The Bastion got a chance to have a little tete-a-tete with stand-up comedian Bill Cruz recently, who can frequently be seen throughout the greater Chicagoland area, performing material that explores his heritage and sexuality, politics, and football, to name just a few topics. He will be opening for Sandra Valls this Sunday, 8 p.m., at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St.

Can you give everyone the brief bio: Who is Bill Cruz? Where does he come from? Why is he here? Where does he stay and play?

Bill Cruz is a guy who was born and raised a die hard Bronco fan on the southwest side of Denver, Colorado. I was (and still am) a dork, who was into acting as a kid, and went on to graduate with a theater degree from the University of Colorado. I originally moved to Chicago in ’99 to pursue a career in theater, and it's now 2007 and I do stand-up. Currently, I am residing at the AFCWEST House, which is a basement apartment in Lincoln Park that has been inherited from numerous outstanding Chicago comics such as CJ Sullivan (VLR), Brady Novak (Lincoln Lodge), Sean Cole (insanely funny), and Tommy Mayo (just insane). I am currently co-habitating with “Unbookables” heavy hitter, and Oakland Raiders fan, Brian Petrofka. I spend a lot of time at home playing poker, and squeezing as much value out of my Netflix account.

You just turned 31 recently, and we're coming into 2008. What are your plans for this coming year, both professionally and personally?

Well, personally: I just quit smoking. It’ll be four weeks on Sunday, so I guess taking a little better care of myself is in order.
Professionally: I am taking a sabbatical from The Lincoln Lodge this year to be a little selfish and work on my act, doing as much writing as I can, and build up the resume.

You were the Lincoln Lodge's booker for two years. What is the process to get a performing slot on their stage, and what methods did you employ to find talent in the city?

Yeah, I booked the room for two years, which has been a great learning experience. It was really a collaborative effort, as Lodge members would often recommend comics they had worked with, and I would try to see them in a non-open mic setting. The basic tenant was if you were funny, professional, and had a presence that was conducive with the Lodge “feel,” then you got a booking. I would also venture out on my own to see as many showcase shows as I could. If I would hear a name come up, over and over, in normal conversation, I would check them out too. You know, gotta keep up with the buzz. I would also watch a lot of YouTube clips and submitted DVDs.

You perform at many Mikey O events as well as many alt Northside rooms. Can you describe the differences and similarities of the two?

Well, the biggest difference is production quality. Mikey-O has an abundant gift and skill for promotion, production, and networking. His ability to produce talent-heavy shows, and then to market those shows to a specific audience is outstanding.

Now obviously numerous rooms do not have the resources available to them as Mikey-O, but that doesn’t mean they are bad shows. The Lodge is an obvious example, as well as Seth Thomas’s Fourth Fridays show at Town Hall Pub. It is consistently an unbelievably good show.

You are an openly gay stand-up comedian. Can you share some of your best and worst nights performing stand-up with regards to this issue?

Well, the worst has to be hosting at Zanies on a Wednesday, where half the audience was comprised of nine businessmen from Texas in Chicago for a business conference. I opened with some Texas bashing jokes (which obviously went over real well), and then when I went into my material about being gay, and an audible “No Shit” could be heard from the front row. Yikes!

One of the best was closing a show in a small town in central Michigan at a place called the “Hunt ‘N Shack”, with Ken Barnard and Gene Renfroe. This town had two streets, and one stop sign. I thought I was not going to be welcome in this small town USA. Turns out it was one of my best sets to date. Everyone was there just to have a good time, and they treated me majestically.

What else is going on man? It's been awhile.

Other than that, just enjoying the Chicago comedy scene, and loving every minute of it. I am so hopeful for all the comics heading out of town, and also hopeful to see how the scene here in Chicago will continually evolve. And I always smile big when I hear rumors still, about how I’m not really gay, that I’m just using it for my act. And believe me, I love proving those rumors wrong!

- Kristy Mangel