As consumers of entertainment, we often forget to put ourselves in the shoes of entertainers—those who stand in front of a crowd of strangers with their eyes locked on them, waiting to see if they’ll deliver. It takes guts, and when it comes to stand-up comedy, it takes even more. Comedy is raw, instinctual and unfiltered. It can knock you down and expose your vulnerabilities. But when a joke lands and the whole room is laughing, that’s the validation that keeps comics coming back.
Laugh After Dark’s third annual ComedyFest taps into the rush of joke telling, bringing together talent from all over. Co-founded by Kelsey Borlan and her husband Robert E. Lee, the festival isn’t just about performances.
“We like to work with as many businesses in the Arts District as we can, like restaurants, because part of what we want to highlight is the foodie scene,” Borlan tells the Weekly. “The Arts District itself is a part of the festival.”
Venues like Vegas Theatre Company, the Strat’s LA Comedy Club and Hola Habibi are hosting the comedy and after-parties, and spots like Cornish Pasty Co. and Makers & Finders are giving festival goers a taste of the Arts District with a discount.
But what makes ComedyFest stand out is its inclusion of film, which took the team’s extensive commitment to sift through hundreds of submissions and videos to create the lineup of both on- and off-screen entertainment. “It’s a huge year-long process,” Borlan explains. “We typically have submissions open for about nine months out of the year so we get hundreds of submissions from all over … we watch every single submission and everybody on the team rates the performance. We let the cream rise to the top.”
This year’s lineup brings together 45 comedians, all competing for the coveted “Best of Fest” award, while the film side showcases 35 screenings. Over the course of three days, ticket holders will be able to witness some of comedy’s current best.
Vegas local Mary Upchurch is slated to film a live comedy special on October 8. Reality TV personality Teck Holmes will be performing a 10 p.m. show at LA Comedy Club on October 9. And Frankie “Trixx” Agyemang is hosting the Nightcap Show at Vegas Theatre Company on October 9, featuring eight must-see comics.
For additional impact, every comedian’s best set is filmed and the content is shared year round on social platforms, some eventually making their way to SiriusXM and Tubi.
But hold your applause; there’s more. Laugh After Dark made certain that its event offers tangible learning experiences for everyone involved—workshops led by professional writers and directors will give their insight on how to build a pilot, pitch ideas and work through bits. This way, everyone can potentially walk away with something worth more than a sore stomach from laughter. And to strengthen those ties even more, Laugh After Dark launched its own public beta streaming platform on October 1, offering all this content in one place for your enjoyment.
At its core, the Laugh After Dark ComedyFest is about fostering connections—between performers, audience members, local businesses and the greater comedy community. And the timing couldn’t be better for Vegas’ scene.
”Comedy is really on the rise, I don’t think I’ve talked to one person in the last year who isn’t perked by comedy right now,” says Borlan. “It’s having a moment in the zeitgeist.”
LAUGH AFTER DARK COMEDYFEST October 7-9, times vary, $33-$79. Arts District, laughafterdarkcomedyfest.com.
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