Clairemont Welcomes First-Ever San Diego Comedy Festival Next Week

by Janet Miller

This month the brand new San Diego Comedy Festival comes to our neck of the woods, and the five-day event offers something for everyone who loves to laugh. With everything from a battle between stand up and improv to an entire show of “clean” comedy, and shows by nationally known comics, the San Diego Comedy Festival is sure to be a hit.

Kevin Pollak

Hosted by The Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., it is the first event of its kind ever in San Diego. Of course for most of us the focus will be on enjoying some great live comedy, but for the performers there will be valuable opportunities to network and be seen by talent bookers as well.  In addition there will be several cash prizes, including a grand prize of $2,000 that comes with an Uproar Entertainment CD recording.

Patrick DeGuire

Dan Bublitz Jr, the San Diego Comedy Festival Co-Producer reports that comedians from all over the country will be participating including national headliners you will recognize from TV and movies.
“We are excited to be kicking off the San Diego Comedy Festival with a performance by Kevin Pollak, a performer Comedy Central named one of the Top 100 Comedians of all Time,” Bublitz said. “We’re also looking forward to introducing San Diego to the fun of Impro(vs)tandup, where improvisers and stand ups do what they do best and then switch places to try their hand at what the other does best. This particular Impro(vs)tandup will feature standup comics Grant Cotter from MTV’s Jerks with Cameras and Dean Delray from The Longshots and Hell Ride. The improvisers will be from the renowned Upright Citizens Brigade.”

The festival begins on Tuesday evening January 28th with the Kevin Pollak show. This is the only show that will not be at the Comedy Palace; Mr. Pollak will perform at the 4 Points by Sheraton, 8110 Aero Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.  Wednesday offers a full schedule including a keynote address from Patrick DeGuire, a San Diego comic (winner of the Improv/ Harrahs National Comedy Club Talent Search), followed by the first contest showcase. In the contest showcases, 8 comedians will perform but only 2 will advance to the finals on Saturday.

After the showcase comes the Impro(vs)tandup show. If previous versions in other cities are any indication, San Diego is in for a treat, watching the standups and improvisers try to win the audience’s laughs and applause.

Donnell Rawlings

The last show of the night will be a San Diego showcase, exclusively featuring comics from San Diego.

On Thursday the laughs continue with another contest showcase, another San Diego showcase and in between a headlining performance by Donnell Rawlings, who is perhaps best known for playing “Ashy Larry” on Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show. Rawlings’ quick wit has made him a favorite in comedy clubs across the country.

Theo Von

Friday’s schedule includes two more contest showcases (each showcase has 8 performers), a “blue” showcase (adult comedy) and a show from headliner Theo Von. Von is the host of ‘Deal With It’ on TBS as well as the host of Yahoo!’s popular daily recap show, Primetime in No Time, which averages over one million views a day. Von’s website, CrankTexts.com, is where he posts the hilarious results of text conversations with random strangers.

Jen Kober

The San Diego comedy Festival continues on Saturday February 1st with a TV Clean showcase (family-friendly comedy) in the afternoon, a general showcase of comedians from all over the country and then a show from headliner Jen Kober.  Kober, a native of Lake Charles Louisiana, has a commanding presence and her show is a great blend of silly, funny and improv that you won’t soon forget.

Following Kober is the 2-hour contest final showcase. 8 finalists will perform and compete for cash prizes.  These 8 will be the best of the best from the whole festival so the laughs are pretty much guaranteed for this one! At the end of the show the winners will be announced and awarded their prizes.

Tickets are available for individual shows from $15-$50 or you can get a festival pass for $100-$200 good for all shows. This event is for ages 18 and up, and all shows (except Kevin Pollak) are at the Comedy Palace.  All information was up to date as of press time; line up and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. Visit www.sandiegocomedyfest.com for full festival details or call 858-573-9067.