In La Nuit, a small threatre with a pressed tin ceiling and peeling paint, a determined squad of local comedians, and the occasional visiting act, ply their skills at coaxing laughs from the audience of grad students and young couples. This ragtag comedy troupe staked a claim on a slightly forlorn Uptown commercial strip. Now, as other bars arrive after the city zoned the area an entertainment district, they look like prescient pioneers. Buy tickets next door at the appropriately named Box Office bar, where comedians unwind between sets and trade tips on how to kill on stage.