When Saul Trujillo loaded up his car and headed south to Los Angeles, he was chasing a dream that was born years prior right in the heart of the 209.
And this weekend, he returns to the place where that dream was born – this time carrying a long list of accolades and accomplishments and the swagger that comes with making it when you come from a place where dreams more often than not go to die.
Trujillo now performs regularly as a standup comic at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and the Hollywood Improv, and he will be performing a string of shows this weekend at the Manteca Transit Center in connection with The Deaf Puppy Club.
The shows will be held on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2 starting 8 o’clock both nights at the Manteca Transit Center located at 220 Moffat Boulevard. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by visiting www.deafpuppyclub.com or by paying at the door.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to come back and show people from the 209 that dreams are possible, man,” said Trujillo, who started as a doorman the Comedy Store and lived the life of a struggling artist trying to make it in the City of Angels. “It feels surreal – it doesn’t feel real to me, and that it’s not to say that it’s a good thing or a bad thing.
“I’m supposed to be working as a line cook in Stockton and not chasing my dreams, but instead I took a shot and with the blessing of my family and my wife got to go live in my car and it’s working out.”
Initially, Trujillo was set to perform at the Deaf Puppy Club, but construction and permitting delays forced Teicheira to pivot and move the shows to a different location until he final clearance to open his doors. Chris Teicheira is opening up the comedy club in Downtown Manteca, and it takes its name from the comedy crew of which Trujillo is a founding member.
Being billed as the “We Thought We’d Be Open By Now Christmas Comedy Show,” the multi-night performance comes just as Trujillo’s comedic trajectory is soaring – including being a “paid regular” at The World Famous Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and touring with Last Comic Standing winner Felipe Esparza.
“The city knew I was in a bind with shows I booked three months ago, and in conjunction this is a great way to showcase the Transit Center,” Teicheira said. “I was walking around the lobby the other day, and it has some really great old photos of Manteca.
“I’m very appreciative that our town pitched in and is helping us out – the show must go on.”
Rounding out the bill will be fellow Deaf Puppy Nick Larson and his wife Danielle Arce – both of whom host a podcast together and perform at comedy clubs throughout Northern California and beyond.
The top-to-bottom 209 billing of the show is something that Trujillo said gives him a sense of pride, showcasing the fruits of the hardscrabble labor of comedians from this area that are often looked down on by those from outside scenes and communities.
“It’s a smaller market in comedy, but having to get funny in the 209 and basing that off of our crowds – when you go to Sacramento or San Francisco it translates,” Trujillo said. “And that’s all because you figured out how to be funny at some Modesto bar, or a conference room at a Stockton Marriott.
“We created rooms, and almost every comedian – there are no funnier comedians in the 209 than The Deaf Puppies. You can quote me on that. Not only did we create work, and open up mics, and bully everyone else in taking us seriously – but we opened up a club. That’s crazy.”
Doors for the show open at 6:30 p.m., and check-in for the show will begin one hour before the 8 p.m. showtime. A full restaurant menu and a full bar will both be available. For more information about the show, or upcoming events, visit www.deafpuppyclub.com.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
