New York Comedy Festival Announces an Added 40 Shows

October 9, 2017

*The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), in association with TBS, announced today the addition of more than 40 shows to its 2017 line-up. The festival runs from November 7 – November 12 at some of New York City’s most iconic venues, including the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, the Beacon Theater, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Carolines on Broadway, NYU Skirball Center, and Town Hall.

Among the newly announced shows is A Toast to the O.G.’S of Comedy, a celebration of comedy toasting trailblazing stand-ups Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer from the upcoming TBS comedy The Last O.G. Audiences will be treated to an unfiltered night of hilarious stand-up featuring some of the country’s hottest young comedians and a sit-down conversation with Tracy and Cedric and these comedians who have been inspired by them.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Fortune Society, a charity that supports successful re-entry from incarceration.

Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco and the festival will present Comics to Watch, an annual live stand-up showcase featuring the very best new talent from across the country, selected by Team Coco and the festival producers, that has been one of the festival’s most popular and successful events.

An exhaustive search is conducted to find the top young talent from across the country to perform on the show, which was created to help launch the careers of the next generation of comedians by putting them in front of industry executives and comedy fans.

Among those who have performed on Comics to Watch the past are Michael Che from Saturday Night Live, Ali Wong from her hit Netflix special “Baby Cobra,” The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon writers Jo Firestone and Josh Johnson, Andrew Santino from Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, and Saturday Night Live alum Brooks Whelan. For the first time, a few of the comedians who perform at this year’s Comics to Watch will each receive a coveted spot performing on TBS’ Conan.

Back for its tenth consecutive year is the festival’s popular New York’s Funniest stand-up competition, which is open to any and all performers who think they have what it takes to be titled New York’s Funniest. Past winners have included Saturday Night Live star Michael Che, former The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore correspondent Ricky Velez, Last Comic Standing’s Joe Machi, MTV2’s Joking Off Matt Pavich and Tim Dillon is Going to Hell podcaster Tim Dillon, among others.

Other shows announced for the festival include Hidden Fences with Jordan Temple, Whiplash, Dino and Andy’s Skull Juice with Dino Stamatopoulos and Andy Dick, the Aparna n’ Jo Show with Aparna Nancherla and Jo Firestone, and Wedlock with Kurt Braunohler and Lauren Cook among others. For a complete list of shows, visit nycomedyfestival.com.

“One of our main objectives for the festival is to seek and present the country’s very best emerging talent.” said Caroline Hirsch, founder and owner of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway. “It’s a great opportunity for young comedians to be part of a festival that includes some of the biggest names in comedy on New York’s most hallowed stages and to be seen by key industry professionals who can help them get their careers to the next level.”

Previously announced comedians as part of the 2017 lineup include 2 Dope Queens, Samantha Bee, Vir Das, Chris Hardwick, Guys We F@#ked: The Experience, How Did This Get Made?, truTV’s The Impractical Jokers Starring the Tenderloins, Jon Lovett’s “Lovett or Leave It” Podcast, Jo Koy, Bill Maher, Jim Norton, Conan O’Brien, Nick Offerman, Brian Regan, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Kevin Smith, Ron White. Stand Up for Heroes is back for the 11th consecutive year with performances by Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, John Oliver and Jon Stewart.

Tickets for all shows are now available to the general public. Tickets can be purchased through the New York Comedy Festival website: www.nycomedyfestival.com.

The 2017 NYCF is presented in association with TBS. The festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway. Sponsors of the festival include Citi, Samuel Adams, iHeart Radio, New York Magazine, the New York Post, Variety and Vulture.

More information about the festival can be found on all of its social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newyorkcomedyfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nycomedyfest
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nycomedyfest

About the New York Comedy Festival
Now in its fourteenth year, the New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway in association with TBS. The festival has featured the country’s top comedians, including Aziz Ansari, Judd Apatow, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Kathy Griffin, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Norm Macdonald, Bill Maher, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Wanda Sykes, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the “Stand Up for Heroes” event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Louis C.K., Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Conan O’Brien, Ray Romano, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams, among others. To date, the “Stand Up for Heroes” events have raised over $40 million. For more information please visit the NYCF website, like the NYCF Facebook page, and follow the NYCF on Twitter, @NYComedyFest.

About TBS
TBS, a division of Turner, is one of basic cable’s top entertainment networks with young adults and home to seven of the most popular and critically acclaimed new comedies on cable – Angie Tribeca, The Detour, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, People of Earth, Search Party, Wrecked and The Guest Book – as well as the animated hit American Dad! Upcoming comedies include The Last O.G., Close Enough, The Cops, Tarantula and Final Space. TBS also presents

Upcoming comedies include The Last O.G., Close Enough, The Cops, Tarantula and Final Space. TBS also presents late-night comedy in the form of CONAN, starring Conan O’Brien, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and will soon launch a late-night block from Super Deluxe. TBS’ slate of unscripted series includes the upcoming competition series Drop the Mic and The Joker’s Wild. In addition, the TBS lineup includes popular comedy hits like Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Bob’s Burgers, The Big Bang Theory, New Girl and 2 Broke Girls; blockbuster movies; and live coverage of Major League Baseball’s regular and post-season play, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and ELEAGUE, Turner’s eSports gaming league.

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