By day Ralph Cooper is a television producer. By night he is politically incorrect comedian. (Photo by Mark F. Gray)
On a night of intense Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey in D.C. there’s a packed house inside RFD – an Irish soccer pub and sports bar – around the corner from Verizon Center in Chinatown. As Nicklas Backstrom scores the Washington Capitals first playoff goal in what their fans hope will be a championship run a loud crescendo erupts in the main room followed by bellows of laughter from the back.
Comedian Ralph Cooper has just taken the microphone for the beginning of “Awesome Thursdays,” the weekly open mic forum for aspiring stand up philosophers to share unique takes on life. Anything goes during those five minutes of funny time and no subjects are off limits. In this environment, heckling is encouraged.
“We’ve turned more hecklers into comedians that anybody in the business,” Cooper told the AFRO with a devilish grin. “I don’t have a problem with the audience making their feelings known but they better be ready for the folks on stage to send it right back.”
“Awesome Thursdays” has become a ground breaking stage for aspiring comedians in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The stage is a social convergence of humor that crosses all demographic lines. Whether a Black college student, a middle age White businessmen, or a Fox News producer who travels from New York to perform, if you are funny – or think you have the gift to make people laugh – Cooper’s platform for self-expression has become a breakout spot for new talent. Every performer who emails Cooper is scheduled and the only rule is that no performer can take the stage in consecutive weeks.
Randy Syfax left the showcase and appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on NBC last year. Brandon Brody, the final host of BET’s “106 & Park,” cut his comedic chops during “Awesome Thursdays” hosting another program for the network called “The XPeriment.” Cooper himself recently opened for Kevin Hart’s taping of his Comedy Central special that is scheduled to air this fall.
“Part of the fun of this thing is watching people work hard, get better, and capitalize on their break,” said Cooper.
Cooper, a 1998 graduate of Morehouse College, is living the best of both worlds. By day he lives a Bruce Wayne life as a guest producer at CCTV America where he helps shape impressions of American news for Chinese audiences worldwide. On Thursday nights he transforms into comedic version of Batman. By the time his elevator doors open in the lobby of network’s Massachusetts Ave studios he has transformed into the DMV’s crusader for politically incorrect humor. He wants comics who take risks and don’t give in to conservative audiences.
“I’ve visited rooms and rooms and have had a problem with them all,” said Cooper. “I don’t like comics who are scared to take risks. I don’t care if you talking about religion, gay marriage, politics or whatever if it’s funny say and it make people laugh”.
“Where would we be if the legends of the game had been worried about political correctness,” he adds. “There would be no Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Paul Mooney or George Carlin. They pushed the envelope and took chances and that’s what I want to give comics a chance to do”.
From baby boomers to millennials the acts that debut on the “Awesome Thursday” stages don’t leave any stone unturned. They push the limits on all aspects of life in brutally raw unwavering fashion to resounding laughs giving the audience a temporary respite from the harsh realities of daily life.
“Comedy is my diversion,” said Cooper.