Our festival started small, focusing on improvisation with education as the mission of our work. That focus and our mission grew the festival from 40 to 400 annually participating artists over the first eight years. Over that time we have watched college students become professional "non-student" artists, we have seen festival shows influence the work produced on stages around the country, and we have seen artists move to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, pursuing the opportunity to write for and perform on television and in film.
In 2009 (our ninth year) we showcased a week of stand-up comedy, expanding the festival to highlight the explosive rise of alternative stand-up performance and a new generation of comedic writers. Despite growth, our mission did not change. Education came by way of partnerships with the TIME OUT NY, RooftopComedy, and Punchline Magazine. In 2010, we debut sketch comedy and film to create a month-long festival event highlighting all of the comedic arts.
In the last two decades both comedy and the path to comedic success have changed.
Our festival was created to build community, but now the festival helps that community to navigate the path to success and grow as the world changes around them. We do this by exposing our visiting artists to smart, educated audiences, by inspiring new talent and allowing veterans to hone their craft in a completely supportive environment, and by creating a platform for those artists to network and advance the business of comedy. Our acts have traveled from all over the world to Carrboro, NC. And they keep coming back every year.
I am proud of what our festival has accomplished over the last decade. I'm excited about and humbled by our 10th Anniversary. We couldn't have done it without the comedy community, our incredible local sponsors, and our local audiences of loyal fans.
Zach Ward | Executive Producer
