05 Feb Opera House: 16th Annual Telluride Comedy Fest
The 16th annual Telluride Comedy Fest, Thursday, February 12 – Sunday, February 15, 8 p.m. nightly. New this year: LATE NIGHT FRIDAY SHOW, 11 p.m. ($30). All other tickets, $35/$40 (plus fees).
Love is no laughing matter, except in Telluride, where comedy wraps around the Big Day, that’s February 14, for the kid in diapers with the quiver of arrows.
The official launch of the Telluride Comedy, this year, Thursday February 12, through Sunday, February 15, was 1999. But in 2003, Sheridan Arts Foundation director Ronnie Palamar approached the host with the most, thespian/director Jeb Berrier, about putting the show together and taking the action to a whole other level. Jeb turned around and asked his former acting buddy Rob Corddry (then of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”) to come to town. With the burgeoning superstar on the program, recruiting other top tier performers was a snap.
In fact many comedians who wound up becoming household names got a big boost on the Sheridan Opera House stage, among them Rob Corddry, who went on star in Hot Tub Time Machine and Children’s Hospital; Ed Helms from The Office and The Hangover; Aziz Ansari, from Parks and Rec, and many others.
And the Who’s Who of comedy, some of Hollywood’s best and brightest, have continued to show up year after year. In town, they party hearty, schussing down the mountain together; onstage, they skate on thin ice.
Among this year’s guests:
Wyatt Cenac — New York-based stand up comedian, actor and writer best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, This American Life
Rhea Butcher — stand up comedian and co-writer of Buzzfeed’s “Ask a Lesbian” web series.
Neil Casey — former writer for Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer and Kroll Show, and frequent performer in CollegeHumor, FunnyOrDie and UCB Comedy
Cameron Esposito — a nationally touring comic and host of Put Your Hands Together podcast whose sophomore album Sam Sex Symbol was named a best of 2014 by the AV Club and Paste Magazine. A regular on Chelsea Lately, and her network TV debut led Jay Leno to call her “the most memorable first time on a late night show for any comedian in recent history.”
Will Hines — Broad City, Brooklyn 99, Small Men, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
Rob Huebel — The Descendants, Children’s Hospital, I Love You, Man, The League, Reno 911, Burning Love, Kroll Show, Mindy Project, Comedy Bang Bang
Jason Mantzoukas — Neighbors, HBO’s Enlightened, The Dictator, Modern Family, Comedy Bang Bang, Drunk History, Baby Mama, Parks and Recreation, The League, Children’s Hospital, Kroll Show
Seth Morris — Go On, I Love You Man, Step Brothers, No Strings Attached, Cedar Rapids, Happy Endings, The League, Brooklyn 99, Kroll Show, Broad City
Paul Scheer — The League, 30 Rock, Human Giant, Children’s Hospital, Reno 911!, 30 Rock, Upright Citizens Brigade, Drunk History, OJ: The Musical
Eliza Skinner — Included on Time Out LA’s list of 9 Comedians to Watch in 2015, has appeared on @Midnight, Chelsea Lately and more, staff writer for Funny or Die and regular performer at UCB NY and LA.
Troy Walker — Denver-based stand-up comedian with regular rotation at Comedy Works
Hosted by Jeb Berrier — Former Telluride thespian now based in Portland, comedian, Shakespeare in the Park Director, SOH Second Stage Theater director and actor
And you never know who else will join these all-stars on stage.
Each night boasts a unique program blending stand-up, sketch, and improvisational comedy.
Thursday Locals Night:
The festival opens as it has annually with an all-star lineup of comedians, who pay tribute to the denizens of Telluride, the people who live and work in the community and make it the special, quirky place that it is. This show is a mix of characters, sketches, stand-up and improv that celebrates all things uniquely Telluride. But you don’t have to be a local to attend. Tickets are discounted to $30.
Friday’s Sketch Comedy:
Friday night marks the return of the “Crash Test” (Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer), an hilarious night of sketch comedy, improv, and hilarity. These are the great (read “warped”) minds that brought you the “Telluride Ski Patrol.” Anything goes.
Late Night Friday:
Hosted by Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher, the show include special guests such as Troy Walker& Eliza Skinner.
Stand-Up Comedy Saturday (also Valentine’s Day) :
Top comedians: Wyatt Cenac, Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher are featured.
Cenac is a NY-based stand-up comedian, actor and writer, best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he was a correspondent and writer for the past five years.
Called the “future of comedy,” by Jay Leno, Esposito is a fast rising LA-based standup comic, actor and writer. Her sophomore album “Same Sex Symbol” was released in fall 2014, debuting as No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts and holding strong at No. 3 on Billboard for several weeks.
Butcher brings a James Dean type cool to her highly personal jokes. She has performed in clubs all over the country and is featured in Buzzfeed’s “Ask A Lesbian” web series, which she co-wrote with Esposito.
Hosted by Seth Morris.
Standup Comedy and Improv Sunday:
Telluride Comedy Festival ends with stand up from Colton Dunn, recently named one of the Comedians to Watch in 2015 by Time Out LA. The Armando Show is the improv finale to the weekend.
All of the above schedule is subject to change. But no matter what, the shows are guaranteed laughs.
VIP Tables Available In addition to reserved theater seating, eight (8) VIP Tables will be available nightly for $500 per table. These tables offer prime cabaret seating on the main floor for four (4) individuals and includes private meet & meet reception with the featured comedians following Saturday night’s performance. If you enjoy being the brunt of a joke or see yourself as a potential candidate to be brought up on stage, these tables are for you.
For a generous donation of $2,000 a supporter or business can sponsor the Sheridan Arts Foundation and receive one table of four for one night (pending availability), receive one framed Comedy Fest poster signed by all the comedians, have your name or business logo listed in ads and posters and on-stage thank yous. Interested? Contact Ronnie Palamar at 970-728-6363 ext. 1
For a preview of the show, watch this video featuring Wyatt Cenac:
Tickets and more info are available at the Sheridan Opera House Box Office; by phone at 970.728.6363; or here.
The Sheridan Arts Foundation was founded in 1991 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to preserve the historic Sheridan Opera House as an arts and cultural resource for the Telluride community, to bring quality arts and cultural events to Telluride and to provide local and national youth with access and exposure to the arts through education.
The Sheridan Arts Foundation is sponsored in part by grants from the Telluride Foundation, CCAASE, El Pomar and CCI.
About the Telluride Arts District:
The Telluride Arts District is a Colorado Certified Creative District, and works in partnership with the Town of Telluride, Colorado Creative Industries, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Telluride Arts District offices are located in the historic Stronghouse at 283 South Fir Streetand at Gallery 81435 at 230 South Fir Street
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