West Michigan's Arts & Entertainment Guide
Brace yourself for the tee-hees, har-de-hars, chuckles and snorts - once again the funniest festival around will be gracing the streets of Grand Rapids. This spring Gilda’s Laughfest celebrates its fifth anniversary March 5-15, 2015. Spectators can expect to see a variety of comedic acts ranging from stand-up and improv to film, music and much more.
Josh Sneed is living proof that you can make it big in comedy without having to leave your home and family behind. He grew up in Ohio, and currently lives in the greater Cincinnati area, near the border of Kentucky and Ohio. While life in the Midwest may sound less flashy than New York or L.A. to some, Sneed wouldn't have it any other way.
Class Act Neil Hamburger Brings His Refined Comedy to Grand Rapids
Written by Josh Spanninga | Thursday, 22 May 2014 09:31 |It would be an understatement to say Neil Hamburger is unlike any other comedian on the circuit today. From his claims of performing 400-plus shows per year to hoarding mixed drinks onstage while delivering obscenity-laced lectures to inattentive audience members, Hamburger has effectively carved out his own strange niche in the comedy world.
Nikki Glaser on Hosting, Touring and Sexism
Written by Josh Spanninga | Wednesday, 23 April 2014 13:32 |Nikki Glaser knew two things when she started performing stand up – she got a rush from being onstage, and she wanted to make people laugh. Beyond that, she didn't have many plans.
Joey CoCo Diaz's Journey from Prison to the Limelight
Written by Josh Spanninga | Monday, 24 March 2014 13:44 |Most comedians will agree that when you're starting out at open mic nights, the crowds can seem intimidating. For Joey Coco Diaz, his first audience consisted of what many would view as an especially rough crowd – his fellow inmates. During the time Diaz served in prison, the inmates were treated to Thursday movie nights, but when the projector stopped working, Diaz followed his natural inclinations and started performing.
Judah Friedlander: A Hero For Our Time
Written by Josh Spanninga | Tuesday, 25 February 2014 09:22 |It's hard to be humble when you're the World Champion. For comedian Judah Friedlander, this is a status he has maintained for years during his stand-up sets, but he insists that it's all for the good of the American people.
Gilda's LaughFest Attempts to Break Another World Record
Written by Lindsay Patton | Tuesday, 25 February 2014 08:42 |Gilda's LaughFest kicks off on March 6 with another attempt to break a world record. In the past, people gathered in downtown Grand Rapids with rubber chickens, mustaches, cardboard beaks. This year, the goal is to get the most people wearing sunglasses in the dark.
Get to know these up-and-coming comics now so you can say you knew them when.
The Tenderloins on Friendship and Practical Jokes
Written by Josh Spanninga | Monday, 24 February 2014 11:10 |Joe Gatto, James Murray, Brian Quinn and Sal Vulcano met years ago during their freshman year of high school. Bonding over their shared love of comedy, they dabbled in improv and stand-up throughout high school, before going their separate ways in college. When the foursome met up after college in '99, they agreed the climate was perfect to reignite their act and take it to the next level, creating The Tenderloins.
Nick Thune may have the honor of holding the strangest IMDb credit of all time. Search under his latest movie Johnson, and there he is, credited as the main character's disembodied penis. Thune embraced the role, and went out of his way to make sure he got it right.
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