Стивен Майкл Кесада возвращается на сцену в Нью-Мексико 17 и 18 июля

COMEDY | BERNLILLO Steven Michael Quezada is coming to his own stage July 17-18 Learn about his comedy career, new film projects, and what fans can expect from his upcoming shows Steven Michael Quezada is coming home Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, to take the stage at Quezada’s Comedy Club & Cantina. He opened the comedy club three years ago and performs there twice a year. He said it has been great to see the club pulling bigger and bigger names. Quezada, who was born and raised in New Mexico, began his comedy career at 17. He said after so many years of doing comedy, it’s great to see the support from his home state. “Nothing could make me more proud and happier to be able to entertain the people that I started out to want to entertain in the first place,” Quezada said. His call to the stage began with theater, but after college he transitioned to stand-up comedy because there weren’t many opportunities for someone who had spent time studying Shakespeare. Through comedic plays, he learned how enjoyable it was to hear the audience laugh, and wanted to continue doing so. “I just loved making people laugh,” Quezada said. He found himself drawn to stand-up because he could still write and perform on stage. “I love the live element of my craft,” he said. In 2008, Quezada became a recurring character in Vince Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad.” He said that was his lucky break and gave him name recognition. He said sometimes it’d help him get into comedy clubs, and then they’d see his set and want him back. But others were wary. “A lot of the clubs will say, ‘Well, I don’t really want a celebrity who thinks he’s a comedian.’ I tell them, ‘Well, I’m a comedian who thinks he’s a celebrity,’” Quezada said. His time on “Breaking Bad” didn’t influence his comedy, he said, but it did teach him a lot about film and television. Recently, he co-wrote and starred in “Tio,” a new movie set in New Mexico, which is set to screen in a couple of months. He is in preproduction for a film called “Duke City.” As he juggles touring and transitioning back into acting, he said he loves both. Acting in movies in New Mexico is less stressful than touring for comedy, he said, but being up on stage makes all the flights worth it. “Once I get in front of an audience, it all goes away,” Quezada said. When he first began in comedy, he said getting in tune with himself and drawing inspiration from what was going on around him helped him grow. Over the years, he has drawn on his real-life experiences. “I’m able to tap into me and be honest and be authentic,” Quezada said, “and I think it’s really improved my ability to do well, not only in a Latino market, but in any market.” Drawing on inspiration from his life does come with vulnerability, which he said can be hard to jump into and share with audiences sometimes. “Sometimes your family’s like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you were gonna say that,’ or ‘Dad, that was painful,’ and I’m like, ‘I know it was painful for me too, but you know, comedy is tragedy,’” he said. As he enters a new phase in his life at 63, with his children grown, Quezada said he has been looking for new material. He has been playing more golf and thought using it for his sets would be a good idea, but he learned that a lot of people don’t play golf. “I think it’s going to be a new challenge for me on what I’m going to write about and what I’m going to do,” Quezada said. Despite his time as an Albuquerque Public Schools board member and serving on the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners for District 2, he said he steers away from politics. He has opinions and sometimes shares them, but he doesn’t feel like people buy tickets to hear his political opinions. “I don’t do a whole routine based on my opinion, because I really feel that comedy is where people go to escape from this craziness going on in our country,” Quezada said. Quezada describes comedy as a form of storytelling. “So, there is jokes in there, but I like to take a subject and just beat it to death.” Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow for the Albuquerque Journal. You can reach her at [email protected].