Dirty South Improv produced the first comedy festival in North Carolina so that local audiences and students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill might benefit from the experience of workshops in the art of Chicago-style improvisation. That first festival welcomed three college improv groups, 27 improvisers, and two teachers (Beth Melewski and Zach Ward) for an incredibly successful festival in March 2001. Groups came from three different states. It was decided that the festival would become an annual event and a southern comedy staple was born.
The second festival, held in March 2002, experienced considerable growth. The number of attendees tripled to more than 80, and a third show was added, and five instructors traveled to Chapel Hill.
Dirty South Improv was coming into its own, with a national festival, a college network, and growing buzz across the country. By February of 2003, interest had grown exponentially. The festival boasted 150 attendees, five shows and 16 featured groups. Chris Tallman from Comedy Central's "Crossballs" and "Reno 911" was a featured instructor, and the festival's signature format "The Bat" was recorded for the first time. The Bat, an improv form developed by Joe Bill with Chicago's Georgia Pacific, has become a tradition of the Comedy Festival, being performed each year by the festival faculty.
DSI began attracting national attention, with professional performances in Chicago and New York and with its college touring company. The 2004 festival hosted over 200 attendees. A total of seven shows were staged. By February 2005, the festival had expanded its scheduled and outgrown Hamilton Hall as a single venue. Both Local 506 and Skylight Exchange in Chapel Hill and King's Barcade in Raleigh, NC were added to accomodate 10 shows throughout the week. Close to 350 registered festival participants traveled to see shows and attend workshops with 18 of the most recognized improv teachers in the world, including Jonathan Pitts, Asaf Ronen, Jeff Griggs, Dan Izzo, Eric Hunicutt, Anthony King and Jill Bernard.
The 2006 festival celebrated the opening of the DSI Comedy Theater, an 80-seat venue in North Carolina and the new home of Dirty South Improv. DSI is committed to producing the highest-quality shows and workshops. From its celebrated Comedy Training Center and the comedy theater in Carrboro, NC to its operations in Chicago, and professional touring company, the Dirty South name has spread around the country, attracting both participants and quality teaching staff to its annual comedy festival year after year. The 2006 Festival featured MISTER DIPLOMAT guest Jimmie "JJ" Walker of Good Times, the first DSIF shows at Carrboro's ArtsCenter Mainstage, as well as workshops led by Charlie Todd of ImprovEverywhere, Dan Izzo, Anthony King, Asaf Ronen and Jeff Griggs.
DSIF 2007 played host to over 500 performers and students, including acclaimed stand-up comedian Louis CK and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Joe Bill, a featured performer with Bassprov, was able to perform in The Bat, a format he helped create.
In 2008, DSI partnered with MySpace, making the Festival a Winter 2008 featured event on MySpace Comedy. The year also featured the first appearance of MC Chris (of nerdcore rap and Adult Swim fame), who put on a concert AND played an improv set with Festival favorites Death By Roo Roo. Doug Sarine (askaninja.com) played a Bassprov set with Joe Bill and Mark Sutton, and the Festival hosted a ComedySportz Tournament featuring improvisers from Richmond VA, Washington DC, North Carolina and Chicago. The Master Class offerings expanded as well and Bassprov returned
2009 marked a new chapter for the Festival, as it rebranded as the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival.
This has opened new doors all around, including the focus of a featured article in Amtrak's Arrive Magazine. Moreover, the Festival is expanding, adding a week of standup comedy acts to its continued solid base week of nationwide improv talent. This move is further strengthened by DSI's new partnership with RooftopComedy, who have made the NC Comedy Arts Festival their official Southeast Gateway To Aspen. The Festival this year will feature the return of MC Chris, Jill Bernard's Drum Machine and The Josh and Tamra Show, as well as special guest Bryan Tucker (writer for SNL, MadTV, The Chris Rock Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and 'Roy' from SNL's digital short "Roy Rules!").
