The Comedy Exposition of 2014 started with a single tweet.
“It’s not so much about filling the void of JFL,” says Hasz, a coproducer of the weekly stand-up show Parlour Car at Bar Deville. “Almost every city with a good scene has a fun, comedian-run festival. And aside from a couple small festivals like SnubFest and the Women’s Funny Festival, Chicago doesn’t really have one.”
Hasz and her crew initially planned for the Comedy Exposition to have 40 slots—20 locals and 20 out-of-towners—but they ended up accepting nearly 60 comics. The fest’s lineup includes cheap (sometimes free) showcases at venues such as the Annoyance, the Playground, and Cole’s, anchored by solid locals like Candy Lawrence, Joe McAdam, and Megan Gailey (a $25 pass gets you into all of them). The four “main events” (including a pair on Saturday) occur at Schubas, Township, and the Hideout. “Main events” is the Comedy Exposition’s way of saying “popular, touring comics that cost a little cash,” a list that Gevaart, one of the minds behind 8×8 at the Hungry Brain, says was whittled down by asking the simple question “Who can we afford?”
“There have been so many shows I’ve been on where I thought, If you just moved your seats, you’d have a better show,” McVay says.
Fri 7/11-Sun 7/13, various locationscomedyexposition.com free-$20 individual show $25-$60 three-day festival pass
