On Feb. 6 and 7, Mall Comedy brought a professional pop-up comedy show to Silverdale in Kitsap Mall. Headliner Dan Rosenberg, creator and co-star of the award-winning sitcom “It’s A Lot” performed two nights of stand-up for the community. U.S. Air Force veteran and mother of ten, Bree Real, was also featured at the show.

Mall Comedy transformed what used to be Rock Pizza in the Kitsap Mall to create a comedy show of “Seattle quality” without members of the community having to wait for the ferry or deal with the hassle it is of getting to downtown Seattle. “We are excited to bring this lineup to Kitsap,” said the Mall Comedy team. “It is a great opportunity to see comedians of this caliber in a convenient, comfortable setting.”

If the shows do well, Rosenberg shared that he hopes Kitsap Mall could transform a space into a permanent club. “The goal is to bring in the best comedians possible. Silverdale is a good central location,” he said. “If shows can sell, we can get name comedians, up and coming comedians, or even comics that were famous in the 80’s and 90’s that now do standup.”

Rosenberg grew up in Pittsburgh but moved to Bainbridge Island in 2009, where he currently lives. He also does shows at Bainbridge Performing Arts often. The comedian has a number of shows across Washington and Oregon over the next few weeks. “There is a great amount of comedy in Kitsap County, and local comics are a huge help to expanding that,” said Rosenberg.

The comedian shared that the mall concept of pop-up shows has been an idea that he has had for years, filling empty spaces in malls. His first idea was to do a pop-up show in a retail space after hours, but Mall Comedy was able to provide him with a space at a restaurant in the mall. “It’s great, because there are already chairs, a place to have a stage, and we don’t have to worry about running late after mall hours,” said Rosenberg.

The show was 18+ and alcohol-free, as it focused on a safe and fun environment for all members of the community to enjoy. Bringing arts and entertainment back to the mall environment is very important, shared Mall Comedy.

As of now, Mall Comedy is hosting another pop-up March 6 and 7 with headliner Duane Goad, featuring Geoff Brousseau. Mall Comedy is looking at holding performances monthly at Kitsap Mall while they are working to obtain a liquor license and looking to transform the space into a permanent club.