LaughFest Announces More Talent Coming in March 2013!
Get ready to seriously laugh! We’re bringing back The Blue Late Night Comedy Series and three returning showcases: Best of the Midwest, Stand-up Comedy Competition and the Clean Comedy Showcase for this year’s celebration. We also announced comedians W. Kamau Bell, additions to the Fortune and Friends show, as well as more family friendly acts!
So who’s coming?
Comedians performing during The Blue Late Night Comedy Series presented by Bud Light include: star of ABCs Don’t Trust the B— in Apt. 23, Eric Andre; co-creator of Chappelle’s Show and Emmy nominated comedian, Neal Brennan; one of Comedy Central’s Top Ten Comics to Watch, Loni Love; and writer, comedian, and voice-over actor, Pete Holmes.
The Best of the Midwest Showcase will feature Nate Abshire, Ryan Dalton, Emily Galati, Steve Gillespie, Tim Harmston, Scott Long, Fred Potter, Kris Shaw, Alex Stone, and Tommy Thompson, all competing for a $2,500 cash prize.
This year’s Stand-up Comedy Competition presented by Gun Lake Casino, will feature 10 comics vying for a $10,000 cash prize. The 2013 competitors are: James Adomian, Cy Amundson, Ron Funches, Al Jackson, Jamie Lee, Julian McCullough, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Andrew Schulz, Brendon Walsh, and Mike Winfield.
The Clean Comedy Showcase presented by Bissell, will include performances by Jackie Kashian, Pete Lee, Cash Levy, Jamie Lissow, Mark Normand, Andy Pitz, Erik Rivera, and Bengt Washburn. These eight comedians have been pre-selected for their unique ability to bring laughs without vulgarity.
W. Kamau Bell is coming to Laughfest 2013 in partnership with the Student Activities Office at Calvin College. He stars in the FX Network show, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, his own weekly half-hour series executive produced by Chris Rock. In 2010, Bell released his second stand-up album, Face Full of Flour, which was named one of the Top Ten Best Comedy Albums of the year by iTunes and Punchline Magazine. He is also a founding member of the stand-up comedy collective Laughter Against the Machine.
The Fortune & Friends show will include: Myq Kaplan, returning for his second year of LaughFest, and Michael Yo. The show will be hosted by Fortune Feimster, a full-time writer and roundtable regular on E!’s popular late night talk show, Chelsea Lately, who got her start in famed comedy improv troupe The Groundlings. Kaplan was a Top 5 Finalist on the 2010 season of Last Comic Standing and has appeared in his own half-hour special, Comedy Central Presents: Myq Kaplan. Along with being seen as a regular on E!s Chelsea Lately’s roundtable, Yo has been a celebrity correspondent on CNN, FOX, and MSNBC.
The 2013 festival will also include several child-friendly shows and events. Kid-hop artist, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo will perform four upbeat musical shows for all ages to enjoy. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in hip hop: Run DMC, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and The P Funk All Stars. Additionally, the Meijer’s Family Friendly Super Saturday Kids Zone and Super Saturday Nite Teen Zone returns to offer kids, tweens and teens fun activities, games, and dancing.
New this year is multiple LaughFest’s Best shows. These shows will feature a secret lineup of comedians that will not be announced ahead of time and will provide a sampling of comedy from across the festival.. Local, regional, and national comics take the stage for this secret lineup of seriously funny folks; you just never know who is going to stop by!
Don’t forget that ticket packages go on sale Friday, November 30 at 9:00am online at laughfestgr.org or by phone at (616) 735-HAHA (4242).