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Broken Compass Brewing hosts comedy show to benefit Building Hope

Comedian Pat Treuer hosts monthly shows at Broken Compass Brewing in Breckenridge. This month, the event is raising awareness and funds for Building Hope Summit County.
Pat Treuer/Courtesy photo

Breckenridge’s Broken Compass Brewing has been having comedy shows for the past three months at its original location, 68 Continental Court, Unit B12, with comedian Pat Treuer. This month’s show at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, will be slightly different as its main focus is to raise awareness and money for Building Hope Summit County.

The show begins with Building Hope staff talking about the mental health nonprofit and its mission before the comedy starts. Treuer will open with about 25 minutes while his visiting friend Lance Richardson will close with another 25 minutes. Born in Mississippi and living in New York City, Richardson has performed at places such as the Laugh Factory, the Comedy Bar and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Treuer will be donating his usual performance fee to the organization, and Broken Compass is also contributing a dollar per pint sold during the event. Donation jars will be placed around the taproom, as well.



“We feel more than ever with the events of the past year and a half, promoting mental health in our community has never been more important,” Daniel Miller-McLemore of Broken Compass said.

The brewery is no stranger to donating money to local nonprofits, having given $4,377 last June to Building Hope to go toward therapy scholarships, and neither is Treuer.



Born and raised in Littleton, Treuer moved to Chicago roughly 5 1/2 years ago and took comedy classes at places like The Second City and iO Theater. Before entering the comedy industry, Treuer lived the corporate life for 12 years, working for companies such as Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen and World Fuel Services.

“I went from doing presentations in front of Air Force generals to performing in front of a room of 20-year-olds who barely pay attention at all,” Treuer said. “That was a big change for me.”

He quit his job because he was unhappy with the business grind. He sees his mission in life as spreading joy and making people laugh, which he was struggling with doing as his work made him become borderline depressed.

Lance Richardson from New York City is joining local Pat Treuer for this month’s comedy show.
Photo from Lance Richardson

Treuer first attempted being a comedian in his early 20s, but he bombed after a couple of shows and stopped. Yet he held onto the wonderful feeling of the first two shows and still wanted to pursue it.

“I felt like at the end of life, I was going to look back and regret if I didn’t do it,” Treuer said.

While in Chicago, he started a comedy showcase called Joke at the Oak and raised $18,000 for various charities. He moved to Breckenridge shortly after the pandemic hit and pivoted to providing laughs to corporations all over via Zoom.

His company, called Treuer Laughs, partners with roughly 100 comedians from the U.S. and Canada — including performers such as Alonzo Bodden, Jackie Fabulous and Chris Turner — and the audience is encouraged to be unmuted so comics can hear the laughter. He also began hosting a podcast called “Of the Comics” that discusses serious aspects of the industry, such as mental health or being a woman in comedy.

“Because of comedy being on Zoom, I can actually do comedy, make a living off of it and live in the mountains,” Treuer said. “It’s the greatest dream I never knew I had.”

Audience participation is essential to Treuer’s work. Influenced by Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor and Jim Brewer, half of his set is prepared while the other half comes from conversations with guests.

Even if guests have attended his other shows, they won’t have seen one like this.


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