Comedian Kat Toledo Is Bringing a Random Person Off Craigslist to Gramps

When alt-comedian, writer, actor, and performer Kat Toledo moved to Los Angeles, she started a comedy night with a friend called Besitos, a shoutout to her Colombian heritage. When her partner couldn't continue doing the show, she decided to take a nontraditional route.

Instead of searching for a new cohost, she thought, Maybe I could try someone from Craigslist. Toledo posted an ad looking for a stranger to go up on stage with her. "It was awesome. I got a ton of responses," she recalls. Working actors, conspiracy theorists, magicians, and radio hosts have answered the call. Not everything is left to chance, though. She screens the lucky person before they hit the stage together to ensure they understand the circumstances.

On Sunday, January 14, she's bringing the Besitos format to Gramps in Wynwood, complete with a random person who answered her ad in Miami.

"They are usually a hero to the audience," she says of her amateur picks. "I don't know if the audience sees them as a representation of them, a nonperformer. It's just funny getting to know a complete stranger." They start by riffing on topics, and Toledo lets them show off their talents, like puppetry or rapping. Afterward, five comedians take the stage to perform their material.

"I like booking [comedians] who have alternative, experimental acts." Some comedians who have performed at Besitos include John Early, Ruby McCollister, and Atsuko Okatsuka. She's also cohosted with Conan O'Brien's hilarious sidekick, Andy Richter. "He's like the ultimate cohost," she observes.

A New York native, Toledo bounced between the Big Apple and Magic City for many years. She fostered an edgier, experimental comedy scene in South Florida during her time in Miami. "That's what's fun and interesting to me," she says.

The first show she ever produced was while she was on vacation in Miami. She combined art and comedy at the Miami art gallery Spring Break/the End for a performance called "Three Hole Wonder." "It really taught me how to put the show together," she says. "I have a good time in Miami because I feel a little bit of liberty. It's easier to book stuff there; they're more open to things."
After moving to Miami, she quickly went on to book shows all over town, including a more traditional night at the Taurus in Coconut Grove, as cohost at Sweat Records' Casa de HaHa, a hybrid noise music-comedy show at Churchill's Pub, a roast battle at Kill Your Idol, and a performance art show at Villain Theater with people who aren't necessarily comedians. "I feel like that's how you create an alternative scene," Toledo says. "You just get people who are funny and aren't necessarily doing comedy, and you put them on a comedy stage because it is entertaining, funny, conceptual, and it works."

Sunday's show serves as a return to Gramps for Toledo, where she opened for Eric Andre and Joe Pera and hosted Crush, a Valentine's Day burlesque and all-female comedy show. This time, she's welcoming comedians Carlos Hernandez, Esther Ku, Paula Barros, Reginald Desjardins, and Julie Baez and musical guests Jenna and Dennis of Donzii to the stage.

"If I don't perform often, I get depressed. It's something my spirit really enjoys doing. I kind of need to do it," she says."The more I do it, the more I realize that whatever I do, as long as I'm having a good time and am well-rehearsed and prepped, people enjoy it."

Besitos. Hosted by Kat Toledo. With Carlos Hernandez, Esther Ku, Paula Barros, Reginald Desjardins, Julie Baez, and the musical guests Jenna and Dennis of Donzii. 8 p.m., Sunday, January 14, at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami; gramps.com. Tickets cost $10.