TOM THAKKAR

( brooklyn, new york )
Hot off of taping his first special for Comedy Central, due late 2019, Tom Thakkar is a comedian living in Brooklyn by way of Indiana..or so he says. He claims that he grew up the son of a deadbeat Indian dad and a Red Lobster-managing mom. Do we believe him…? Sure, Tom made his late night debut on CONAN where he talked about these things, but he also called himself “HotGuy03” in a chatroom once, so who knows. His alibis include co-hosting Comedy Central’s “You Up” with Nikki Glaser, creating the podcast Stand By Your Band, and performing at Just for Laughs, Clusterfest, and Moontower. We’ve been watching Tom closely…when he was a finalist for NBC’s Stand Up For Diversity, when he appeared on Comedy Central‘s “This Week at the Comedy Cellar”…and we want to know, if he’s so successful, why is he arguing with his landlord about whether the rodent in his closet is a rat or a mouse?

IRENE TU

( san francisco, california )
Irene Tu is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. In 2017, the San Francisco Chronicle singled her out as an “artist on the brink of fame,” on the heels of being named one of the “Bay Area’s 11 Best Stand Up Comedians” (SFist) and one of 20 “Women to Watch” (KQED).

She has performed at numerous festivals including SF Sketchfest, Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, RIOT LA, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and Outside Lands. Irene has opened for comedians such as Patton Oswalt, W. Kamau Bell, Brian Posehn, Anthony Jeselnik, Gary Gulman, Judah Friedlander, Hari Kondabolu, and Aparna Nancherla.

You can see her on season 2 of “Take My Wife” and on VICELAND’s “Funny How?”

ANDREW OROLFO

( san francisco, california )
Andrew Orolfo has been named one of the country’s “top knot” comedians by… don’t even ask, just go with it. A staple in San Francisco comedy, he has been featured on SF Sketchfest, Limestone Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival and Comedy Central Clusterfest. He can be heard on Sirius XM Radio and seen on Comedy Dynamics Coming to the Stage, and made his late night debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Andrew was born and raised in the Bay Area to Filipino parents; stand-up comedy may not have been the career option his family hoped for, but like many of us, he’s still trying to figure this whole life thing out, which is reflected in his comedy.

TOMMY MCNAMARA

( new york city, new york )
Tommy McNamara is a New York comedian. In 2019 he recorded his debut album Who’s Tommy released by ASpecialThing Records. He is a contributor for Onion Sports and hosts the popular podcast Stand By Your Band. Tommy is a regular at Caroline’s on Broadway, where he hosts a monthly show and recently headlined. He began doing comedy in Chicago, where he was a cast member at the prestigious Lincoln Lodge and a regular at the Laugh Factory. Tommy has performed at San Francisco Sketchfest, Oddball Comedy Festival (Chicago winner of Funny Or Die’s Road 2 Oddball Tour), the 26th Annual Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival and many other festivals. His music/comedy shows Tommy McNamara Unplugged, Tommy McNamara’s Beach Bash (featured in the New York Times), and Let Me Spend Christmas With You Family sold out venues in both Chicago and New York.

CAITLIN REESE

( brooklyn, new york )
Caitlin Reese is a Brooklyn-based stand up comedian, improviser, and sketch writer. Caitlin has been a comedy writer since 2005 with a self-published magazine distributed by Tower Records and sold out copies at the Portland Zine Fest.

In 2014, she kicked off comedy as a career and regularly performs at theaters, clubs, and bars throughout the northeast. She has traveled throughout the US for festivals and shows. She features for headliners on tour and auditioned successfully for the Academy at Upright Citizens Brigade New York.

Her comedic voice is honest, goofy, and offbeat. Watch her get fired up about everything in her path on a journey from being blunt and loud to unassuming and deadpan.

KENDALL FARRELL

( brooklyn, new york )
Kendall Farrell is a Brooklyn-based standup comedian from Vermont. His comedy has been featured on Sirius XM national radio, in web content for AdultSwim, and at comedy festivals across the country including the Brooklyn Comedy Festival, the Red Clay Comedy Festival, the Women in Comedy Festival, the 10,000 Laughs Festival, the Rogue Island Comedy Festival, the Cream City Comedy Festival, the Waking Windows Festival, and the Green Mountain Comedy Festival.
 
 
 
 
 

DARLENE BEREZNICKI

( san francisco, california )
Darlene Bereznicki is a comedian from Canada, currently based in the Bay Area. She has performed at the Chicago Women’s Funny Fest and Bay Area faves like Cobb’s Comedy Club, SF Punchline, Don’t Tell Comedy, Comedy Oakland and the show she co-hosts and produces in Berkeley called The Moxy Show.

Her comedy is character-driven and sweaty and usually offends old white men with beards. She performs improv regularly with Happy Medium Improv which will be featured in 2020 SF Sketchfest.
 
 
 

JILL SILVA

( tacoma, washington )
Jill Silva is a comedian currently residing in Tacoma, WA, which is pretty much the Brooklyn of Seattle but please don’t tell anyone. Her comedy has been called “a menace”, “loud” and “sometimes dry.”

She’s featured in Baltimore’s XFest, Seattle’s Intersections Fest, LA’s Laught Riot Grrrl Fest and NYC’s Devil Cup. She co-produces two comedy gems of Destiny City: Bob’s Comedy Jive and Laughing Mater. When she’s not out bothering businesses to put up comedy show posters, she’s bothering people on stage.
 
 
 

CALEB ELLIOTT

( aberdeen, north carolina )
Caleb Elliott is a comedian, writer and actor from North Carolina. He has been performing since he was eleven. Delivering sets at goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of fourteen, he impressed the crowd with his charming demeanor.

Since then, Caleb has had the pleasure of working with comedians such as Tracy Morgan, Ralphie May, Sheryl underwood, Donnell Rawlings, John Reep, DeRay Davis, and many more! Now fully pursuing his comedic career he continues to hit the stage all over the country.

Caleb has an upcoming Dry Bar Comedy Special Season 5, and is currently on tour with legendary comedian Sinbad, While performing and touring in clubs all over the country he was selected to perform in the Oak City Comedy Festival and the San Diego Comedy Festival.

STEPHANIE NAM

( seattle, washington )
Stephanie Nam grew up Las Vegas but has moved 10 times in the past 4 years across 4 different continents and can (kind of) speak 4 languages. They are a queer Korean-American comic who talks about identity and shares observations of the world. They enjoy words in all forms as a calligrapher and writer.

Stephanie produces monthly shows that feature underrepresented voices in comedy under Caracol Productions and is a co-producer at the Comedy Nest a womxn-focused open mic and comedy show. They performed in the the 2019 All Jane comedy festival.
 
 

SETH JOHNSTON

( portland, oregon )
Seth Johnston is here to tell insightfully absurd stories from his life on topics ranging from interracial marriage to losing a fight to a crow. Seth has the misfortune of being a lifelong Portland Trail Blazers fan and hosts the We Already Had Clyde podcast just to complain about the team. He hosts the weekly live comedy show Over It and writes for the live talk show Kickin’ It with Shain Brenden.
 
 
 
 
 
 

V. LINCE

( new york city, new york )
V. Lince is an up-and-coming comedian from New York City and Long Island native. Her smart and quick comedy can put a smile on anyone’s face, while her humble upbringing and immigrant background makes her relatable to the crowd. She started writing comedy bits straight out of high school and has been performing stand-up comedy for five years, gracing the stage at popular shows like Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, also becoming a regular at some of New York’s finest comedy clubs including Broadway and Gotham Comedy Club.

Performing stand-up comedy for the past seven years, her humble upbringing and immigrant background makes her a crowd favorite, even winning the 2018 He Said She Said Comedy competition.

WENDY WROBLEWSKI

( washington, district of columbia )
Wendy Wroblewski is a screenwriter and stand-up comedian from Gaithersburg, Maryland. A regular at the DC Improv, she performs comedy all over the Washington, DC area and beyond. She was a guest on the Boston Comedy Festival, the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, the Women in Comedy Festival, and the DC stop of the Betches of Comedy tour.

You may have heard her voice on Sirius XM as the live on-air host of Comedy Central Radio Live. She has opened for Keith Alberstadt, Maria Bamford, Nate Bargatze, Todd Barry, Jeff Dye, Adam Cayton-Holland, Gary Gulman, Ryan Hamilton, Bobby Lee, Pete Lee, and Beth Stelling.

KIRSTEN KUPPENBENDER

( portland, oregon )
Kirsten Kuppenbender is a comedian, a writer, an actor from Portland, Oregon, and is the visionary of a comedy revolution. Kupp’s comedy has been described as “observational, with bouts of off-the-cuff brilliance”. As a host, she has been deemed quirky, bubbly and “completely out of control” by guests and performers alike.

Kupp is the founder and producer of Lez Stand Up, a Portland-based, all-queer, feminist comedy collective and showcase.

You may have seen her in Boise’s 208 Comedy Fest, Bridgetown in Portland, or when she opened for Janeane Garofalo, Melissa Villasenor, Michael Che, Joe Mande or Fortune Feimster!

ALYSIA BROWN

( brooklyn, new york )
Alysia Brown is a stand-up comic originally from South Bend, Indiana. When she escaped from Indiana, she moved to Los Angeles to start comedy but realized New York was where it was at.

She’s appeared at Marcella Arguello’s Woman Crush Wednesdays, The Comedy Store, The Hollywood Improv, Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen among many more.
 
 
 
 
 

SOPHIE HUGHES

( boise, idaho )
Sophie Hughes is trans, it’s adorable, let’s talk about it why not? Her mix of personal anecdotes, absurd observations, and good old fashioned punchlines defies even the grouchiest of grumps not to laugh, allowing her to connect with audiences both young and old.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LADY BIZNESS

( boise, idaho )
LADY BIZNESS‘ Alisha Donahue and Jynx Jenkins are two sweet, smoky broads, from Boise, Idaho, who are winning at life. On stage, their utterly unique and seamless blend of standup, sketch, and music skewers womanhood, and leaves everyone with sore laugh muscles for days (it counts as a workout). An evening with “The Biz” is like hanging out with your favorite inappropriate friends, if your favorite friends were recurring winners of The Boise Weekly’s Best Comedian reader’s pick; shared the stage with comedy giants such as Gilbert Gottfried, Fortune Feimster, Hannibal Buress, and Emo Phillips; And have graced stages around the world including The World Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood, CA. Alisha and Jynx organize the annual Boise’s Funniest Person competition for amateur comedians, produce the monthly themed comedy show COOL BIRTHDAY at Liquid Laughs, co-host the award eligible podcast OverBooked and manage, between the two of them, to feed six hungry children on a semi-regular basis.

DEWA DORJE

( seattle, washington )
Dewa Dorje is a Tibetan-American stand-up comic from Seattle. Her frank comedic style, upbeat energy, and immigrant background blend together to bring the audience a unique feminist perspective. She runs a female-focused open mic “The Comedy Nest.”

Dewa has performed all over the west coast, Bumbershoot Festival, and All Jane Comedy Festival. She can’t wait to see where her comedy career takes her next.
 
 
 
 

KATE SISK

( brooklyn, new york )
Kate Sisk is a Brooklyn-based comedian and writer originally from Massachusetts. After years as a dedicated soccer player, Kate played in several tournaments for the Puerto Rico National Team, where she put her dangerous footskills and gringa Spanish to the test. Soon after, Kate turned in her cleats for a microphone and has been delighting audiences ever since. Kate is a touring stand up comedian, house team improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and cofounder of LOLGBT Comedy Tours.

Known for comedy that tackles gender identity, long distance relationships, and family, Kate is a dynamic emerging comedian who has performed at festivals, colleges, parties, and fundraisers across the country.​

PHILIP SCHALLBERGER

( portland, oregon )
Phil Schallberger is a comedian from Portland Oregon. He’s recognized as one of the most unique and uncompromising comics in the Pacific Northwest and has been featured in the Seattle Sketchfest, San Francisco Sketchfest, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, TBA, and Hell Yes Fest.

Mixing his years of experience with formal stand-up, sketch, and improv, Phil is able to weave in and out of multimedia, character, and sketch performance to create a distinctive solo-sketch performance style that is truly original and highly regarded as “pretty funny”. If you’re looking for something new that combines all your favorite elements of comic performances, Phil Schallberger is the guy for you.

ADRIANNE CHALEPAH

( albuquerque, new mexico )
A satirical view of the world from the eyes of an Indigenous woman who hates Pocahontas, Adrianne Chalepah is a politically incorrect comedian that includes historical lessons of pre-American and post-Native America. Professional words of advice from a dysfunctionally functional parent. Questioning the patriarchy one inappropriate joke at a time.

In 2017, she became a published author with the release of “Funny Girl,” an anthology of women comics and writers. She is the founder of the all-female, indigenous comedy troupe, Ladies of Native Comedy. In 2019, she was featured in the Netflix series, “Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy.” She is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and a descendant of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. You can stream her on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon.

DIANA HONG

( orange, california )
Much like other Korean girls who grew up in the 90s, Diana Hong spent most of her life playing competitive golf. But due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a disdain for exercise and a newfound appreciation for money, her enthusiasm for golf dwindled. After a year of an unsuccessful professional career, she decided to pursue her dream of making people laugh.

A Sacramento native, Diana was the only child to immigrant parents at a time when Asians did not have a choice but to be the “model minority”. Growing up, she fit the mold until she discovered her attraction to women. Although she had been a disappoint to her parents, this became the icing on the cake. Diana uses humor to navigate living between cultures.

DYLAN HUNTER

( boise, idaho )
Good comics punch up, hack comics punch down, and Dylan Hunter swings straight for his own face. At least it’s an easy target.

Dylan’s dry, conversational style paired with a pinch of absurdity and a healthy dose of self-loathing has made him a local favorite here in the Treasure Valley. Since throwing himself into comedy 2 years ago, he’s opened for such comics as Ben Gleib, Steve Hofstetter, and Brian Posehn.
 
 
 
 

LJ SPEARS SULLIVAN

( boise, idaho )
Born in Pasadena, California and raised in Boise, Idaho, Lj Spears Sullivan is a student, cook, writer, philosopher, space cowboy, but above all else stand-up comic. People have said his comedy is interesting because it goes from pot to cheeseburgers to the interconnectivity of all things, seems like a natural progression to Lj.
 
 
 
 
 
 

LUISA ISBELL

( san francisco, california )
Luisa Isbell’s comedy is autobiographical, largely shaped by finding her power and sense of humor in disempowering or disappointing situations. She describes her act as a blend of stories and observations with quick-witted asides, delivered with a personality that manages to be both deadpan and warm. Luisa enjoys joking about the everyday: sex mishaps, being a lady who lifts, tattoo regret, and trying her best to be a good rat mom.

Luisa performs nightly all over the Bay Area and runs several popular shows, including Bring Your Own Dog Comedy, Wooden Comedy: Alt Comedy in a Coffeeshop/VHS Store, and Hot Take Comedy (fundraiser shows that have raised $20K for the ACLU since 2016). She’s performed at the SF Punch Line with The Charm Offensive, Cobb’s Comedy Club, The NY Comic Strip, and Lady Laughs Festival in Madison, WI.