Green Mountain Comedy Fest Brings More Laughs
3rd Annual Fest Expands to Six Shows Over Memorial Day Weekend
As the Vermont comedy scene continues to grow, so does the annual Green Mountain Comedy Festival. Now in its third year, the festival will take place from Wednesday, May 25 to Sunday May 29, 2011, offer six shows over five days, and feature over 30 Vermont comedians.
“It started out as a single show,” says comedian and producer Kathleen Kanz, who founded the festival in 2009. “Since then it has been exciting to see the rapid growth of comedy in Vermont. Now that there’s a bigger demand for it, it made sense to expand the festival this year.”
Nathan Hartswick is founder of the Vermont Comedy Club, an
or
ganization that promotes and produces standup comedy in Vermont. Hartswick is co-producing the festival with Kanz this year. “Four years ago there were very few opportunities for comics to perform in Vermont,” Hartswick claims. “But it has snowballed since then – many new comics have emerged, audiences have grown, and more venues have been amenable to trying it. We really feel this year’s festival will be the best one yet.”
Venues for the 2011 Green Mountain Comedy Festival include the Monkey House in Winooski, Burlington’s The Cellar (at Drink Bar), Ye Olde England Inne in Stowe, Waitsfield’s Big Picture Theater and Café, and the Vergennes Opera House. Performers include some of Vermont’s most accomplished comedians, including Martha Tormey, Jason P. Lorber, Tracie Spencer, Mike Robideau, Josie Leavitt, Colin Ryan and many more.
For more information on the Green Mountain Comedy Festival, including a complete list of shows, visit www.vermontcomedyclub.com/gmcf or contact Kathleen Kanz at (802) 585-0025 or Nathan Hartswick at (802) 373-4703.
2011 GREEN MOUNTAIN COMEDY FESTIVAL
May 25 – May 28, 2011
Summary of Performances
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY, May 25 & 26 (TWO NIGHTS!)
The Monkey House
30 Main Street
Winooski, VT
Ages: 18 and up
Admission: $5 at the door
Doors: 7:00 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
The festival kicks off with a double dose of comedy at the Monkey House on Wednesday and Thursday night. Both shows will be hosted by Kathleen Kanz. On Wednesday, wrestler and comedian Pierre “The Beast” Vachon headlines, and Thursday features UVM grad and Higher Ground Comedy Battle winner Mike Robideau. Other comedians include Ryan Kriger, Dustin Bruley, Natalie Miller, Antenna Wilde, B.O.B. & Jaquelyn, and others. Tickets are $5 at the door.
FRIDAY, May 27
Ye Olde England Inne
Bluff House Hall
433 Mountain Road
Stowe, VT
Ages: 21 and up
Admission: $10 advance (802.253.7558), $12 door
Doors: 7:30 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
On Friday night, comedy comes to Stowe with a performance in the beautiful “Great Hall” at Ye Olde Englande Inne. The show will be hosted by 2011 Higher Ground Comedy Battle winner Nathan Hartswick, and feature headliner Tracie Spencer, who was selected to perform at this year’s “Women in Comedy Festival” in Boston, and is the newest addition to the Vermont Comedy Divas.
Other comics include Pat Lynch, Carole Vasta Folley, Jason P. Lorber and more. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.
SATURDAY, May 28 (TWO SHOWS!)
Big Picture Theater and Café
Red Room
48 Carroll Road (off Route 100)
Waitsfield, VT
Ages: 18 and up
Admission: $12 advance (802.496.8994), $15 day of show
Doors: 7:00 PM
Show: 7:30 PM
One of two shows on Saturday night, the Big Picture in Waitsfield will offer cabaret-style seating in its beautiful Red Room, and make for a relaxing night that’s full of laughs.
The show will be hosted by Kathleen Kanz, and the headliner – in her only performance of the festival – will be Martha Tormey, one of the biggest names in Vermont comedy. Other performers include John Lyons, Tracie Spencer, Colin Ryan and more. Come early and have a delicious meal before the show! Tickets go on sale May 1 and are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the show.
Vergennes Opera House
120 Main Street
Vergennes, VT
Ages: 18 and up
Admission: $10 advance (802.877.6737), $12 at the door
Doors: 7:30 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
Also on Saturday night, some of Vermont’s best comedians will perform at the historic, recently renovated Vergennes Opera House. Built in 1897, the venue is large, with high cathedral ceilings, yet still manages to feel intimate, with its original painted mainstage curtain and cabaret-style seating.
Hosted by Nathan Hartswick, the show will feature Ryan Kriger, Kyle Gagnon, Tony Bates, Jason P. Lorber, and the founding member of the Vermont Comedy Divas, Josie Leavitt. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.
SUNDAY, May 29
The Cellar
Below Drink Bar
135 St. Paul Street (at Main Street)
Burlington, VT
Ages: 21+
Admission: $10 at the door
Doors: 7:30 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
The festival comes to the Queen City of Burlington to close out with a bang on Sunday night. The Cellar is an upscale speakeasy located underneath Drink Bar on lower Main Street. You’ll want to get there early, because seating is limited and tickets are only available at the door. You won’t want to miss heavy hitters like Colin Ryan, Mike Thomas, and headliner Chad Smith. The show will be hosted by Nathan Hartswick, and admission is $10 at the door.
Ain’t gonna pee-pee my bed tonight
What to say about this, what to say…
Um, well, I guess…may we all be such passionate performers.
In spirit, if not in content.
Yikes.
Double yikes.
2011 Boston Comedy Fest
In case you’re wondering, the NYC deadline for the Boston Comedy Festival is July 1, and the Boston deadline is August 1. Both cost $35 to enter, which I assume will go to hiring a proofreader to fix the insane amount of typographical mistakes on their website. (This page alone will bankrupt them.) Seriously, did they write this site on an iPhone?
Anyway, if you’re one of the lucky ones who get in (96 for Boston, 72 for NYC) the fest runs from November 4th – 12th.
Good luck gang,
VCC
Langdon Street closing
UPDATE: Here is the Burlington Free Press article about the cafe’s closing.
Some sad news out of Montpelier this morning…it appears the Langdon Street Cafe is shuttering its doors.
Langdon has not only been a great place for music in the community, the venue was also the first in Vermont to offer a monthly comedy open mic (hosted by Banjo Bob). Many Vermont comics have gotten their start at Langdon, testing out new material and getting more stage time in front of an audience there.
It’s a sign of the times, I guess. But when the Black Door Bistro closed in Montpelier back in January, Kathleen Kanz found a home for her regular comedy show at Kismet Kitchen. Let’s hope this can be migrated to a new venue in a similar way, and that comedy open mics in Montpelier don’t go away with the closing of LSC…
Not a lot of detail at the moment, other than a confirmation on their Facebook page that May will be the cafe’s last month.
A sad turn of events and the business will be missed…
Seinfeld’s “portion control”
Today marks the launch of the new JerrySeinfeld.com website, which offers up just three clips a day, hand-selected by the comic himself. Maybe something you’ll want to bookmark.
There’s a great writeup on the site (and the thinking behind it) in The Times.
Whaddaya think of this? We know from his show that Self Control = “Master of Your Domain.” Will this “less is more” philosophy work for Seinfeld on the web, d’ya think?
Comics & comedy fans: spread the word!
Hey gang,
Well, we are finally creeping up on the Green Mountain Comedy Festival, which takes place during the last week in May (Wed, May 25 – Sun, May 29), and I need you to help get the word out.
I was talking to a friend the other day and we realized comedy is one of the few art forms you can’t get better at just by doing it alone. A concert pianist can spend 8 hours a day practicing and improve by leaps and bounds. A painter can hone her craft with determined, solo effort. But getting better at standup requires practice in front of an audience. Which explains why comics spend so much of their lives begging friends to come see them perform.
I do this a lot – beg people to see shows, even ones I’m not in – but six shows in five days is a lotta hustling, even for me. So I’m asking you guys to help me out. Please click the links below and invite your Facebook friends to the shows.
And if you live in any of these areas and would be willing to hang posters, get in touch and I’ll get you some.
A big THANK YOU for any help you can provide. Let’s put on the best festival yet – and draw some big crowds so we can hone our comedy chops in the process.
Cheers,
Nathan
http://facebook.com/greenmountaincomedyfest
Facebook Events for the 2011 Green Mountain Comedy Festival
> YE OLDE ENGLAND INNE, Stowe (5/27)
> VERGENNES OPERA HOUSE, Vergennes (5/28)
Comedy overload
It’s been a busy week in comedy.
Well, not comedy per se, just a busy week in comedy promotion.
With the Green Mountain Comedy Festival happening this week (Wed May 25 – Sun May 29), co-producer Nathan Hartswick has been hitting any local media outlet that will talk to him, along with other local comedians featured in the fest.
If you missed any of these appearances, there are a few below – check ‘em out. And more importantly, check out the festival!
1. The Quipping Point
Dan Bolles’ article about the Green Mountain
Comedy Festival and the growth and state of
standup comedy in Vermont.
The piece features Nathan Hartswick, Kathleen Kanz,
Josie Leavitt and Colin Ryan, as well as blurbs
about the different headliners in the festival.
Thanks, Dan!
2. Nathan & Martha Tormey on WCAX’s “The :30” (6:15)
Mark Johnson and Kathleen Kanz wait for the red light.
3. Nathan & Kathleen Kanz on WDEV (38:00)
4. Nathan & Josie Leavitt on WVTK (7:30)
Conan schools Dartmouth kids
Conan aO’Brien absolutely kills it giving the 2011 commencement address at Dartmouth.
Hilarious, sage advice for any of us – not just over-educated ivy league brats.
Enjoy.
*****
Little help? (Wanna be a summer intern?)
Ok, I may have bitten off more than I can chew.
I don’t admit to that easily. I love running this site, and producing and promoting comedy shows in Vermont, and when possible, I try to do everything myself.
But I’m a bit maxed out this summer, and I could use some help. Interested? Here are some things you might be doing:
- Updating this website with event listings
- Scheduling social media stuff (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
- Posting blogs, pictures, etc. to this site & Facebook
- Videotaping occasional shows, doing minor editing, posting clips online
- Running the door (taking money, selling t-shirts) at select shows
- Hanging posters around town
- Keeping publications’ event listings up to date (7 Days, Free Press, etc.)
You should be:
- Reasonably savvy with social media.
- Familiar with, and able to employ, proper English grammar and spelling.
- Able to pick up on stuff quickly (running a video camera, learning video editing, etc.).
- Super trustworthy and able to work independently.
It doesn’t pay fistfuls of cash, but there are some perks involved. If you enjoy seeing comedy, want to see some free shows/take a free class this summer, and have some spare time to donate to the growth of the standup scene, shoot me a line and let’s meet up to chat. I’ll buy you a latte.
Many thanks,
Nathan
Introducing the Vermont Comedy Club!
by Hey gang,
Your good great friend Nathan Hartswick here.
In case you missed the update over on Facebook, here’s the news in blog form:
1. No, we haven’t started a nightclub. The website you’re currently looking at was put together by myself and two fellow Vermont comics (John Lyons and Chad Smith) in order to aggregate the fragmented world of VT comedy into a single place. If you’re a comedy fan in Vermont, this is your first and last stop for everything going on. I recommend you bookmark the calendar of events, or subscribe via email or RSS. (You can get all posts or just event listings.) And if you have events to list, or you’re a comic who wants to be added to the directory, definitely shoot us a line.
2. In addition to VCC being a community forum for comedy in Vermont, we also want to produce some shows ourselves. After about 4 months of dicking around trying to find just the right venue, we’ve finally been offered a primo Saturday night at Higher Ground’s showcase lounge on March 6.
And so it is with great excitement and immodesty that we announce that show, which will feature Pat Lynch, Avi Waring, John Lyons, Martha Tormey, Chad Smith and yours truly. It’ll be a seated show and we fully expect it to be packed, so you should definitely snag a ticket – they will be on sale here starting 2/12/10. Assuming that show goes well, we have high hopes that we’ll able to turn it into a series there.
(Facebookers, check out the event page and fan us while you’re over there.)
We’re psyched. A great big thanks to Chad, John, Nick at Higher Ground, Pat, Martha and Avi, and all of you who come out to these shows and laugh! Stay tuned – it’s only gonna get better…
Cheers,
Nathan
