Espi Rivadeneira is a stand-up comedian from upstate New York, now based in New York City. Her comedy blends dark, personal stories with quietly sharp, thoughtful laughs, bringing a quirky, dark sense of humor to stages nationwide, she’s performed all over Texas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Maine, as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the New York Comedy Festival. She has training in improv comedy from The Hideout Theatre and The Institution (ATX).

Espi is a passed performer at some of New York’s top rooms, including The Grisly Pear, Sesh Comedy, Greenwich Village Comedy Club, and Broadway Comedy Club, and hosts her own weekly show, “Monday Night Comedy,” every Monday at 10pm at The Comedy Shop (formerly Lantern Comedy). She has opened for Jake Johannsen and featured for Jose Sarduy, and has seen international exposure with a feature on BBC Reel, as well as coverage in The New Yorker. Her festival credits include the first annual Tiny Cupboard Festival in Brooklyn, and she placed 2nd in SUNY’s “Unhinged” contest in 2022.

Espi counts Jim Gaffigan, Maria Bamford, and Seinfeld among her biggest comedic influences. Fun facts: when she’s not on stage, she works as a personal trainer and is the proud owner of a beloved pet rabbit.