One look over the impressive bill for the upcoming Pensacola Indie Fringe and Comedy Festival, happening Jan. 2-5, will convince you that this has been done before.
But for Indie Art Council Pensacola, the festival is the group’s first plunge into an event of this scale. The council itself is less than a year old. So how did it all come about?
Julio Diaz, vice president of Indie Art Council Pensacola and the event chairman for the festival, explained that the council grew out of the successful January 2019 production of "Evil Dead: The Musical" at Vinyl Music Hall.
“Many of our board members were involved in that production in one way or another, and went through an experience that's all too typical for independent artists in Pensacola: Challenges in finding resources including rehearsal space, challenges in reaching audiences and sponsors – basically the familiar uphill battle for anyone working outside an established arts organization,” he said.
Nicole Dickson, president of Indie Art Council Pensacola, as well as the creator of Improbable Cause Mystery Theatre, suggested that an organization be formed to advocate for independent artists. Diaz estimated that Indie Art Council Pensacola was born after a few initial meetings in March 2019.
“A comedy festival is an idea that's been kicked around for some time now, and many of our board members have ties to Pensacola's growing comedy community,” he said. “It swiftly became our initial focus in bringing new opportunities to light. We did a small scale, one day version in August with our Kevin McDonald event at Vinyl Music Hall as kind of a proof-of-concept, but this has turned into something larger than I think any of us initially imagined.”
The Pensacola Indie Fringe and Comedy Festival boasts headliners Gilbert Gottfried, Donnell Rawlings and Orny Adams – big names in the comedy world and a testament to all of the talent that will be featured throughout the weekend.
The weekend full of stand-up, improv, sketch comedy, films, stage productions not only has the big headliners, but will spotlight local and up-and-coming acts.
“Ideally, we want to show what Pensacola's comedy scene is capable of and help people discover that Pensacola can be a hotspot for all kinds of comedy,” Diaz said.
The last decade has seen a rise in the number of local comedians who have been pouring their jokes and hearts out to anyone who will come out to the bars, bowling alleys and venues to catch their performances. The Pensacola Indie Fringe and Comedy Festival has carved out several spots to highlight the efforts of the performers with a variety of events.
“We see the festival as also offering networking opportunities for these young artists to find ways to help them help each other, and educational opportunities in the form of the several workshops we will offer,” he said.
The festival will feature afternoon local stand-up showcases between the two headline shows at the Saenger on Jan. 5, with local stand-up comics performing in venues in front of what Diaz hopes will be large crowds that will build their followings.
Diaz said that while Indie Art Council is the producing organization, many of the board members have their own organizations that are producing and/or performing as part of the festival.
“Emily Dillon's company, Stingers Comedy, is coordinating all the stand-up performances outside the Saenger shows. Debi Dunkerly and Bill Whalen are the heads of IMPROVable Cause, Pensacola's much-loved improv troupe, and are overseeing all of the improv programming. Improbable Cause Mystery Theatre is presenting a new, original, Mardi Gras-themed murder mystery in cooperation with Pensacola Mardi Gras, and Mardi Gras is also providing a street closure for which we will program some street performance.”
The council is thrilled to have an icon like Gilbert Gottfried on top of its bill for the comedy festival, said Diaz. “He's a household name and always gets an immediate reaction whenever we're talking about the event. He's still at the top of his game, and anyone who hasn't seen his stand-up comedy or heard his fantastic podcast should do so.”
The second Saenger show will feature full sets from both Donnell Rawlings and Orny Adams, sharing the stage in a co-headlining bill. Rawlings is a veteran of ‘Chappelle's Show,’ one of the most influential comedy series of all time, as well as a hilarious stand-up and comic actor; he's also just successfully launched his own podcast. And Orny Adams is a comedian's comedian in a very real sense. He's a favorite of Jerry Seinfeld, and was featured in the Seinfeld documentary film, "Comedian," as well as having starred in his own specials.
"Being able to bring this top-flight talent to Pensacola is part of our overall mission, in that the "names" draw attention and attendance to the event, where we hope audiences will also discover the wide variety of local comedy talent," Diaz said.
Two big improv comedy shows, Pensacola’s own IMPROVable Cause and Orlando, Florida’s, The Hat and Hat Not are on the slate. Local sketch comedy troupe Kitty Get a Job will be performing its first live sketch show.
Several workshops and panels will be held throughout the weekend, offering attendees insight and knowledge through these events.
“Workshops will be conducted on a number of topics to help aspiring and working comics learn more about succeeding at their craft, whether that craft is stand-up, improv, comedy acting, writing, or filming for sketch comedy,” said Diaz.
“Panels will offer discussions on all sorts of comedy subjects and will hopefully allow for lots of laughter, with topics ranging widely. Among the highlights will be several looks behind the scenes of ‘Evil Dead: The Musical,’ including an opportunity to tour the set and learn the backstage secrets of producing a large-scale stage horror-comedy; discussions of seminal comedy movies and TV shows; analysis of gender roles in modern day comedy; and more.”
Weekend passes can be purchased in advance for $40. The price is an incredible bargain, Diaz said, and the council has made sure affordable tickets are available. “We believe (the Weekend Pass) puts most of the festival within easy reach of almost any budget.” The lowest-priced pass includes entry into dozens of events over the weekend.
“Even with our add-on big shows, we have tried to make sure that there are affordable tickets available,” he said. Tickets for the Gilbert Gottfried show and "Evil Dead: The Musical" are available starting at $15, and the Orny Adams and Donnell Rawlings double bill starts at $25.
“When you compare this to a music festival of a similar scale, it's an incredible deal. Heck, seeing a movie three days in a row is scarcely more affordable, and we're offering much more than two hours of entertainment per day at that price.”
VIP and Super VIP passes are also available.
Pensacola Indie Fringe and Comedy Festival
Presented by Indie Art Council Pensacola
Jan. 2-5
Weekend Pass – $40 advance/$50 door
VIP Pass – $200 advance/$250 door
Super VIP Pass – $400 in advance/$500 at the door.
All tickets can be purchased in advance at ComedyPensacola.com.
All passes include entry into:
- Kickoff Party on Jan. 2
- All Panels
- All Workshops
- All Film Screenings
- All Game Shows and Other Special Events
- The Improv Show
- All Sketch Comedy Shows
- All Stand-up Comedy Shows at Bars
VIP Passes also include:
- “Evil Dead: The Musical” – General Seating
- Gilbert Gottfried/Chip Ambrogio – Zone B Seating
- Donnell Rawlings/Orny Adams – Zone B Seating
- Exclusive VIP T-shirt
- Early entry or priority seating for all events
Super VIP Passes also include:
- “Evil Dead: The Musical” – Splatter Zone
- Gilbert Gottfried/Chip Ambrogio – Zone A Seating
- Donnell Rawlings/Orny Adams – Zone A Seating
- Improbable Cause Dinner Theater Show
- Exclusive VIP T-shirt
- Early entry or priority seating for all events
Individual tickets for Gilbert Gottfried with Chip Ambrogio; Donnell Rawlings and Orny Adams; "Evil Dead: The Musical" (four shows); and Improbable Cause Mystery Theatre's dinner theater (three shows) are also available for purchase through the website.
Visit ComedyPensacola.com for the entire schedule and additional details.
"festival" - Google News
December 26, 2019 at 09:51PM
https://ift.tt/2QlqSuH
Pensacola comedy festival boasts big names for full weekend of laughs - Pensacola News Journal
"festival" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ONshua
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Pensacola comedy festival boasts big names for full weekend of laughs - Pensacola News Journal"
Post a Comment