LA GRANDE — There’s comedy that’s political and comedy that’s just for laughs. And then there’s comedy that hits so close to home, you wonder where this person’s been all of your life during those times when you desperately needed to laugh or else you would cry.

Don Gavitte and Todd Basil deliver on all three points in their tour of “Two Teachers,” coming to La Grande on June 22 at HQ, 112 Depot St. Full-time teachers who battle the inane absurdities of the classroom by day, they then turn those same obstacles into gold mines by night, taking to the stage performing stand-up in venues of all sizes around the Northwest.

When asked why stand-up, Gavitte said, “While giving the eulogy at my father’s funeral in 2018 I made a joke that killed (no pun intended) and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Gavitte has been teaching history in the Portland area for more than 30 years, and he claims that it’s actually energizing to do comedy at the same time as teaching.

“When I see, hear or smell something I think is funny I jot it down — maybe I bring that bit to an open mic or write something more long-form or maybe both… if it gets laughs, I write it into wet cement so it can live forever,” he said.

Todd Basil got started in comedy back in the seventh grade when he made the whole class laugh doing an improv set. After that, there was no going back.

“Telling students I’m a comedian was a great step in … encouraging them to be vulnerable when engaging in the sometimes-uncomfortable learning process,” he said.

From gender neutral bathrooms to the Beastie Boys’ inspiration on cheese, both Gavitte and Basil kill with their deadpan, dry reporting of what goes on at ground zero in education. As Basil shared in a recent interview on OPB, “I feel like in every industry, there’s no debrief time after you have your stressful day at work … so any chance you get to hear someone else talking about thoughts that you’ve had, it’s pretty magical.”

“Two Teachers” will perform Saturday, June 22, from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. Ordering and more information can be found at hq.eventive.org/schedule.