Schoolteacher by day and comedian by night, Robin Rex is a Reston native who, in just six months, has both graced the stage with her punch lines and created her own booking company, Funny Friends.
In her comedy routine, Rex fearlessly fleshes out the most awkward moments of her day and turns skits for her audience. “My life is a series of unfortunate events, mostly in the romance department,” Rex says. “I had a semi-scandalous full-body massage the other day, and voila, a new comedy bit. I find hilarity in what other people might find disturbing.”
With a perky personality and the ability to make others laugh in everyday conversation, Rex was first pushed to consider stand-up by one of her co-workers, Steve Coltrain, a comedian of 20 years. He thought her sense of humor and the energy she had with students would translate well to the stage. Loving to entertain others just as much as she loves her hometown, Rex made it her mission to give other NoVA natives a place to see quality comedy shows, which is why she founded Funny Friends.
“I realized very quickly that my friends love comedy,” she says. “I thought, why not put the shows together myself? My hometown is Reston … and it has everything, except comedy. I’m not going for quantity in my productions; I’m going for quality.”
On Sept. 23, her 44th birthday, Rex will take the stage at her Birthday Bash comedy event at Café Montmartre in Reston. Doors open at 7 p.m., and there will be a $10 door charge. “The perks of being the producer is calling the shots,” Rex says. “Why not have a fantastic comedy show and celebrate me?”
All kidding aside, Rex says Fraqui French is the star of the Birthday Bash event, calling her friend and mentor “the funniest lady in the DMV.”
Rex plans to expand her list of venues in the Reston area and include a “FunnyFriend” contest at her Nov. 17 show, also at Café Montmartre, at the end of the comedy show. Amateurs will be prepared ahead of time to participate in several hilarious activities. The crowd will crown the Funniest Friend, and that person will win a guest spot in Rex’s next show.
For more information about this show and other Funny Friends Productions events, you can reach out to Rex on Facebook.
