Un-Cabaret Laboratories, Los Angeles

Un-Cabaret Laboratories is an alternative comedy organization based in Los Angeles. They are involved in various creative projects, including live performances, television productions, multimedia endeavors, workshops, and events.

The origins of Un-Cabaret date back to 1990 when Beth Lapides, a performance artist who transitioned into comedy, began organizing shows in unconventional venues such as the Women's Building and later the Highways Performance Space. The primary concept behind these shows was to deliver humor without adhering to a traditional comedic 'act.' Instead, they embraced a storytelling approach characterized by a free-flowing stream of consciousness, as opposed to the typical setup and punchline structure seen in mainstream stand-up comedy.

In November 1993, Un-Cabaret relocated to LunaPark, a newly established music club in West Hollywood. Over the next seven years, Beth Lapides gathered a diverse group of comedians who had found themselves disenchanted with the conventions of traditional comedy clubs. This roster included performers like Judy Toll, Taylor Negron, Bob Odenkirk, Julia Sweeney, Bobcat Goldthwait, Terry Sweeney, Merrill Markoe, Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Laura Kightlings, then spreading to New York and eventually across the United States and Canada.

In 1997, Comedy Central produced a television special for Un-Cabaret featuring notable comedians like Beth Lapides, Taylor Negron, Dana Gould, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, Andy Dick, and Scott Thompson.

Following the closure of LunaPark, Un-Cabaret relocated to different venues, including the HBO Workspace and M-Bar in Hollywood. They continued to curate personal narrative comedy performances, collaborating with non-traditional comedians such as the Sklar Brothers, Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt, Jeff Garlin, Mike McDonald, as well as writers like Jerry Stahl, Michael Patrick King, Larry Charles, Judd Apatow, and others.