Worldwide Puns - a take on David Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants - launched in a warm living room in Oakland, CA in January, 2016. Over forty people crammed in for an experiment offered by founder, Jonah Spear, called “Get Thee to a Punnery, The First Ever Bay Area Pun-Off!” It went so well that we immediately scheduled a second one, this time at a popular tea spot in San Francisco. 

The Bay Area Pun-Off part deux: Get Thee Back to a Punnery! doubled in size from the first and the structure began to emerge more clearly.

The Bay Area Pun-Off numero tres: Third Time's a Charm... drew nearly 100 people out to play and more framework for the show, along with some pre-show rituals began to take form.

The Bay Area Pun-Off: Four the Love of Wordplay! sold out eight weeks ahead of time and, as the waitlist grew, we added the Fifth (All Pent Up) - which sold out in just two days! We’d found something sticky and it seemed like people wanted more.

In the ensuing years, we enjoyed good press from Wired Magazine, The Guardian, and several other local Bay Area outlets and we formed loving and mutually beneficial relationships with local orgs doing great work like SPUR and Litquake.

For a good span, we found a home with the Haight Street Art Center - fully accessible, conveniently located, and big enough for the 200 large that had become regulars in our show; and in 2020, the pandemic put us on hiatus.

Now, back from a break, rebranded and streamlined even more, and bolstered by the feeling of camaraderie, community, and joy at this event, we’re expanding up and down the west coast, creating new partnerships with venues in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

We’re an all ages show that might still have adult content like racy topics or grown-up words - and we’re an inclusive and warm show which means we aim for comedy that doesn’t leave anyone feeling icky by punching down. Underneath the comedy event appearance of Worldwide Puns shows, we’re really a community project aimed at connection, celebration, and joy. We’re reworking what competition looks like and indulging in some serious punnery in the process.