Madison Comedy Week organizers, from left, Peter Rambo, Cynthia Marie, and Jake Snell. The inaugural event stretches 24 events across eight days.
Madison has a thriving comedy scene. The Comedy Club on State routinely tops comics’ lists of best clubs in the country. Outside of the club, however, there is an impressive roster of stand-up showcases, improv theater shows, storytelling events, theme shows and burlesque affairs.
These local talents will be showcased at the inaugural Madison Comedy Week, May 27-June 3, at various venues around town. By pulling together a host of performances under the same umbrella, producers Jake Snell, Cynthia Marie and Peter Rambo hope to show off Madison's best, brightest and funniest.
“I just fell in love with Madison's comedy scene when I moved here,” says Marie, who moved here from Philadelphia with Rambo. “[Madison] might not be a huge city, but it has some of the most hard-working, talented people I've ever met! They're inspiring! They deserve to be recognized with a cool festival and a fake award show that celebrates their many talents and gently makes fun of them,” says Marie.
Rambo says that “Madison’s comedy scene stacks up to cities many times its size, and we want to show it off.” The festival features shows at 10 different venues, from The Rigby Pub downtown, to Broom Street Theater, and all the way to McPike Park for the grand finale at the new Pursuit of Happiness Session, where national touring duo Mary Mack and Tim Harmston will perform. Headliners of the event include Chastity Washington, Vickie Lynn, Nick Hart (Madison's Funniest Comic, 2017), Charlie Kojis (Madison's Funniest Comic, 2016), Antoine McNeail and Anthony Siraguse, a former Madisonian who is returning from Chicago.
Kicking off the festival proper is the first annual Madison Area Comedy Awards (MACAs), at Nomad World Pub on May 27. The show features diverse awards like “most promising back-up plan, most obscure references, and most advancement through non-comedy-related skills,” says Snell.
“The scene has more working comics now than ever before, and more consistently well-run showcases as well,” says Snell. “We wanted to turn a special focus on to the people responsible for these efforts, as they make up a big reason why comedians continue to want to perform and work here.”
Editor's note: This article was corrected to reflect that the festival takes place at 10 venues, not 22. And Anthony Siraguse lives in Chicago, not Denver.
