On March 16, 2020, Dani Zoldan could tell things were about to change.

"We actually had a big event a couple of nights before. There was a 50 percent drop off. I knew that was like the last night that we’re gonna have at the club in a long time," said Zoldan, the co-owner of Stand Up NY, a comedy club on the Upper West Side.

With the shutdown of entertainment venues, Zoldan went into survival mode.

"I saw this as a great opportunity to try new things and experiment," Zoldan said.

Enter Stand Up NY In the Park. Comedians performing outside for picnickers. Shows run Tuesday through Sunday, weather permitting, all across New York City. Lineups are announced every morning on social media with a suggested ticket price of $20. Zoldan said the comedians are also getting paid to perform what they would have, had they been at the club.

"We set a cap of 50 people per show on our website, but we have a manager at each park location that's making sure everyone's socially distanced," Zoldan said.

Stand Up NY has opted not to apply for amplified sound permits, so the comedians perform without microphones.

"It's terrible. It's absolutely terrible. Like you want me to be honest or you want me to? Nah, it's terrible. There's no mic. But us comics, we have material that we want to get out. We seek validity through to people. And if the people are outside, I guess that's where we gotta go tell jokes at," said Derek Gaines, a New York City Comedian who can be seen most recently in the film "The King of Staten Island" alongside Saturday Night Live performer Pete Davidson.

Gaines has been trying out new material at these park shows.

"We've come around as New York usually does. After the brownout, after the blackout, after Sandy, we were all still trying to tell jokes somewhere. So this is just another challenge in a divisive time. And we're figuring it out slowly but surely because New York comics, we are the best," Gaines said.

The shows are not without hiccups, like when a recent Battery Park show was shut down since the shows do not have park permits. And while comedy shows and other live entertainment, both indoor and outdoor, are not permitted by the state at this time, Zoldan believes the shows are safely operating under New York’s guidance for low risk outdoor arts and entertainment activities.

"People need a laugh, no matter what's going on. So to be able to just sit in the park in the sun, listening to jokes and have people forget about their problems for an hour and a half, it feels good," Zoldan said.