Jersey City Comedy Festival Brings Laughs Online

Art House Productions has announced the Virtual Jersey City Comedy Festival (JCCF) which will take place next month, August 12th-15th. JCCF will be held entirely on Zoom with over 65 performers from across the country. Celebrating three years of laughs (formerly known as the 6th Borough Comedy Festival), performers will be featured in nine different shows including professional stand up, improv comedy, and sketch comedy. $1000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the comedians - $250 to the best sketch team, $250 to the best improv team, $250 to the audience stand up pick, $250 to the industry stand up pick.

Industry guest judges include Corinne Fisher, Ophira Eisenberg, Mike Marino, Suzy Yengo, and Avanti Talent. Special events include a Jersey Strong Showcase, featuring standups from all over New Jersey, and Character Assassination's Roast of Harry Potter. Tickets are $10-$15. Discounted Festival Passes, which include one ticket to each event, are also available for $45.50. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.JerseyCityComedyFestival.com.

Art House Productions has long awarded adventurous and diverse performing artists with a stage to expose audiences to their ambitious and challenging projects. JCCF puts a premium on diversity and inclusion in comedy.

On Wednesday, August 12 at 7:00pm, the Sketch & Improv Showcase will include Pitchfork Patty: Sketch Comedy, Freeze Frame: The Musically Improvised Sitcom, and Off Top: Hip Hop Improv. Tickets are $10.

On Wednesday, August 12 at 8:30pm, The Stand Up Showcase will include Keenan, Jay Malsky, Christiana Jackson, Aditya Shankar, Ilya Laksin, Bill Lake, Victor Luna, Lily Lester, and Zack Breheney. The guest judge is Ophira Eisenberg of NPR's Ask Me Another. This event will also have a free mix & mingle party afterwards hosted by Rich Kiamco, as part of the Jersey City Pride Festival. Tickets are $10.

On Thursday, August 13 at 7:00pm, the Sketch & Improv Showcase will include New Team Honeybear: Sketch Comedy, Mercy Santos: Improv Comedy, and Model Majority: Sketch Comedy. Tickets are $10.

On Thursday, August 13 at 8:30pm, The Stand Up Showcase will include Caitlin Reese, Malorie Bryant, Erik Terrell, Ish Gupta, Phil Sweet, Alexander Payne, Leo Volf, Mike Bramante, and Will Purpura. The host is Brett Duck with guest judge is Corinne Fisher of the podcast, Guys We F***ed. Tickets are $10.

On Friday, August 14 at 7:00pm, the Sketch & Improv Showcase will include Hallway Baby: Sketch Comedy, Bird & Friends - Cosmic Unity: Improv Comedy, and To Karen, With Love: Sketch Comedy. Tickets are $10.

On Friday, August 14 at 8:30pm, The Stand Up Showcase will include Ben Fisher, Tina Sieben, Keith McGill, Johnny Azari, Michael Freedman, Ryo Hayashi, Audrey Mora, Craig Lottner, and Robby Leon. The guest judge is Mike Marino. Tickets are $10.

One of the new events at this year's fest is the Jersey Strong Showcase on Friday, August 14 at 10:00pm EST. This showcase will include talented veteran and best up-and-coming comics from all over the Garden State. The guest judge is Suzy Yengo of Catch a Rising Star. Performers include Alex Grubard, Nick Fierro, Judy Ortiz, James Mac, Jarrett Gerstler, Kayt Hester, Meg Patenaude, Joshua Lay, and Dogan Alptekin. Tickets are $10.

Another new event at this year's fest is The Roast of Harry Potter, presented by Character Assassination, on Saturday, August 15 at 7:30pm EST. For one night only, Character Assassination is bringing your favorite characters from the Harry Potter universe together for a Comedy Central-style roast of The Boy Who Lived, serving up "incendio" level burns! Character Assassination is a comedy show rooted in fictional and historical roasts, with its members hailing from Louisvile, KY, and Chicago, IL.

The closing-night show Best of the Fest on Saturday, August 15 at 9:00pm EST will celebrate comedy audience favorites from the week of laughs, chosen at the end of each showcase by the guest judges and audience vote. This year there will be a cash prize awarded to the industry choice and to the audience favorite. The industry choice will also receive a one month residency of primetime spots at Broadway Comedy Club courtesy of TheIndustryRoom.com. Avanti Talent, who specializes in transitioning and developing performers for scripted tv content for streaming, cable and broadcast networks, will watch the Sketch and Improv showcases. One sketch group and one improv group will also be awarded a cash prize. Tickets are $15.

The Jersey City Comedy Festival is sponsored by Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the Jersey City Municipal Council, and the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Art House is working creatively to deliver digital content during the pandemic. While the doors to our physical space are temporarily closed, we are here in the digital space as a source of strength, creativity, humor, and light when you need a bit of inspiration and affirmation.

In the coming days, weeks, and months, we're planning artist features & profiles, performance videos, online galleries, and livestreaming community events! For information about upcoming digital events and features, please visit https://www.arthouseproductions.org/collections/art-house-online, along with our Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more information. To sign up for Art House's mailing list, please click here: http://bit.ly/398W33P.

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