The award-winning Improbable Comedy presents the second annual SPRUNG! Comedy Festival, a five-day lineup of six original shows. SPRUNG! guarantees to serve as your sun lamp, lifting spirits and strengthening the community. The festival, to be held February 7-11, 2024, will be hosted in the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre.
“The festival comes at just the right time, when folks need a reason to get out and some laughs to warm them up,” said Improbable Comedy producer Kim Levone. “After last year’s incredible success with our first SPRUNG!, we wanted to bring even more shows to Silver Spring.”
A unique lineup of nationally touring headliners and local comedy favorites lights up each themed SPRUNG! comedy show, including “The MOTHER of All Comedy Shows,” “The Originals:All Native Comedy Night,” “The Mic Divas” from the Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest, “Comedy as a Second Language,” “Comedy for Peace,” and “Cupid’s Queer Comedy Special with Comedy Bonfyre.” The event features the comedic brilliance of headliners Lucie Pohl (“Overwatch”), Adrianne Chalepah (“Reservation Dogs”), and Dylan Adler (Writer, “The Late Late Show with James Corden”) and featured performers Demi Chang, Jenny Cavallero, and producer of the Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest, Joanna Briley.
Since its inception over a decade ago, Improbable Comedy has undertaken to be a platform for underrepresented voices and a catalyst for industry change. “Kim creates a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse atmosphere for the audience and comedians to be their best selves,” said Briley, perfectly summarizing the ethos of the production company. SPRUNG! is no exception. Intersectionality and inclusivity abound, not just among performers but producers as well: five out of the six shows are produced by women of all backgrounds. The Silver Spring Black Box Theatre is ADA-compliant and an ASL translator will be provided for the festival, making SPRUNG! accessible for maximum laughs.
Of course, humor is one of the most popular coping mechanisms for people who are struggling; the comedians not only understand that, they use it to their advantage. Comedians have long touted the benefits comedy has on their own mental health, explained Briley. “Standup helps me to relax and rebalance my mindset when I’m feeling anxious and stressed.” Other comedians shared the feeling that comedy is therapeutic. Jenny Cavallero’s comedy focuses on her experience as a disabled person and how “people’s assumptions can make for ridiculous situations.” As a military veteran, Demi Chang appreciates that standup makes you think about things in a way that makes you “laugh instead of cry.” And Dylan Adler values the power of comedy to “inject levity” into difficult situations and experiences. “I’ve found that whenever I’m having a bad day or mental health struggles, if I go to a comedy show to watch comedy or perform comedy I always leave feeling lighter.”
Did you set a 2024 resolution to laugh more, see friends, or take care of your mental health? Attend SPRUNG! Comedy Festival and check, check, check those off your list. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that one should never underestimate the curative powers of a good punchline. There’s never a bad time for comedy. But the best time for comedy is Feb. 7-11, 2024, at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre. SPRUNG! will be there, breaking through the February gloom with that ray of light called comedy, and we look forward to seeing it shine on your face.
SHOW INFORMATION:
Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 7 p.m.: “MOTHER of All Comedy Shows”; Fundraiser for the Comedy Incubator (Grassroots Comedy): Liz Barlow, Demi Chang, Rola Z, Jenny Cavallero
Thursday, February 8, 2024, 7 p.m.: “The Originals: All Native Comedy Night”; Adrianne Chalepah, Jamar Hall, Shea Vassar, Ixchel, and host/co-creator Gigi Modrich
Friday, February 9, 2024, 7 p.m.: “The Mic Divas” – from the Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest”; Patrice DeVeaux, Algiers Diamond, Nikkie Knowles, Elizabeth Booker Houston, and host Joanna Briley
Saturday, February 10, 2024, 7 p.m.: “Comedy as a Second Language”; Lucie Pohl (Overwatch), Benny Nwokeabia, Dee Ahmed, and host/co-creator Carol Zoccoli
Sunday, February 11, 2024, 4 p.m.: “Comedy for Peace”; Usama Siddique, Liz Glazer, Gibran Saleem, and Erik Angel
Sunday, February 11, 2024, 6 p.m.: “Cupid’s Queer Comedy Special“, presented with Comedy Bonfyre: Dylan Adler, Miss Chocolate, Paul Mooney, and host Kenny Rooster
SPRUNG! Comedy Festival is supported by the Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., Sobar, and Grassroots Comedy. The festival is sponsored by generous premium sponsors: Yvonne Lee Realtor and Urban Winery, and other local businesses: Carlton Creative, Behavior United, La Malinche, and All Set Restaurant & Bar. General Admission Tickets are $25. VIP tickets are also available. As part of the SPRUNG! Cocktails & Comedy promotion, ticket holders can receive a free drink with their meal at one of several area restaurants on February 7-11. The festival will also host a Native Market on February 8, during The Originals: All Native Comedy Night.
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