All-Black Indie Comedy Tour Coming to Richmond

The Black Power Rangers Comedy Tour makes its way to the River City on Thursday, August 24th. The comics will be taking the stage at local comedy club Coalition Theater for a 8:00 p.m. show. The lineup includes comedy favorites Brandi Roberts, Matt White, Jarrod Fortune, Cordero Wilson, Black Power Rangers founder Wills Maxwell, Jr, and special hometown guest Francesca Lyn (Richmond).

Last year marked the first ever Black Power Rangers Comedy Tour. The all-black lineup had four back-to-back stops and garnered local and national press coverage along the way. This year, the tour expands to 10 cities including stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

The comedians were assembled by Maxwell, who has a deep appreciation for all of them. “These are performers that crack me up and I couldn’t be more excited to do this with them,” said Maxwell. “We’ve all seen each other at different shows in North Carolina and it’s just exciting to have shows with all of us at once. I didn’t have to twist anyone’s arm to join me on this adventure, they were all game immediately, and that means a lot to me.” Maxwell is especially thrilled to share the stage with local comic, Francesca Lyn, and bring the show to her home club, Coalition Theater.  “The point of the tour is to reach as many people as possible and make them laugh. Folks already know to expect quality shows at Coalition and it’s exciting to be a part of that.”

The “Black Power Rangers Comedy Tour” stops include:

7/26 Watts & Ward in Raleigh, NC- 7:30 p.m.

8/15 Starlight on 22nd in Charlotte, NC- 7:30 p.m.

8/16 Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN- 7:30 p.m.

8/17 Third Coast Comedy Club in Nashville, TN- 9:00 p.m.

8/18 Gallery 992 in Atlanta, GA- 8:00 p.m.

8/19 Alchemy Comedy Theater in Greenville, SC- 9:00 p.m.

8/23 Dead Crow Comedy Room in Wilmington, NC- 7:00 p.m.

8/24 Coalition Theater in Richmond, VA- 8:00 p.m.

8/25 The DC Arts Center in Washington, D.C.- 7:30 p.m.

8/26 The Lou Room in Baltimore, MD- 8:00 p.m.

“This is us building off of what we started last year,” said Maxwell “This isn’t just a tour, it’s a movement. We’re going to continue to highlight Black voices and connect Black talent across the South.” When asked who the intended demographic is, Maxwell replied “Anyone who wants to laugh.”

Tickets and Information are available at WillsMaxwell.com/Tour2023

Wills Maxwell has been on the North Carolina comedy scene for the better part of a decade. He’s well-known to viewers in Southeast North Carolina for his comedy news segment “What Did We Miss?” which aired weekly on ABC/CBS affiliate WWAY for 5 years, with 182 episodes reaching a viewership of 110,000 households. Wills won Port City’s Top Comic in 2019, was a regional finalist in StandUp NBC in 2018, and a finalist at Ultimate Comic Challenge in 2020. He hosted Wilmington’s late-night talk show “Late Fear with Wills Maxwell” for three years. He has also opened for several comedians including Ramy Youssef, Roy Wood Jr., Tim Meadows, and Jim Gaffigan.

Brandi Roberts is a rising comedic talent based in Raleigh, NC and is a regular at the historic Goodnight’s Comedy Club. She has performed at the Oak City Comedy Festival (Raleigh, NC), the North Carolina Comedy Festival (Greensboro, NC), and the 1865 Festival (Atlanta, GA). She has opened for Yamaneika Saunders, Katie Hughes, Ali Siddiq, The Plastic Cup Boyz, amongst many others. Brandi uses humor to bring people together. She is witty, raw, and charismatic. She hosts the popular “A Comedy Experiment” showcase at Watts & Ward every month.

Matt White went from distracting his classmates to engaging audiences nationally. Winner of “NC Funniest” 2020, “Carolina’s Funniest Comic” 2013, and “Port City’s Top Comic” 2012 are just a few achievements Matt has earned so far. Matt’s comedy journey began at ECU. Dreams of becoming a comedic actor led him to join an Improv Troupe. Later he founded a comedy organization, which branched off campus and became the hub of the local stand up comedy scene. Matt has performed in comedy festivals across the US. Red Clay Comedy Festival (Atlanta GA), LA Diversity In Comedy Festival (Los Angeles CA), Big Pine Comedy Festival (Flagstaff AZ) and many more. 2019 Matt was selected “Best Of Fest” at the Cleveland Comedy Festival. He is the one of the producers of the Oak City Comedy Festival (Raleigh NC). Matt has opened for Orny Adams, Tommy Davidson, Micheal Rapaport, Roy Wood Jr, Dusty Slay, Donnell Rawlings, Bobcat Goldthwait, and many many more.

Jarrod Fortune – Jarrod Fortune is a NYC based comedian hailing from North Carolina. He’s the coproducer of Wait On It comedy, and he cohosts the Big Big East Podcast. He has performed at clubs and festivals across the country.

Cordero Wilson – Cordero Wilson is a NYC based comedian who grew up a biracial nerd, in the 90s, in small town North Carolina. This sounds like the perfect start of a Netflix show, but you don’t have to wait for the pilot to get this man’s perspective. Through storytelling, singing, and quick fire crowd interaction, Cordero offers his own comedic take on Pop culture, social commentary, observational humor, and tales from the every day struggle of a black nerd. He’s co-creator of the Negro Jump Podcast, preformed for Harlem Comedy Fest, Chicago Nerd Fest, and comedy clubs across the US.

Francesca Lyn is originally from Florida. She co-hosts the monthly comedy showcase “Late Night Snack” at Sticky Rice with Mike Engle. She also co-hosts “You’re Making Me Hungry,” a podcast about eating, with Tom Hall.