. He is also a past winner of the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and is touted by the San Francisco Chronicle as being “Funny, clean and smart.” The comedy jams happen every second Friday through December but Johnny Steele’s performance is not one you’ll want to miss. Want a little taste? Check out this compilation of short clips of Steel’s stand-up throughout the years.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM6WSSTKQ50]

The 36th Annual San Francisco Standup Comedy Competition is one of American’s longest-running comedy contests with hundreds of performers making the trek to the Bay Area from around the globe. The festival boasts an impressive roster of alumni including Robin Williams, Ellen Degeneres, Dana Carvey, Patton Oswalt and Louis CK to name a few. The festival takes place at a number of venues around the Bay Area and Rhythmix is hosting a night emceed by Dave Burleigh on Thursday, September 15th. Burleigh has made a name for himself performing alongside some of comedy’s biggest names including Tim Allen and George Lopez and he’s known for his skills as a master of celebrity impersonations.

The show at Rhythmix is part the Preliminary week of the festival where fifteen comedians battle for five slots to advance to the Semi-Finals. The top five from this week will face the top five from Week Two in the Semi-Finals with just five chosen to move onto the Finals in the beginning of October. This could be your chance to see a comedian before they become famous and also a chance to witness a comedic institution that has seen some of the top comedians of our time pass across its stages. Plus, the intimate setting of Rhythmix Cultural Works is the perfect setting to get up close and personal with the comedians.

Check out more events happening at the Rhythmix Cultural works here and support another vibrant venue in the beautiful Bay Area.