Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A mobile stage is planning to hit the streets of Springfield. With hopes to start rolling by late spring of this year, local business parking lots will see a camper that has been converted into a mobile stage bringing live talent, laughs, and music.
A former venue owner and current stand-up comedian, Cassandra Simpson, is converting a camper into a mobile stage that will host several events. The events will include live comedy, open mic nights, Karaoke, and live music. Simpson states that as a comedian herself, she’s has noticed that there is a slight lack of venues here in Springfield, that offer ways for local talent to be able to be heard and get a chance to perform.
Goal number one for the new mobile stage, named Rolling Laughs, is here to provide that venue opportunity. Goal number two is to help drive the economy. The mobile stage will be parked in different parking lots of local businesses. This would assist those businesses with more exposure and will bring in extra foot traffic giving the talented individuals on stage the chance to get seen and also brings a chance for more revenue to these local businesses.
Simpson was a guest on the WTAX Morning Newswatch and spoke about the current progression of the project.
“I used to host an open mic at the Wakery that was really popular. But then all of the venues and open mics kind of disappeared for a while and I think I just wanted a project. Let’s turn a camper into a mobile stage. That’s kind of where the idea came from. I don’t think that I’ve seen any for comedy or stages specifically, I’ve seen mobile stages you can set up and tear down. It seemed fun to me, and I just got the camper,” said Simpson. “The idea just came to me one day, I was like you know what, what if I just had my own venue that I could take wherever I want so we don’t have to worry about finding an open mic or a comedy show venue.”
Rolling Laughs is hoping to hit the road in the late spring of this year. You can follow along with the progress of the camper to stage conversion at the Rolling Laughs Instagram page, and can also find more details on the venues Facebook page
