Brandon Lyons (left) and Marcus Coleman will serve as the hosts of the new Portland comedy showcase The Collabo. (Kyle Brown)

By Mike Acker | For The Oregonian/OregonLive

Portland comedy fans, get ready: There’s a new show in town, and its creators want everybody to know they’re doing things a little bit differently.

The Collabo, conceived and produced by local comics Marcus Coleman and Brandon Lyons, premieres Saturday, Sept. 30, at By The Collective, a boutique retail space and pop-up barber shop in the heart of downtown Portland.

The venue isn’t the only thing that’s going to set this new comedy endeavor apart from the other locally produced shows populating the Portland comedy landscape.

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“There’s been a lot of comedy shows starting, and they’re just focusing on comedy and that’s a good market,” Lyons said. “But we’re like, why not add a little music to it, with a DJ? Also, we’re doing it at a really cool clothing store. Why not just add all these things together?”

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Portland comedian Milan Patel. (Handout photo)

Lyons and Coleman will serve as the show's hosts. For their premiere, they will present local notables Milan Patel and Shain Brenden and Seattle-based stand-up Alyssa Yeoman.

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Along with three top-level comics doing 15 minutes each – a shift from the weekly bar shows that feature more comics doing shorter sets – Lyons and Coleman are doing something else kind of revolutionary among local shows: They’re charging for tickets.

Some local shows have a door charge, but The Collabo will be one of the few non-theater shows to sell actual tickets.

“These are people that can do 30 minutes. We’re definitely picking the best of the best of the best,” Lyons said.

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Comedian Marcus Coleman. (Kyle Brown)

Coleman elaborated on the duo’s decision to sell tickets to launch their brand-new show:

“That’s what separates it from us putting on another thing where it’s us telling jokes to us,” he said. “We’re trying to pay. We’ve got a DJ coming out, we’re trying to get him money. We’re putting people up who have work that’s worth being paid for.”

Portland’s local comedy scene has had extensive turnover in the last few years, and Coleman and Lyons have emerged as two among many comedians looking to plant their flag in one of the hottest comedy cities in the country.

“This is California, there’s been gold promised to us and we’re all out here trying to stake some land,” Coleman said. “It’s not just about power to be grabbed, there’s audiences to be captured. Comics have left, but there are people who like comedy here, and we’ve got to fill that void.”

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Both comics currently run other shows in town, but The Collabo will be their first time stepping out on their own. As two of the top local comedians, not only do Lyons and Coleman want to present a comedy show in a different kind of space, but they also want to present a show with a different kind of lineup.

The Collabo’s first lineup features people of color exclusively, and that’s not an accident.

“We had the running joke that we put this show on because we never get to do shows together,” Coleman said.

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Comedian Brandon Lyons (Kyle Brown)

“Every time another comic comes to town, they’re like, ‘There’s actually a black person here?’ I’m done hearing that. Like, ‘Here they are,’ and we’re good, too,” Lyons said. “We’re definitely not saying that all future shows are going to be like this, but like Jerry Seinfeld says, he just hires his friends. We’re going to hire our friends, it’s just going to happen to be that most of them are going to be black and brown. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

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Patel, who like Coleman and Lyons grew up in the Portland area, echoed their sentiment.

“I think there’s a lot of minorities living in the city that want to see comedy, and there’s nothing in the local scene that reaches out to people that aren’t white to come to the show,” he said. “Hopefully this will get more minorities to come out. I want them to come out because there’s something for them in this show.”

Beyond who is on the show and what it means for the local scene to launch a fully produced showcase with an admission charge in a fancy downtown streetwear boutique, Lyons and Coleman are anxious to show they can maintain the legacy of Portland comedy.

“That’s why we’re starting this. Are we going to continue the greatness that was before us or are we going to drop it? That’s what we’re trying to answer right now,” Lyons said. “Every show I’ve ever done, I’m like, ‘I hope people show up.’ But this is times ten that. It’s on that level.”

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THE COLLABO

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30

Where: By The Collective, 205 S.W. Pine St.

Tickets: $10, at the door

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