Wed 11/14-Sun 11/18
The evolution of the Cleveland Comedy Festival continues in year 11 with the annual affair bringing in new comics, booking new venues and reworking the competitive atmosphere.
Featuring more than 40 comedians, the Wednesday-through-Sunday festival includes more than 30 shows taking place at various local venues — Playhouse Square, Not Your Parents’ Basement at Super Electric Pinball Parlor, Harry Buffalo on E. 4th and the Music Box Supper Club.
“We have a big ‘Homecoming Show’ with Kate Quigly, who was on Playboy TV and also The Office,” said Cleveland Comedy Festival co-founder John Wellington. “She’s from Canton and will be performing in Cleveland for the first time.
“That’s going to be a really cool show with Rick Glassman featuring. He’s a Northeast Ohio native, who was on NBC show Undateable. This is also his first time performing in Cleveland.”
The “Homecoming Show” takes place Saturday at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre. This year the Cleveland Comedy Festival has booked performances at a brand-new venue called the Not Your Parents’ Basement at Super Electric Pinball Parlor.
“We’ve created a comedy club down there,” Wellington said. “We’re doing shows there all week featuring performers from festivals past. There’s Mike Paramore, Brett Terhune and Felicia Gillespie. They’ve all been at and placed in past festivals.
“We’re also doing a really crazy fun Thursday show called ‘UNPofessional Wrestling.’ It’s kind of like Mystery Science Theater done about really bad wrestling television shows. Colt Cabana and Marty DeRosa will do commentary.”
In terms of the competition element, the Cleveland Comedy Festival is eschewing the previous contest model for a more relaxed showcase affair.
“After 10 years with a contest we decided it was time to change things up,” Wellington said. “It won’t be as competitive. It’ll be just a really fun show where we’ll give out awards.”
Gone is the audience vote. In its place will be judges from Buffalo’s Helium Comedy Club, Atlanta’s The Punchline and Arizona’s Big Pine Comedy Festival selecting comics to move into the Best of the Fest show scheduled for 9:30pm Saturday at Playhouse Square’s Kennedy’s Theatre.
“Our panel of industry bookers will select two comedians from each of our four showcases and those comedians will receive a $100 award,” Cleveland Comedy Festival director of PR and marketing Steve Guy said. “One comic from each of those four showcases will also receive $50 and be considered an alternate for the Best of the Fest show.”
Something else new this year is the creation of three awards — JD Sidley Writer’s Award, Mike Veneman Stand-up Performance Award and Nate Cockerill Sketch & Improv Performance Award — to be given out at the festival’s awards/after party taking place Saturday at Harry Buffalo on East 4th Street.
“Each award is named for a member of Cleveland comedy that contributed to the community and passed away too soon,” Guy said.
Therein lies the heart of the Cleveland Comedy Festival, which boasts a mission to highlight the past, present and future of Cleveland comedy.
“One of the main things you learn is to try to do different things and see what sticks,” Wellington said. “We’re evolving. We still have a long way to go, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job over the last few years.”
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