Most of their names have never been on a marquee, and their jokes don’t always pay the bills, but Buffalo’s young comics hope to get the last laugh. With only one comedy club in town, many local performers say they face an uphill battle to find stand-up opportunities.

“You just have to work harder than people in other cities,” said Josh Potter, a local comic who started performing a year and a half ago.

The result of their hard work is a burgeoning underground circuit of bars and clubs where comics can hone their chops nearly every night of the week.

“We’re just going into bars and saying, ‘Hey, this is what we do and if you give us a shot, we think you’ll like it,’ ” said Buffalo native and comedian Kristen Becker.

With eight years of stand-up experience, Becker serves as a ringleader of sorts among young performers. After launching her career in Toronto, she brought her act to Buffalo with the “Doin’ Time Comedy Showcase” at Nietzsche’s in Allentown.

A Sampling From Buffalo's Best Comics

“As far as local homegrown young comedians she’s kind of the rock, the solid base of comedy, in that her Nietzsche’s [showcase] has been the consistent thing over the last three years,” says local comic Chet Wild, who got his start taking stand-up classes taught by Becker.

In its three years at the bar, the showcase has served as a stomping ground for local comics who are now taking the next step—producing their own shows at venues like Mode in Elmwood Village and the ALT Theatre in North Buffalo.

“You just need to get on stage and try to find out if your jokes are even funny, first of all,” said Potter, who was a guest feature last weekend at Rob’s Comedy Playhouse in Williamsville, the area’s only club dedicated to stand-up comedy.

“I kind of just worked my way up doing as many rooms as I can, Nietzsche’s being one of them,” said Potter, who is also assistant producer of the Shredd and Ragan Show on local radio station WEDG-FM.

Comic Rob Lederman, owner of Rob’s Comedy Playhouse, says the city needs a place where amateurs can perfect their craft before moving to clubs like his, which features national comedians and pitches to a more adult audience.

“I get phone calls all the time from people who go, ‘I want to do comedy, I’ma teacher, my students tell me I’m funny,’ ” he said. “I can’t use them yet.”

He can’t use them, he says, because beginners often fail to meet audience expectations at a club that regularly draws big-name acts. For that same reason, he doesn’t offer open-mic nights.

That’s where venues like Nietzsche’s fill the void.

When Becker isn’t on the road with her “Dykes of Hazard” comedy tour, she dedicates herself to organizing and hosting the “Doin’ Time” showcase every Tuesday.

Standing on a modest stage in the back of the bar, Becker introduces the motley array of comedians, from 75-year-old beginner John Laspro, who calls himself “The Professor,” to Dan Fisher, a recent graduate of Canisius College.

Good sports

Going for quick laughs between acts, Becker pulls from a colorful arsenal of topics, at one point cracking a joke about the Southern tradition of Civil War reenactments. And then she does something that’s a sacrilege to many in Buffalo—she jabs at the city’s sports.

“I’m from Buffalo. I have a thing or two to say about losing. I don’t re-enact Super Bowl ’90 ... or ’91, ’92, ’93,” she joked.

Becker’s comedy goes beyond sports wisecracks, but she says Buffalonians might as well laugh at their struggling sports teams.

“Our national reputation is that we get laughed at. So why aren’t we owning that?” she said.

And if no one else will dish it to Buffalo’s athletes, she’s a willing candidate: “We have a few things to say to you guys about blowing it every time.”

Local jokesters got their chance to say those few things at a Comedy Central-style roast of Sabres legend Rob Ray in late June. For 90 minutes, comics took turns jabbing at the former enforcer in front of a crowded audience at Babeville.

“Rob Ray has a lot in common with Carmen Electra,” joked comedian Mark Walton. “Anyone can go on the Internet and easily find a video of them tearing their shirt off and neither one has been relevant since the ’90s.”

Local shows like the roast thrive in today’s climate, says Doug Stanhope, former host of Comedy Central’s “The Man Show.” He says that when times are hard, people turn to local entertainment for relief.

“A lot of the high-dollar acts might suffer when you’re charging 75 bucks a ticket,” said Stanhope, who performed a sold-out show at Nietzsche’s last year. “It costs 200 bucks to see Dane Cook, and people realize, ‘Hey I’m just gonna go down to whatever pizza lounge and see local talent for five or six bucks.’ ”

Becker’s campaign to develop this homegrown talent is jump-starting comics like Wild.

“For a while I was just looking for an opportunity to get my feet wet, then I saw a Craigslist ad for a comedy class that Kristen Becker ran last summer,” he said.

After the class “graduation” performance at Nietzsche’s, Wild rounded up a handful of other up-and-coming comedians based out of Buffalo and launched his own touring troupe, Rust Belt Comedy. Their humor tends to cater to college audiences, with topics ranging from the plight of the “fat guy” to more off-color fodder.

When school is in session, the group tours campuses along the Rust Belt. In the meantime, it will perform monthly shows at the Blue Wall in South Buffalo.

Even though Wild will be returning to school next year to pursue a master’s in creative studies, he isn’t planning on letting his comedy career slow down.

“We did four shows this spring. I’d like to do six to eight college shows this fall, and then if we can do more next spring, the better,” he said.

For more information, you can check out www.buffalocomedy.com. The Web site features a comprehensive comedy calendar, a resource that Becker and Wild hope will get people to pay attention to the local stand-up scene.

The site’s tagline: “Joke’s on us.”

Here are some of the places where you can go for comedy.

The Blue Wall 2720 Seneca St.

Rust Belt Comedy stand-up showcase, 9 p. m. Sept. 17; $5. Special guest to be announced.

Jazzy’s 2227 Genesee St.

“The Re-Up Comedy Showcase,” 8 p. m. Wednesdays with Tyrone Maclin; $4. Featuring local and out-of-town comics.

Mode Urban Bistro 520 Elmwood Ave.

www.modeurbanbistro.com

Comedy showcase hosted by Dan Fisher, 9 p. m. Thursdays; $5. Featuring local and out-of-town comedians.

Nietzsche’s 248 Allen St.

www.nietzsches.com

“Doin’ Time Comedy Showcase,” 8 p. m. Tuesdays; $3. Featuring 10 local comics, hosted by Kristen Becker. Also, Becker performs with Sean Patton as part of the “Rebirth Brass Band and Much More” fundraiser, 9 p. m. on Sept. 6; $40 for a weekend pass. The Labor Day weekend events will help raise funds for an education center in New Orleans, which will be a sister school to the South Buffalo Education Center. Merge 439 Delaware Ave.

www.mergebuffalo.com

“Rust Belt Comedy Presents: Open Mic Night at Merge,” 10 p. m. first and third Wednesday of every month (Sept. 2 and 9). No cover charge. Comedian sign-up is at 9:30 p. m.

Rob’s Comedy Playhouse, inside Dandelions 1340 North Forest Road Williamsville

National stand-up comedians, 8 and 10 p. m. Saturdays starting Sept. 5; $10. Re-Tree Benefit, 8 tonight; $25. For reservations, 688-0203.

Out of town

The Comedy Club 2235 Empire Blvd. Webster

www.thecomedyclub.us

“Chet Wild’s Comedy Showcase,” 9:30 p. m. last Thursday of every month (Aug. 27). No cover charge. Comedian sign-up is at 9:30 p. m. Time slots are determined by a lottery.