54 comedians on 3 stages? It’s festival time, Boise! ‘I’m sure we’ll get criticism.’
Idaho Comedy Festival co-producer Jen Adams realizes that not all Boise residents are ready to venture inside for a three-day, 54-performer bash — not during a pandemic.
But she also knows how conscientious her venue, The Lounge at the End of the Universe, has been for the past year. Capacity restrictions are observed. Masks are required until patrons are seated. The staff is vaccinated, she adds.
So if you’re ready to enjoy a festival where you enter wearing your “wristband” on your face — a mask with the event’s logo — make plans to attend May 20-22. Featuring stand-up comedians from both coasts, the Idaho Comedy Festival celebrates not just laughter, but the possibility of light at the end of this godforsaken tunnel.
“This has been hard for comics, too,” explains Adams, who owns The Lounge at the End of the Universe, 2417 Bank Drive. “Their entire careers were shut down — not just financially but emotionally. So it’s a nice kind of ‘Let’s start back up again.’ So I hope everybody has fun.
“I’m sure we’ll get criticism,” she admits.
With two stages indoors and a family-friendly outdoor stage, the Idaho Comedy Festival will showcase talented out-of-state performers such as Matthew Broussard, Craig Gass, Tammy Pascateli and Carole Montgomery. Dani Zoldan, owner of longtime comedy club Stand Up NY, is co-producing, so about 20 of the comics are traveling from New York. Lots of local and regional comics will perform, too.
There will be workshops, panels, live podcasts, live music and, yes, beer — served in disposable, compostable cups. Volunteers will sanitize the venue regularly, Adams says. And indoor stages — including the basement “black box” theater at the Gem Center for the Performing Arts, where the Lounge is located — will be restricted to about 25 percent of capacity.
If you show your vaccination card, you’ll get a free Jell-O shot, too — individually wrapped, of course. “So that they are COVID-safe Jell-O shots,” Adams says.
When the comedy ends, an after-party will rock until 2 a.m. Comedian and DJ Cipha Sounds will host the late-night festivities on Friday and Saturday.
Tickets are available at idahocomedyfest.com. Day passes are $55. A three-day pass is $165. Want to go for free? Organizers are looking for additional volunteers. Email The Lounge: leuboise@gmail.com.
Adams and Zoldan are funding the Idaho Comedy Festival themselves. So, on a personal level, Adams is hoping just to not lose money on the event, she says.
“Anytime on a first anything, if you break even? As a producer, that’s a huge success.”
“But outside of that, I want to have a sense of community with comedians again,” she adds. “Our whole business was completely fractured by this.”
Online: idahocomedyfest.com.
