Two months from now, The Vintage Theatre Company and its comedy troupe, The Fearless Fools, will host the state’s first ever comedy festival.

 

VTC Founding Producer and Artistic Director Jason A. Young cordially invites audiences to enjoy the inaugural West Virginia Comedy Festival, March 26-28, 2015 at the Bridgeport Country Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia.

 

The festival will feature three nights of performances by the state’s very best comedians headlined by a show from champion liar Bil Lepp.

 

“Putting something like this together has been a more than two year labor of love,” said Young. “We aren’t finished yet, but I am sure that by the end of March, we are going to create a weekend full of laughs that is a celebration of comedy in our state.”

 

Thursday night will feature a Stand-Up Showdown at 7:00 p.m.  This comedy competition will be open to any and all who want to test their comedic ability. The winner will get the opportunity to open for festival headliner Bil Lepp on Saturday night.

 

Friday evening at 7:00 p.m., the festival’s Stand-Up Showcase will show off the talent of West Virginia’s very best solo comedians followed by a 9:00 p.m. performance by the Charleston-based improv team The No Pants Players.

 

“Friday night is going to feature almost 20 West Virginia comedians between the two shows,” said Young. “It is also a great opportunity to see a mix of solo (stand-up) and group (improv) comedy.”

 

 Internationally known storyteller and humorist Bil Lepp, a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Competition, will headline the festival Saturday at 9:00 p.m. Lepp is an award-winning author and recording artist and has been featured at venues across the nation, including a recent appearance on Comedy Central. Lepp is the recipient of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence Award. His outrageous tall-tales and witty stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages.

 

“Having Bil Lepp as our headliner is a huge deal for me personally, and I think a perfect fit for our first festival,” said Young. “Bil has been making me and thousands (maybe millions) of people laugh for a long time. I can’t wait for his show.”

 

VTC’s comedy troupe, The Fearless Fools, will perform their unique blend of short form and long form improv comedy on Saturday night as well. Their show will begin at 7:00 p.m.

 

Steve Goff will host all performances.

 

In addition to the evening performances, the festival will also feature two workshops, one focused on improv and another focused on comedy writing, on Saturday morning as well as a late afternoon open forum improv jam.

 

Tickets for the West Virginia Comedy Festival will go on sale Sunday, February 1, 2015. Individual tickets for Thursday night are $12, and Friday and Saturday night tickets are $25 each. Festival passes may be purchased for $50. The festival pass allows access to all festival events, including performances, workshops, and the improv jam.  Prices for the workshops have not been set at this time.

 

For more information contact The Vintage Theatre Company by calling 1-855-VTC-8588 or by emailing VintageTheatreCo@gmail.com.

 

“We are boldly going where West Virginia has never gone before,” said Young. “And this festival is sure to be the beginning of something that could be very big for our state.”