July Comedy Festival Has a May 13 Deadline for Artist Sign-Ups
DENTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 28, 2016 / "We are looking for comedians, comedy troupes, short film creators, animation creators and others performing humor or satire," said RJ Avery.
Avery is the spokesperson for the ODB Comedy Festival which will take place in Denton on July 29th and 30th. "This will be a grassroots festival that hopefully becomes the yearly Mecca of North Texas for independent comedians," explained Avery.
ODB stands for Old Dirty Basement and the festival will indeed take place in the basement of J &J's Pizza on the square in Denton. The formal name of the festival is Denton Comedy Festival. Attendance in the basement will be limited to around 75 to 100 depending on how the seats are arranged. To handle any overflow the festival organizers are working with a local DJ to provide what is called a 'silent disco.' The festival will rent out headsets and people will be able to sit on the square and listen to the show without being in the basement.
Avery describes himself as a "huge comedy fan." He used to work in JJs during his college days and thought that the basement would be a great venue for the festival. He called up his old boss and was able to get the location for the July 29-30 dates and then set up a website www.odbcomedyfestival.com calling for performers and financial backers.
The festival organizers have a first-year goal of "providing the best possible experience for everyone involved and to pay every performer either in perks or pay." There is a sign-up form on the festival's website for artists interested in taking part. So far they have received 25 performance applications, but only two women have applied. The organizers hope that final lineup of performers will have a "good female presence."
One woman who will be performing is Saffron Herndon, a child comedian who will be headlining one of the showcases. She can be seen in action on a YouTube video.
The festival is working on a shoe-string budget. JJs is providing the basement venue free of charge and Avery, along with his friends Joseph Spector and Cassidy Kennedy, have given the initial funds to start the organizing work. "We set up a Kickstarter campaign, using the festival's formal name The Denton Comedy Festival, in order to raise a little bit more money to meet expenses," Avery said. Proceeds from the festival will be donated to the local comedian-driven nonprofit organization Language of Laughter (www.lolforacause.com).
The festival is also looking for local business sponsors and the organizers hope to build long term relationships with sponsors and make the festival a yearly event in Denton.
Interested performers and sponsors can use the website's sign-up forms or contact RJ Avery directly at 214-682-0598.
SOURCE: Denton Comedy Festival