Falls Church Comedian Ace Jackson Brings A&A Comedy to Clare & Don’s, Feb. 2

By daylight, Ace Jackson runs a commercial division for JK Moving Services with high-flying clients like Northrop Grumman and the World Bank. By night, he’s hosting open mics, performing stand-up comedy with a local flair, and managing his new production company, A&A Comedy.

Tomorrow evening, from 6-8:00 p.m., Feb. 2, Jackson – and his partner in the production business, Alec Quinn, a fellow D.C. comedian and friend – will be presenting an A&A Comedy Night at Clare & Don’s at 130 N. Washington St. 

Headlining the show will be Patrice DeVeaux, a Richmond comedian who recently toured the Netherlands and Amsterdam. In addition to Ace Jackson and Alec Quinn, comedians Chris Porter, of Fredericksburg, and Erik Barbalace of D.C. will also be bringing the laughs. 

The Falls Church Independent interviewed Ace Jackson to find out how he got into comedy, some of the challenges he’s faced doing standup, the lessons he’s learned on the various comedy circuits, his keys to success, and why he believes supporting local standup is so important.

It Started with Stage Fright…

At first, he had stage fright, but once he got a taste of the laughs, Falls Church Comedian Ace Jackson knew there was no turning back. As a kid he had attended Timber Lane Elementary and Luther Jackson Middle School, but before becoming a Falls Church H.S. Jaguar, his family moved to Centreville.  

We asked Jackson how he got involved in comedy. “We moved around a lot in Northern Virginia, my family and I, “ he said. “So, you know how you make friends, when you’re young? You make people laugh and stuff like that.”

“And once I grew up and started school and everything, there was this app called Vine and I started making videos,” Jackson continued. “And I would post them out. And my girlfriend at the time was like, ‘Hey, you’re getting a lot of followers! You need to move into standup comedy! – which is always something I looked up to and always wanted to try. But, I was always afraid of being in front of people. So, that’s why I did a bunch of writing.”

Writing Out Bits

“I pretty much made my skits and just wrote them out into almost a standup form and [then] she found an open mic for me, and we went to the open mic. And there were a lot of people signed up that night! And the host of the comedy club said, ‘You know what? We’re going to be turning this into a competition.’ And I thought this was going to be like – Oh my! – My nerves were like! – There was so much pressure! And then the first time I did it, I came in third out of all those people. Out of 20 people, I came in third, and a lot of those comedians were seasoned, so I was like, ‘She’s right! She’s right! I should be doing this!’" [Laughs]. 

First Laughs at Jolly’s

“It was at a place in Alexandria called Jolly’s,” Jackson remembered. “I don’t think it’s open any more. But, it was this little hookah bar spot and they had a DJ and they did comedy, trying to stay in business and stuff.” 

“But, once I made that first joke and I saw the people laugh, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m chasin’ this now!’ Like, it was amazing, that feeling. I can’t compare it to anything else.”

Just connecting with the audience and hearing those first laughs gave Jackson the confidence he needed. “And my girlfriend at the time, she was like ‘Yup. This is your path.’ And I was like ‘That’s awesome!’ And then, I started doing other open mics, and doing different audiences, and different crowds, and I was getting, the same reactions and the same laughs. So, I began to think,  ‘I can make almost anybody laugh!’ And, that’s cool!’” 

For Jackson, it’s vital that comedy have a universal appeal, even though each comedian must develop their own authentic voice. “I like to have a universal [approach]. I like to be able to make anybody laugh, and not just put myself into any one box.”

Jackson was influenced by a wide range of comedians growing up. “I like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor because of their stories. Especially Richard Pryor for the story-telling, how he turns being caught on fire [to something] so funny. And then George Carlin, because he made situations that are not supposed to be funny so funny. And then the recent ones, I suppose, Kevin Hart… I’ve been watching a lot of Andrew Schultz now, stuff like that. 

After eight years of doing his own sets, hosting open mics and performing, Jackson has learned from watching other comedians succeed or fail to win over an audience and he’s honed his own material to work comfortably in front of anyone. He now has a 10-minute “Clean Set” and can also go “Blue,” depending on the crowd. He’s also comfortable handling crowd work and managing hecklers. 

“I’m producing a show also in February in Front Royal because they wanted a crowd work show, so the audience knows they’re going to be part of the show,” Jackson said. “And if somebody tries to heckle, I can shut that down. I’ve been doing it for over eight years, so I know how to handle like any obstacle that’s thrown at me and stuff.”

I asked Jackson if he ever felt “type-casted as a Black comedian”? “No,” he answered. “I always address that by, ‘I know what you think I’m going to talk about,’ but here’s what I’m actually going to talk about. That’s where I hit them with a left one – where I go and talk about relationships and stuff like that… We’re all relatable and we’re going to find common ground at the end of these 15 or 20 minutes. 'You’re going to relate to me up here, so.' Do I feel typecast? No. I’ve seen a lot of people do that though…. And it’s almost like a cop-out sometimes, you know? Like it’s the easy way out. But, I’m like, uh-uh. Dive deeper. Don’t go the easy route, you know?” 

How does he describe his comedic style on stage? “I would call myself high-energy, because I move around, I make sure I make eye contact and stuff like that,” he said. “Like I’m animated so I don’t need a prop on stage. I’m moving around with high-energy, making sure everyone’s paying attention and engaged.”

Speaking of high-energy, Jackson’s A&A Comedy is not his only production company. He’s also with Beer Room and Black & White Comedy. Being part of so many production entities has helped Jackson hit the road to hone his act. “So I’m a part of three production companies. I’ve got Beer Room that I help produce shows for and that’s the one that gets me to travel, because we’ve been in Boston, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, and I also have another company and that’s where I produce my open-mic, it’s called Black & White Comedy. But now I’m trying to get back into – like A&A is special to me because I’ve taken all the skills I learned from those production companies and I’ve put them into this one.”

And Jackson’s goal now is to bring his comedy back home to the Falls Church area where he grew up. “I started at home, almost, I started in the Falls Church area, but now I have a better idea. And it’s just me, myself, and my best friend Alec Quinn, because she’s been doing comedy for over a year now and I was like, ‘Hey, it would be good to work with somebody you trust, so we started A&A Comedy and went to Clare & Don’s.”

In January, during the snow and cold, A&A put on their first show at Clare & Don’s. For the owners, the event exceeded expectations. When he first pitched the show, the owner had been skeptical. “Ironically, the owner said, ‘Hey, we’ve done comedy here before and it wasn’t successful.’” But, Jackson responded, “Well, that’s them, but this is me and this is us. I know we have a following.’ And we had our first show there on the first Sunday in January and we had that snow storm and everybody was like, ‘Well, we don’t know if we can come out.’ But we still sold tickets. We turned a profit!” 

“The owner said, ‘I didn’t think people were going to show up.’ And then he said, ‘But, I’m happy to do business with you,” Jackson said. “They had food and drink specials. They had us in an intimate room so everybody who was in there was there for comedy. So it’s not like people are trying to watch the games and stuff.”

Jackson likes to work the local angle into his routines. So, when he’s back home in Falls Church, he riffs on the local coffee shops and seeing dudes with neck tattoos ordering double-pump lattes, or the latest at Seven Corners or Bailey’s Cross Roads – if it’s possible to squeeze comedy from that. Or, “crime-wise” how he just can’t walk down the street any more around here.

Gotta Support Local Comedy

You gotta support local comedy, Jackson insists. “I’m from the area” and customers who come to Clare & Don's “won’t have to go to D.C. for the comedy…. It’s not like you’re supporting an out-of-towner, you know? I know about the schools. I know about the Mosaic District, because it used to be just like a simple multi-plex, but nobody knows about that now.” [Laughs]. 

“And, I’m trying to give back. When I started A&A, because this [company] is the closest to me, I wanted this one to be my chance to come back home. You know how you leave your home to get a name for yourself and then you come back? Well, that’s what I’m doing. And that’s why people should come out and support us. And, actually, I also feel like the State Theatre doing comedy, we could actually start a really big scene of comedy in Falls Church.”

I was curious to know what sort of advice Jackson would offer to folks who aspire to the comedy stage. He thought deeply and launched into the importance of being able to “read the crowd.” 

Jackson works especially hard, extra hours, learning about his crowds and audiences. At his open mics, he’ll workshop ideas, network, hold meetings on showcases and meet with prospective comedians – and ask others what they think. “So, I work on my own stuff, and then network, and you’ll see who’s funny or not. Because when you produce these showcases, you need to go for the best because people are paying money. So, I don’t want to gamble on nobody. So, I always network and do it that way.”

“Normally I host those shows,” Jackson said. “And that’s my job, to test the room, and find out, ‘Okay, they don’t want to hear about this type or that type of humor.’ Or, this crowd might be a little dirty, or this crowd might be a little clean. And you’ve got to read the room, right?”

“Every show, I’m always out there like an hour before and I usually stay like an hour and a-half later just talking to the crowd, and just talking to people,” Jackson said. “And that’s how I got my following now. Because they’re like, ‘Oh he’s the same person he is on stage as he is off the stage.’ Like ‘There’s not a gimmick to him.’ I am who I am on the stage and off. And you just talk. Like I talked to a couple of people and they were like ‘Oh, yeah, we’re veterans’ and…. we just talk and talk, and they’ll ask where the next show is. So that’s what it’s about, connecting with people. Because at the end of the day, we both had crazy girlfriends, or we both hate our jobs. That’s why I don’t invite some of my co-workers to some of my shows. [Laughs]. So, it’s about finding common ground with people. And breaking the divisions and stuff.”  

But, comedians also have to develop their own unique voices. You’ve got to “develop your own identity,” Jackson stressed. “Like you don’t want to go up there and – I can’t tell you how many times at open mics people go up there and say the exact same thing as the other person just said. Or, the exact same topic. So, create your own identity!”

“Talk about yourself and get people to know 'I have my own identity.' ‘That’s an Ace joke.’ Like if someone were going to go up there and say my joke, the audience would know, ‘No, that’s an Ace joke.’ "

Also make sure your jokes are original and fresh – and you’re aware of your stage mannerisms and voicing. “And also, don’t steal,” Jackson advised. “Don’t steal because everybody’s watching everything. So, be creative and have a stage presence and have a good tone of voice. And make eye contact. Because a lot of people will get up there and they’ll hold the mic and you can hear their voice going up and down.”

And most of all, “Never blame the crowd,” Jackson warns. “You’ve got to learn to go work through it.”

“And always keep writing. Always keep writing. You should be writing every day on how to make your jokes. That’s the best thing. And you should practice,” he said.

Jackson keeps two journals, one for ideas and one for more elaborated bits. Then, he often tests ideas on others, especially work colleagues. “If I think it’s funny, I’ll test on my co-workers without them knowing, and if they laugh, I think, ‘Okay, well it passed that test. Now let’s see if we can write this out.’ Then I’ll take it to the stage or to the open mics. I’ve got a little process of how I go about it. Because, sometimes people are like, ‘Is that a joke?’ And, I’m like, ‘I don’t know. Do you think? It might be!’”  [Laughs].

Finally, I wanted to know how Jackson addresses our current heated political climate. His response displayed his love of bringing audiences together based on common ground.

“Well, at the end of the day, we all have the same goals, we just have different ideas for how to get there,” Jackson said. “I don’t really need to dive into political stuff, because there are a couple of things you just shouldn’t talk about, like politics, religion and sports. Unless I know I have a tight, or a great grip on the audience where I know I can get them back. I’ve dived into it before. But I always make sure. And some of the Black & White comedy shows I used to do… I used to do in West Virginia. And, you know, that’s where I would test out some stuff. Cause, I’m like, ‘Hey, I know how you see things. And this is how I see things. Let’s find common ground. But it’s going to be funny.’ And then you know, at the end of the night we’re all taking pictures and they’re like ‘You know what? I like you.’” [Laughs]. 

Jackson urged everyone to come out to Clare & Don’s Sunday evening Feb. 2. “You’re getting a melting pot of all these different types of comedians who are all funny and have all got different stories. Because you’re not going to hear them talk about the same thing. And that’s what Alec and I have been doing with these shows, we’ve been finding different people who are funny to give everyone a bang for their buck. We’re going to do great things. And Clare & Don’s has been nothing but supportive of us the whole way through.” 

By Christopher Jones