MODESTO – Chris Teicheira’s comedy act isn’t exactly what one would call “family friendly.”
It’s not that the Manteca farmer and comedian – and contributing columnist to the Manteca Bulletin – goes out of his way to be dirty. It’s just that a 42-year-old bachelor, he doesn’t exactly have the well of clean family stories to sustain 15 minutes’ worth of an act that a seven-year-old could sit there and listen to.
But on Friday Teicheira and his former roommate and podcasting partner Anthony Krayenhagen – equally dirty in his own right – will test their comedic chops at the Gallo Center for the Arts in the first ever ModestoView Clean Comedy Competition to try and earn a spot in an upcoming talent competition.
“It’s impossible to do,” Teicheira said with a laugh of stripping anything that could be construed as “adult” from his act. “I figured I could pare down some of the bits that I have, but when I saw what wasn’t allowed on the acceptance letter, I realized how tough it was actually going to be.
“But it makes you a better comic because you can’t really rely so much on the bombast of the dirty word – it has to be a joke, and it has to be set-up and punch-lined or else people are going to think that it’s terrible.”
Teicheira and Krayenhagen will be joined by three other valley comedians – including A.J. DeMello, Fred “Hindude” Sub and Jenny Cahoon – to round out an evening of comedy to determine who will win the $500 top prize and the right to move on to another competition that will showcase the power of comedy and the movement within the valley to promote it.
And it won’t be the first time that the team from Pretending to Care will share the stage at Modesto’s premier performing arts center.
In 2014 Krayenhagen headlined a benefit show for the American Cancer Society that included Teicheira and current Comedy Central comedian Marcella Arguello on the roster as well – a trio of homegrown talent that by their estimate were the first locals to grace the stage and perform their own brand of comedy to a packed house.
The night of comedy was anything but clean.
But while the material will be different, getting to step out onto that stage again, Teicheira said, is a testament to not only the comedic scene that’s emerged from Modesto and other valley communities over the last years, but also the willingness of the Gallo Center and other entities to recognize local talent.
“I’m amazed that the Gallo Center is putting this thing on,” he said. “Over the last few years they’ve had big name comics come in and it’s almost like there was an aversion to letting local talent hit the stage, like somehow the diminished level would somehow not make them look good. And that’s why we were really willing to try this competition that involves decent comics and clean material because it’s almost like it’s an olive branch to local comics.
“It’s a chance to prove that you can do it, and I think that’s a big opportunity.”
The ModestoView Clean Comedy Competition takes place on Friday, May 20 at the Gallo Center for the Arts, located at 1000 I Street in Downtown Modesto. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by visiting www.gallloarts.org or calling 209.338.2100.
For those able to break free tonight, Teicheira will be hosting the Gallo Center performance of “The Portuguese Kids” – a Central Valley comedy troupe that focuses on their upbringing and their experiences within Portuguese faming families. Ticket availability for that show can be checked at www.galloarts.org as well.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.