Prague's only LGBTQ comedy troupe cracks jokes, topples barriers

The Gay Agenda is a stand-up comedy show created in Prague in April 2019 by Jackson Smith, an American English teacher with stand-up aspirations. So far there have been four sold-out shows with the biggest and, according to the California native, best, to come on January 25.

The convivial gay club Patra hosted the first four shows, but The Gay Agenda has grown so popular that organizers have relocated to a bigger venue, the newly opened Distrikt 7 Klub.

Proceeds (including 10 percent of the entire bar earnings, courtesy of Distrikt 7 owner Jakub Kubíček) from the new show “Till Death Do Us Party” will support Jsme Fer, a campaign to increase public support for the marriage equality of LGBT people in the Czech Republic.

Smith has managed to grow a handful of performers into a comedy sensation adored by Czech and expat audiences alike. He says that when it comes to intercultural art, the best comedy is personal.

“It’s fine to have a facade, it’s fine to have a shtick. But when you can go deeper — when you can be vulnerable, it transcends cultures and adds human value. When you manage to be deep and funny at the same time, that’s gold,” he says.

Jackson, who was diagnosed with an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma several years ago, often takes his own advice joking about the experience in his routine. Many of the performers also mine their personal lives for material.

In advance of the upcoming show we spoke to Smith, who relocated to Prague in 2017 about growing up gay, and how Czech audiences have reacted to the show.

My teachers would say that I was disruptive. Loud, but smart, and I always contributed to the conversation. I did get bullied yeah — I got called a faggot and stuff. But as soon as I came out — which I did relatively early on — all the teasing stopped.

I think I’d have a harder time getting recognition. There really are a lot of comedians out there. It helps to stand out. Part of the comedic art form is about transforming pain using humor. In this society, sadly, that means gay people have a lot to work with.

People come up to me all the time saying “You’re such an inspiration: I have cancer, too, and you beat it…” and I like that. But then they want me to tell them what to do. And I’m like — I’m NOT a doctor! I don’t have the answer to cancer.

There’s an age-old alliance between gay men and women, and I think partly it’s because gay culture has always admired women who rebel against society. Our female comedians are smart and raunchy. The women in the audience are free-thinkers who enjoy a good laugh. It all adds up to a really great atmosphere.

I never tell anyone what to say — or not say. I let the audience decide. If a comedian makes a joke that is more offensive than funny, they won’t get the laughs. If that happens often enough, your whole set suffers for it and eventually, you just won’t get those chances to perform. It’s not censorship — it’s Survival of the Wittiest. 

What I say to aspiring comedians is: get your material together and rehearse your set, over and over until you really know it. Then hit up every open-mike you can find and test your delivery out on a live audience. Once you’ve seen what works and made the necessary adjustments, invite me to an open mike. If I like what I see, I’ll give you a shot.

Travel! I would love to take The Gay Agenda on the road. There are neighboring countries that don’t have anything like this and really could use it. And I’m looking forward to joining up with Kristýna Haklová (founder of Velvet Comedy) and five others for a tour. How fun does that sound?