Moontower Comedy Festival Announces Full Schedule & Lineup

The 2018 Moontower Comedy Festival is excited to reveal the full schedule and talent lineup for the festival April 18-21 in Austin. This marks the seventh year for the premiere comedy celebration which will welcome over 100 performers in stand-up, musical comedy and more as well as 11 hilarious live podcasts and broadcasts from all over the country to stages in the heart of the city. See the full schedule online at MoontowerComedyFest.com.

Among this year's performers is an impressive slate of headliners headed to the Paramount and Stateside Theatres, including Tig Notaro, Tiffany Haddish, Mike Birbiglia, Jo Koy, Weird Al Yankovic, An Evening for the Comedy Resistance starring David Cross & Special Guests, Janeane Garofalo, Colin Quinn, Nikki Glaser, Ali Siddiq, Preacher Lawson, Ryan Hamilton and the Shmanners Podcast with Travis and Teresa McElroy.

New additions to the Moontower Podcast/Broadcast Series include You Up with Nikki Glaser, which will be presented by SiriusXM and will feature Nikki and her touring buddy Tom Thakkar oversharing their personal lives, sharing perspectives on dating and sex, dissecting pop culture, trying to understand the news, and making fun of whoever deserves it. Also new to the lineup is The Dork Forest with Jackie Kashian, which will have Jackie and her guests - Martha Kelly, Janelle James and Solomon Georgio - dorking out about their love of books, TV, movies, comic books, websites, food, wrestling, cars, action figures and bees.

These join the already announced podcasts and broadcasts like Arden Myrin and Erin Foley's Bachelor-themed Will You Accept This Rose?, which will welcome as guests on the live show Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds, Another Period), Alexis Waters and Jasmine Goode. Moontower is also excited to welcome live renditions of SiriusXM's The Bonfire with Dan Soder and Big Jay Oakerson and Unmasked with Ron Bennington, The Jackie and Laurie Show with Jackie Kashian (The Dork Forest) and Laurie Kilmartin (Conan), Raised by TV with Lauren Lapkus (Jurassic World, Orange is the New Black), and Jon Gabrus (Comedy Bang Bang), Tuesdays with Stories with comedians Joe List and Mark Normand, and All Fantasy Everything with Ian Karmel.

Moontower veterans are already in on the secret that much of the festival's comedic wealth can be found in the 10 or so walkable Satellite Venues where your next favorite comedian waits to be discovered. Among the lineup of hard-working hilarious talent filling the four days with non-stop comedy at club shows around Austin during the festival are Arden Myrin, Avery Moore, Big Jay Oakerson, Chad Daniels, Dana Gould, Dom Irrera, Enzo Priesnitz, Erin Foley, Jon Gabrus, Judah Friedlander, Lauren Lapkus, Liza Treyger, Matt Bearden, Ophira Eisenberg, Sam Jay, Yamaneika Saunders, and many more!

Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall, Tim and Eric) will bring his award-winning show, "Apres Le Deluge: The Buddy Cole Monologues." Jessimae Peluso will host 7 Deadly Sins as we watch and laugh while each comic guest tackles their favorite sin in this part improv/part stand-up show. The Goddamn Comedy Jam (#GDCJ) is back by popular demand and will feature Josh Adam Meyers and his band Elemenopy paving the way for Moontower comedians to tell a story about their favorite song and then rock it out live-band-karaoke-style. Andy Kindler selected Moontower performers for his Particular Show to include Julio Torres, Martha Kelly, Todd Barry, Buddy Cole and more. Major Fomo! says exactly how you will feel if you miss this one-of-a-kind show featuring Dulce Sloan, Jon Rudnitsky, Tom Rhodes, Chris Cubas, Mike Macrae, and Chad Daniels. Countless other amazing shows can be found each night featuring multiple comedians, including Piranha, a Shark Tank stand-up mashup with an all-star panel that includes multiple Emmy winner Dana Gould and fest favorite Erin Foley; 1st & Ten; Austin Towers!; Stars in Bars; New York's Finest; Shebang; The Next; and introducing Satellite Surprise, a late night best-of-the-fest show bursting with comedy magic.

On Friday, April 20th, SHOWTIME will screen the premiere episode of the new season of I'M DYING UP HERE at 3:30 p.m. at the Alamo Ritz - Austin, TX. From executive producer Jim Carrey, the series explores L.A.'s famed '70s stand-up comedy scene, with an ensemble cast led by Academy Award winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Ari Graynor (Whip It, The Disaster Artist). The 10-episode season of I'M DYING UP HERE will premiere on Sunday, May 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

Each year, in addition to the amazing talent from around the country, Moontower Comedy Festival features a large number of Austin-based comedians taking part in various shows throughout the festival. This year's Austin talent includes the following:

Moontower Comedy Festival 2018 Austin Talent

• Aaron Brooks
• Andrew Murphy
• Arielle Norman
• Avery Moore
• Bob Khosravi
• Brian Gaar
• Chris Tellez
• Christina Parrish
• Danny Goodwin
• Denise O'Young
• Devon Walker
• Duncan Carson
• Enzo Priesnitz
• Hunter Duncan
• Jasmine Ellis
• Joe Tullar
• John Ramsey
• Jon Mendoza
• Justin Hicks
• Kent Juliff
• Mac Blake
• Matt Bearden
• Matt Sadler
• Michael Good
• Michael Priest
• Nick Saverino
• Pat Sirois
• Ralph Hardesty
• Vanessa Gonzalez
• Zac Brooks

A full list of 2018 Moontower Comedy Festival performers as well as a schedule and descriptions of each show and live podcast is available online at MoontowerComedyFest.com. Please note that lineup and schedule are subject to change.

Moontower has also partnered with Netflix to bring festival-goers the Netflix Lounge, located at the new Aloft hotel at the corner of 7th Street and Congress Ave in the heart of the festival. The Upstairs at Caroline space will serve as a lounge for attendees and comics throughout the festival, with food and drink specials, as well as closing night party festivities featuring DJ Mel.

Moontower Satellite Badges ($99) are still on sale. This badge is perfect for comedy and podcast fans who plan to travel around to the walkable Satellite Venues and northern locations Cap City Comedy Club and Shalom Austin JCC to catch the club shows featuring sets by a variety of Moontower comics. Individual tickets to headliner shows are also still available. You can pick up badges and tickets at MoontowerComedyFest.com, at the Paramount Theatre box office, or by calling 512-474-1221.

For up-to-date information on the festival, follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoontowerComedy and Twitter @moontowercomedy.

To post a comment, you must register and login.