TRAVERSE CITY, MI (January 14, 2011) — Following up on last year’s smash debut, the founders of the Traverse City Comedy Festival announced today the line-up for Year Two of the popular northern Michigan event, February 10-13, 2011.
“Thousands showed up in the dead of winter last year to be part of our comedy fest,” said founder Michael Moore. “They laughed so hard, we were afraid not to do it again.”
“My favorite part of last year’s fest,” recalled the other founder, comedian Jeff Garlin, “was swimming across Grand Traverse Bay with all the other comedians at midnight. This year we plan to make it all the way to Green Bay.”
This year’s festival will take place from Thursday, February 10 through Sunday, February 13. It has grown a day longer with a special opening night show featuring the amazing Bob Saget. Most will remember him as the lovable and clean cut dad of the Olsen Twins on the 1980s sitcom “Full House.” But his show in Traverse City will be R-rated and highlight the theme of this year’s fest: “Comedy is Dangerous in February.”
Other performers at the festival include one of today’s hottest comedians, Patton Oswalt, the amazing Caroline Rhea, and the man known as “The Roastmaster” on Comedy Central, Jeffrey Ross.
Jeff Garlin will host “Jeff Garlin’s Hootenanny” featuring rising-stars Aubrey Plaza and Brett Gelman. And Michael Moore will perform an original one-man show.
The festival’s Opening Night Act will be preceded by an Opening Night Party at the City Opera House. On Saturday two family-friendly matinee “Comedy4Kids” performances will be held. On Friday and Saturday nights at midnight, Jeff Garlin’s Late Night Combo Platter will return to Traverse City for FREE at Horizon Books.
A great new comic documentary, “Exporting Raymond,” will premiere, Sunday will be comic Coen Brothers day, and two classic midnight films will screen for the first time at the State Theatre.
The brainchild of Oscar-winner Michael Moore (“Capitalism: A Love Story”) and Emmy-winner Jeff Garlin (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), the comedy festival is a volunteer-run project of the non-profit Traverse City Film Festival. All proceeds will go towards the TCFF and to the other good works the TCFF does to help create jobs and improve the quality of life in northern Michigan.
More About the Shows
While it’s true that the comedy fest’s opening night act starred on two of the most family-friendly shows network TV has ever produced (“Full House” and “Americas Funniest Home Videos”), Bob Saget has also been a bawdy, edgy standup comedian for over thirty years. From his starring on Broadway in “The Drowsy Chaperone” to his scene-stealing scenes in “The Aristocrats” and HBO’s “Entourage,” to his last HBO special, “That Ain’t Right,” Bob is always pushing the envelope of his craft. Earlier this year Bob starred in the ABC prime-time series “Surviving Suburbia,” and he was just seen on “Entourage,” reprising his last turn on the popular HBO series. Bob is currently working on a new documentary comedy series for A&E, an exploration of bizarre subcultures all over the world, and this fall Bob’s new theater tour will visit cities across North America. No one under 16 will be admitted to Saget’s show.
Michael Moore has produced movies, TV series and books, and once performed regionally with the Ice Capades. So for his next act he’s decided to write and perform an original one-man show. Comedy festgoers will be the first to get a peek at this new work from Flint’s most famous Eagle Scout.
Jeff Garlin has a Hootenanny planned with the master host himself and two up and coming comedy stars: Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) and Brett Gelman (“The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central’s “Motherload”).
Patton Oswalt played Spence on “The King of Queens” and has appeared on “Seinfeld,” “The Sarah Silverman Program” and “Flight of the Conchords.” He’s a regular contributor on “Real Time with Bill Maher” and Lewis Black’s “Root Of All Evil.” He has made two critically acclaimed albums including the Grammy nominated “My Weakness Is Strong.” He has also appeared in more then 20 films, voicing Remy the rat in Pixar’s Oscar winning “Ratatouille,” and starring in the critically acclaimed “Big Fan” (TCFF 2009). He headlines tours in the United States and UK.
Jeffrey Ross’s show-stopping performances at celebrity roasts honoring the likes of William Shatner, Donald Trump and Pamela Anderson inspired New York Magazine to crown him “The Meanest Man in Comedy.” Jeff has appeared on dozens of TV shows from David Letterman to “The View,” and most recently he appeared on “Dancing with the Stars.” Jeff also performs stand up regularly at charity benefits and for U.S. soldiers stationed all over the world. Jeff co-wrote and starred in MTV’s highly irreverent animated series “Where My Dogs At?” Eventually the show made so many people mad, they had to cancel it. No one under 16 will be admitted to Ross’s show.
Caroline Rhea is an integral part of New York’s comedy scene, and she has brought her fresh, smart and spontaneous approach to sold out audiences on tour in the United States and Canada regularly for the last 17 years. She starred as Aunt Hilda on The WB’s sitcom “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.” She was in “The Perfect Man” with Heather Locklear and “Man on the Moon,” the story of the late comedian Andy Kaufman co-starring Jim Carrey. She was host of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and Drew’s girlfriend on “The Drew Carey Show.”
And two of the fastest rising stars on the comedy circuit will split a show: Ted Alexandro (David Letterman, Comedy Central specials — and he tours with Louis CK) and Joe DeRosa (HBO’s “Bored To Death,” Fox New’s “Redeye”).
The festival is excited to announce that Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival attendees will be among the first audience to see a great new documentary that follows two-time Emmy-winning writer Phil Rosenthal, creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” in an incredibly funny true story of the attempt to translate “Raymond” into a Russian sitcom. It’s a true international adventure, the kind of comedy that can only exist in real life, where the Fruit of the Month Club can’t be the Fruit of the Month Club.
The festival’s Opening Night Party will feature festivalgoers enjoying appetizers and cocktails with a who’s who list of comedians and VIPs, all of whom will mingle and answer the inevitable question, “What do you think of the warm spell we’re having?”
On Friday and Saturday at midnight, the lower level of Horizon Books will become a free after-hours comedy club with Jeff Garlin doing his famous “Late Night Combo Platter,” hosting a number of surprise guests. These free events will not be ticketed — we’ll let in the first 100 or so people who line up.
On Saturday afternoon, families will be happy to hear that Comedy For Kids will be back. It’s interactive, hilarious, different every time, clean, fool-proof, fast-paced, positive and fun improvisational comedy for the entire family. The audience votes on what is funniest, and volunteer kids from the audience can play along. Grandmas, moms, dads and kids all left giving it high fives last year, so we’re bringing back the best ComedySportz players from around the country to Traverse City.
The festival will feature several films, including the dark comedy classic “Heathers” starring Winona Rider and Christian Slater to kick things off late Friday night (“Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?”) — just $3 or two for $5. And Saturday late night, the State Theatre is playing “Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke.” On Saturday morning, we’ve got a 25 cent kids comedy matinee (title to be announced). And on Sunday, we’ve got four Coen Brothers comedies: “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” “Fargo,” “Raising Arizona” and “The Big Lebowski.” Day passes are $10, or each film is $5.
The complete schedule will be released on Friday, January 21. Venues for the comedy festival will include the State Theatre, the City Opera House, the Old Town Playhouse and Horizon Books.
Tickets go on sale Sunday, January 30 at 9 am online at comedyartsfest.org and in person at the State Theatre. Live performances are reserved seating. Family events and movie are general seating. Line numbers will be handed out on Saturday, January 29 from 5-9 pm to those who would like to come Sunday morning to purchase tickets in person, but online is the best method, and line numbers are not required. Wheelchair accessible seating is available by phone at 231-947-3446.
The comedy fest continues to be a volunteer-run event, like the film festival, and local donors and sponsors will be asked to help cover expenses. Tickets will range in price from free to $30 for headliner tickets, so that everyone can afford to participate.
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