Boston Comedy Festival Names Competition Winner
The scene that produced Bill Burr, Barry Crimmins, Robert Kelly and Sarah Silverman– the Boston Comedy scene— proved they cannot be stopped by a global pandemic. The Boston Comedy Festival did not get cancelled this year, it took place virtually. The Festival concluded its ambitious online incarnation this past week. The festival had so many highlights, conversations with Lewis Black, Gary Gulman and Comedy Central founder Art Bell, live performances from Judah Friedlander, Jackie Kashian, Emma Willman and so many others.
But the cornerstone of the festival is (and always has been) the young comics stand up competition that starts with almost 100 comics and gets paired down to six for over a 2 week period. The winner receives $2,000 and some Boston sized bragging rights.
Each round was decided by audience votes rather than a panel, this year, with viewers participating via zoom.
The top six included Matt Kaye, Cher Lyn, Sam Rossi, Janelle Draper and Stephen Lehtoren and Liz Glazer, with Liz Glazer taking home the top prize. It’s a great story, Liz had applied to, and been rejected by the festival the previous year, but she came back strong in 2020.
Although it was not the ideal situation for live stand up, the competition went off with very few technical issues. Held on Zoom it was a lively audience comprised of nearly 200 people from across the world who may otherwise not been able to attend– and miraculously, not one flushing toilet in the background.
The comics this year had a different challenge– normally they have to fight the overstimulation of a festival environment. In 2020, instead, they had to transmit winning energy to the all too relaxed environment of people’s living rooms.
Congratulations to everyone and here at IB we look forward to the day we can trudge through a Boston Snowstorm and laugh in a cozy club once more.
Congratulations! @Lizglazier @FlappersComedy @FUclasses @rBostonComedy @JimMcCue @BosComedyFest pic.twitter.com/iP1usmvc8z
— BostonComedyFestival (@BostComedyFest) December 6, 2020
Congratulations @lizglazer Thank you to so many people who made this @BostonComedyFestival a success
@helen_mcbells @thelewisblack @adamferrara @garygulman @marylynnrajskub @flapperscomedy#comedy #comedyclub #bostoncomedyshows and of course Vin Dibona @afvofficial pic.twitter.com/EnVTZbm9ZV— Jim McCue (@JimMcCue) December 7, 2020
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Marty Younge
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