The 5th Annual Women in Comedy Festival (WICF) will be in Boston March 21- 24 with headliners Rachel Dratch and Horatio Sanz (both Saturday Night Live alumni), as well as Maria Bamford (Comedians of Comedy, Louie (FX), Comedy Central Presents, Comedy Central Records Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome, Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, PBS’s WordGirl and multiple Late Night comedy appearances).
The four-day festival will feature 26 shows from 200 of the hottest female (and male!) stand-up, improv, storytelling, sketch and musical comedy acts from around the world – and of course, Boston.
"I had a great time seeing all those fast creative minds at work. I've seen a little improv here and there over the years but never so much as the two nights I attended The Women in Comedy Festival. I loved it!" --- Actor Steven Wright (WICF 2012)
Festival co-producer Maria Ciampa says, “In our fifth year, I'm excited that our mission is on track: Bringing all types of comedians together, showcasing great talent to Boston audiences, and especially, giving industry a chance to scout hilarious talent.”
“This year we're expanding and doing shows at lots of cool venues like The Wilbur, Improv Asylum, Oberon, Charles Playhouse, Nick's Comedy Stop, and Passim,” says Ciampa. “And we continue doing shows at places we love, like The Comedy Studio and the Brattle. It's great to showcase WICF talent at so many of Boston's best comedy venues and partner with some of Boston's best producers!”
Stand-ups performing on this year's WICF have been featured on Showtime, HBO, MTV, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC), Comedy Central, Just for Laughs, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Last Comic Standing (NBC), Nickelodeon’s Search for America’s Funniest Mom (Nick), Stand up in Stilettos (TV Guide Channel), Suburgatory and Chelsea Lately (E!).
To further its mission, WICF will host several workshops on comedy writing, improv, and performance. Panels on writing and intellectual property and a Q and A with Rachel Dratch will take place at Improv Asylum on Saturday, March 23rd. For tickets and schedules, please visit: www.womenincomedyfestival.com.
About WICF: The Women in Comedy Festival is produced by Elyse Schuerman, Michelle Barbera, Maria Ciampa, and Hillary Buckholtz in partnership with The Comedy Studio and the Improv Asylum.
Now in its fifth year, WICF has hosted hundreds of comedic artists including Carol Leifer, Wendy Liebman, Edie McClurg, Kristen Schaal, Morgan Murphy, Jackie Kashian, Jen Kirkman, Arden Myrin, Erin Jackson and Myq Kaplan.
Festival highlights include:
UCB: Queens of Improv with Horatio Sanz & Rachel Dratch
SNL alumni Rachel Dratch (Boston native) and Horatio Sanz will kick off the festival with top improvisers from the UCB Theater. The UCB has been home to some of the biggest stars in comedy today, from Saturday Night Live and Happy Endings toThe Office and Parks and Recreation. UCB Theater has produced writers for top shows like the Colbert Report, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, MAD TV and more. On the big screen, UCB alums have starred in comedies including Bridesmaids, Mean Girls, The Hangover and countless more (Thursday, March 21 at 8:00 PM at The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St., Boston, MA).
Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford will headline two shows at the historic 230-seat Brattle Theater in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. Maria has appeared in many movies, but is best known for the voices in Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time and the PBS educational show WordGirl. Her last album Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome (Comedy Central Records) was released in 2009 (Friday, March 22nd at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA).
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