Tucked away in a basement in Lower Manhattan lies an oasis of comedy; The Comedy Cellar. It’s appearance is humble, but its regulars are not. Chris Rock, Louis CK, Dave Chapelle, Aziz Ansari, Mike Birbiglia, Amy Schumer, and Ray Romano are just some of the names that call this Greenwich Village comedy club home. In the first episode of Comedy Meccas, we talked with staff and comics from the Cellar to find out what makes it such a legendary institution.

Comedy Meccas Pilot

Max is a 4-year-old with double vision. Her parents are navigating treatment through the complications of Covid.

This piece was produced and edited by H Conley with help from Veralyn Williams and Amanda Aronczyk. Music is from Sugartree by Blue Dot Sessions.

Seeing Double

At her home in Queens, NY, in April of 2023, Maria Del Rosario Duran described her first son, Alex Ramon Jimenez Duran, as the leader of the family. Alex was a Staff Sergeant for the U.S. Army who pursued a career in public service. On May 12th, 2007, Alex’s unit, the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) was captured by enemy forces in Jurf Sakhar, Iraq, after his unit was attacked. His body was recovered in Iraq on July 8, 2008, confirming his passing 14 months after the capture. 

In this audio fragment, Maria recalls her firstborn son's memory describing why a military career attracted him. “For Alex the most important thing is family,” his mother explained.

Alex Ramon Jimenez Duran

This account showcases work produced by students in the Audio Journalism Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY).

Comedy Meccas Pilot

Newmark J-School Audio Journalism

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