QComedy Comes to Philly
Alec Mapa headlines QComedy (courtesy of Alec Mapa)
Starting Oct. 9th, Philly hosts the first-ever QComedy Festival. For six days, dozens of LGBT comics will take to the mic at venues around town culminating in a show by headliner Alec Mapa.
Bruce Yelk of NightlifeGay.com, one of the event’s producers, says QComedy is the first comedy festival in Philadelphia dedicated to and performed by members of the LGBT community in the City of Brotherly Love. “I’m so excited to have one of Hollywood’s most successful and talented openly gay actors and comedians headline the first QComedy Fest,” says Yelk. “Alec got his start doing standup comedy, which opened doors for him on shows like Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty.”
Mapa told us exclusively that he likes performing in Philly, adding that Reading Terminal Market is his favorite place to visit in town, and that Philly has plenty of handsome eye candy. Click here for our Q&A with Mapa.
“I’m excited to get everybody together and shed a spotlight on the work that queer performers are doing in this city, so we can be visible to our communities and to the city at large,” says QComedy Producer Alejandro Morales. “The comedy scene in Philly is growing and I feel that festivals like this one will help audiences grow along with it.”
Alejandro Morales - a comedian himself - is one of the producers of QComedy
Morales recently competed in the Gayborhood Games. He also performs regularly at Camp Tabu, a comedy show he created last year at Tabu.
“I wanted to start a QComedy Fest for years, but thought it would be poor form to do as a straight guy,” admits Philly Improv Theater (PHIT) Executive Director Greg Maughan, who’s worked with performers like Kevin Allison form MTV’s The State, SNL writer Christine Nangle and 30 Rock‘s Scott Adsit. PHIT is a co-sponsor of the event. “When some of PHIT’s out performers approached me asking to do something it was an immediate no-brainer,” he says. “I’ve always wanted PHIT to be an inclusive and supportive place – not one of those open mics full of racist, misogynistic or homophobic one-liners.”
Here’s the lineup:
Monday, October 10
8:30 p.m.: Storytelling: Out Spoken (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
Tuesday, October 11
8:30 p.m.: Panel Comedy: Reasonable Discourse with Jerks (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
Wednesday, October 12
7:00 p.m.: Improv Comedy: Jessica Tandy (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
8:30 p.m.: Improv Comedy: Poker Night (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
10:00 p.m.: Improv Comedy: LGBT All-Stars (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
Thursday, October 13
8:30 p.m.: Sketch Comedy: POP! and The Wedding Consultant (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
10:00 p.m.: Improv: Cagematch LGBT Edition (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
Friday, October 14
8:30 p.m.: Sketch Comedy: POP! and The Wedding Consultant (The Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
9:00 p.m.: Variety Comedy: Camp Tabu First Anniversary Show! (Tabu, 200 S. 12th St.)
11:30 p.m. The Gross Show Presents The Gay Show (Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St.)
Saturday, October 15
9:00 p.m.: Alec Mapa (Los Angeles) with Steve Miller-Miller (Voyeur, 1221 St. James St.)
Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets range from $10 to 30 in advance (and $15 to $40 at the door).
