DSI Comedy Theater Announces 2017 North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival

February brings DSI Comedy Theater's largest event of the year. This year, it is giving DSI a chance to showcase a new direction and continue its 17th year tradition of showcasing comedy from up and down the east coast and across the country.

The 2017 North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival is set to launch Wednesday February 15 and will run through Saturday, February 25.

Festival shows will run at DSI Comedy Theater, Local 506, and The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. DSI Comedy Theater is at 462 West Franklin Street. Local 506 is down the street at 506 West Franklin Street. The ArtsCenter is located at 300-G East Main Street in Carrboro. Tickets cost $10-$20. Tickets are available online at nccomedyarts.com.

As DSI moves into becoming a presenting organization, this annual festival is a great way for the comedy hot spot to showcase its collective presenting muscle and this year is a stellar one. Since 2001, acts from across North America have traveled to North Carolina to workshop and showcase the art of comedy. NCCAF welcomes professional and college acts, improvisers, sketch writers and standup comics. It has become widely recognized as one of the largest independent comedy events in the country.

DSI Comedy Theater has decided to donate 10% of ticket profits for the festival to North Carolina NAACP and to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

"Laughter may be the best (only) medicine we have over the next four years. DSI Comedy and the NC Comedy Arts Festival plan to make it count," explains NCCAF founder Zach Ward. "I am always proud when comedy, what we do best, can offer both a release for audiences and support for organizations like the NAACP and Planned Parenthood."

The festival kicks off Wednesday, February 15 at DSI Comedy Theater with a performance by legendary comic Emo Phillips. Phillips has appeared at quite a few festivals. On Friday, February 17, the festival welcomes the return of Kevin Allison's RISK at The ArtsCenter RISK! is a live show and podcast "where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share in public" hosted by Kevin Allison, of the legendary TV sketch comedy troupe The State. This evening will feature comedians and storytellers dropping the act and showing a side of themselves we've never seen before. The weekly podcast gets around a million downloads each month. Slate.com called it "jaw-dropping, hysterically funny, and just plain touching."

The 17, also brings AJ Schraeder's one-man sketch show, Thunderstood, back to the festival He is joined on stage by Amelita, a Future Music Icon, and Drew Harrison, a stand-up who blends the absurd and ridiculous things about his life into a comedy style all his own. On the 17th, Canadian sketch and improv duo Tom and Erica take to the DSI stage for a hilarious performance.

On Saturday, February 18, Aparna Nancherla, a rising comedic star returns to the NCCAF. She has performed at the Festival as both an improviser and a stand-up comedian. She recently wrote for Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC. She appeared on the last season of Inside Amy Schumer on Comedy Central and will appear on the upcoming season of Love on Netflix.

Then on Friday, February 24, the festival continues with the festival return of The Josh and Tamra Show at The ArtsCenter. For the past 17 years, Josh Cohen, Tamra Malaga, and a cast of amazing Muppet style puppets create a feature length montage of scenes. Also on their show is (Eric + Holly), featuring veteran improvisers Holly Laurent and Eric Hunicutt have performed together for a decade and a half as members of the acclaimed improv ensemble the Reckoning - which began as a team at iO Chicago and continues to play together weekly at the iO WEST Theater in Los Angeles.

Also on February 24, Susan Messing and Rachael Mason bring The Boys to NCCAF. Messing, a legendary improviser and festival veteran, will also bring Messing with A Friend, to the festival the next day. She performs Messing With A Friend with festival Executive Producer Zach Ward.

The festival is also welcoming back festival favorites the ImprovBoston Touring Company, Billyhawk, and ImprovVStandup. NCCAF is also hosting he Home Pun Derby, the community is invited to participate or participate as a spectator as forty community punsters face off in rounds of head-to-head spirited and fast-paced word play until a HomePun Champion is crowned.

The festival includes masterclasses. This year, the festival is pleased to welcome screenwriter David Misch ("Mork & Mindy", "The Muppets Take Manhattan", "Police Squad!", "Duckman", "Saturday Night Live"),author of the award-eligible "Funny the Book: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Comedy", to present "How Comedy Works" is a mini-version of "Practical Foundations of Comedy", a course he taught at USC, UCLA, AFI, The Actors Studio (NYC), Oxford and Columbia Universities, and the University of Sydney. The class has no direct instruction but is a critical, and serious (and funny), exploration of comedy as an art form.

The core of NCCAF has always been education, to bring veterans together so they could see what comedic work was happening around the country, to teach the next generation of performers and to expose festival audiences to what comedy as an art form could make possible.

The festival has welcomed comedy legends Steven Wright, Emo Philips, Margaret Cho, Second City, Mike Birbiglia, and Maria Bamford to area venues. NCCAF has presented Master Classes in comedy and improv from improv legends Charna Halpern, Susan Messing, Jill Bernard, and comedy icons Kevin Allison (The State) and Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall). The festival also premiered the film The Muslims Are Coming to North Carolina audiences. In 2010, the festival increased the population of Carrboro by 4%. The festival brings approximately $150,000 into the local economy each year. The festival has a reputation for connecting touring comics to bookers for late night TV and other festivals. It also supported the opening of theaters and the creation of comedy festivals in Richmond, VA, Greenville, SC, Tucson, AZ, and more.

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North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival Schedule:

Wednesday, February 15

DSI Comedy Theater
7:30 p.m.
Emo Philips
Tickets: $20

Thursday. February 16

DSI Comedy Theater
7:00 p.m.
Chapel Hill Players (CHiPs) + False Profits + The Scene is Dead
Tickets: $10

8:30 p.m.
John Sideris + Ian Ager + Kaity Neagle + Colleen Carroll + James Taylor + Preezy + DonJohn + Bry Bowden
Tickets: $10

Friday, February 17

DSI Comedy Theater
7:00 p.m.
Patrick May's 100 Person Sketch Show + The Unpolished State + Word Up! by Cameo
Tickets: $10

8:30 p.m.
Thunderstood + Amelita + Drew Harrison
Tickets: $10

10:00 p.m.
Tom & Erica + Daniel Cohen + Chris Sanders + Nick Rutherford
Tickets: $12.50

The ArtsCenter
7:30 p.m.
RISK! podcast: "Whaaaaat?" featuring Kevin Allison (MTV's The State), Eddie Brill, Zach Ward and more!
Tickets: $20

9:00 p.m.
NCCAF All-Star Comedy Showcase

The ArtsCenter West End
8:00 p.m.
Maddy Night Live + If You Are Watching This, We Are Dead + Sketchy Business
Tickets: $10

10:00 p.m.
Erin Grotheer + John Sideris + Art Sturtevant + Chad Cosby + Jill Weiner + Devon Franklin
Tickets: $10

Local 506
8:00 p.m.
Sam Di + Jessica Abrams + Anders Lee + Hobert Thompson + Jack Martin + Jairo Dechtiar
Tickets: $10

9:30 p.m.
Nick Rutherford + Kenneth McLaurin + Mike Wiley + Matt Stofsky + Ian Ager + Ray Connolly + Justin McNeil + Jody Oakley
Tickets: $10

Saturday, February 18

The ArtsCenter West End
6:00 p.m.
Family Improv with Code Orange
Tickets: $10

8:00 p.m.
Improvised History + Unstoppable Failure + Hot & Sweaty
Tickets: $10

10:00 p.m.
Kenneth McLaurin + Jessica Abrams + Anders Lee + Hobert Thompson + Ian Ager + Mike Wiley
Tickets: $10

DSI Comedy Theater
7:00 p.m.
ImproVStandup: Lakehouse + Jack Martin + Chad Cosby
Tickets: $20

8:30 p.m.
Andrew Gleason + Tim Middleton + Michelle Maclay + Ray Connolly + Leah Spigelman + Chris Sanders
Tickets: $12.50

11:00 p.m.
Bit Shows
Tickets: $10

Local 506
8:00 p.m.
Mark Powell + Jane Condon + Jill Weiner + Devon Franklin + Shane Rhyne + Rob Ventura
Tickets: $10

9:30 p.m.
Art Sturtevant + Matt Stofsky + Erin Grotheer + Kaity Neagle + Nick Rutherford + Cordero Wilson + Matt Herzog + Rodney Futrell
Tickets: $10

The ArtsCenter
9:00 p.m.
Aparna Nancherla with Hannah Strom + BRandy Brown
Tickets: $20

Sunday, February 19

DSI Comedy Theater
6:00 p.m.
My Fantasy Wife Podcast
Tickets: Free at the Door

7:30 p.m.
Michelle Maclay + Drew Harrison + Jane Condon + Leah Spigelman + Shane Rhyne + Tim Middleton + Mark Powell
Tickets: $10

Tuesday, February 21

DSI Comedy Theater
7:30 p.m.
Home Pun Derby
Tickets: Free, Sign-Up Online, Reserve tickets for $10

Thursday, February 23

DSI Comedy Theater
7:00 p.m.
Harken + Ministry of Waffles + Kentucky Bill + Very Nice People
Tickets: $10

8:30 p.m.
Tallulah + Classic Brady + TFGAAM
Tickets: $10

10:00 p.m.
Nutt House + Means to an End + Samuel Lorraine Jackson
Tickets: $10

The ArtsCenter
7:30 p.m.
Dance, Monkey! + The Estessentials + Improvised Standup
Tickets: $15

9:00 p.m.
Panic! at Del Friscos + Warm Blooded + Stranger Danger
Tickets: $15

Friday, February 24

DSI Comedy Theater
7:00 p.m.
Area 52 + Bronson + Haymaker
Tickets: $12.50

8:30 p.m.
Wicked City + Madeline + Homage
Tickets: $12.50

10:00 p.m.
MISTER DIPLOMAT
Tickets: Free

The ArtsCenter
7:30 p.m.
Actual Garbage People + The Josh & Tamra Show + (Eric + Holly)
Tickets: $20

9:00 p.m.
The Boys: Susan Messing & Rachael Mason + Rainstick + Black Ops
Tickets: $20

The ArtsCenter West End
8:00 p.m.
Chapel Hill Players + Amuse Bouche + Mock Turtle Soup + The OverReactors + LTT!
Tickets: $10

10:00 p.m.
New & Improv'd + NouN + Toast + The Whethermen
Tickets: $10

Local 506
8:00 p.m.
Hip Hop Harold + Improv Charlotte
Tickets: $10

9:00 p.m.
Rabbit + Rumple + Flaggerdoot + The Tipsy Zone
Tickets: $10

Saturday, February 25

The ArtsCenter
7:30 p.m.
ImprovBoston + Billyhawk + Improv All-Stars
Tickets: $20

9:00 p.m.
Messing with a Friend + Limboland + Improv All-Stars
Tickets: $20

10:45 p.m.
THE BAT
Tickets: Free, Reserve Seats for $10

The ArtsCenter West End
6:00 p.m.
Spitfire + Improvables + Get the Hook
Tickets: $10

8:00 p.m.
Janet + The Dudes + Dinosaur Time Machine + Scorpion Bowl
Tickets: $10

10:00 p.m.
Female Accent + Monolith + Different Boys + Jawesome
Tickets: $10

DSI Comedy Theater
1 p.m.
How Comedy Works With David Misch
Tickets: $30

7:00 p.m.
Too Big of a Dog + Porcelain Horses + Versus
Tickets: $12.50

8:30 p.m.
Summerland + Thankzgiving 2007 + The Johnsons
Tickets: $12.50

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In 2001, Dirty South Improv (DSI) produced the first North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival to give audiences and students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the chance to experience workshops in the art of Chicago-style improvisation. In 2005, the festival saw the opening of the DSI Comedy Theater, an 80-seat venue in North Carolina and the new home for shows and the DSI Comedy School. In 2015, DSI Comedy Theater celebrated 10 years with the opening of a new home on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. The festival and the theatre has attracted high level instructors and performers in improv, sketch and stand-up comedy including: Maria Bamford, Jimmie "JJ" Walker, M.C. Chris, Mike Birgbiglia, April Richardson, Steven Wright, Louis CK, Eddie Brill, Kevin Allison, Kevin MacDonald, Sasheer Zamata, Josh Gondleman, Kumail Nanjiani, Emo Philips, Bruce Vilanch, and more. DSI Comedy boasts a local company of 100 active performers in Chapel Hill, NC and a national network of comedians. A dedicated member of its community, DSI supports the greater Triangle region with fundraisers, outreach, and educational opportunities for all ages and abilities. It is the home of YesAndLife, a Corporate Training, Leadership Development and Team Building organization, and the DSI Comedy School, which offers new classes to the public every month, classes in the art of comedy.

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