The second annual HA Comedy Festival celebrating “The Art of Comedy” presented by WarnerMedia and New Cadence Productions will be returning to San Antonio from September 17th through the 19th. The Ha Comedy Festival aims to give Latinx performers the spotlight and voice by normalizing their inclusion, while also developing a robust pipeline of new mainstream talent.
The event will include 20 plus shows at 5 venues around San Antonio where all forms of new mainstream comedy will be on display, including stand-up, sketch and film. Celebrities performing and hosting include Danny Trejo, Carlos Santos, Chingo Bling, Jessica Keenan, Steve Trevino, Danielle Perez, Lisa Alvarado, Paul Rodriguez, Emilio Rivera and more!
HA Comedy Festival Line-Up
Opening night will kick off at the Tobin Center Plaza with a live panel and premiere screening of select clips from the upcoming HBO Max special, Comedy Chingonas. Filmed at the inaugural HA Comedy Fest in 2020, Comedy Chingonas features an all-Latina cast that included Latina comedians Luz Pazos, Vanessa Gonzalez, Debbie Gutierrez, Carmen Carrera, Xazmin Garza, Jill Michele Meleán, Crist Guzman and Mariannette LaPuppet. This event is hosted by Carmen Lynch and Luz Pazos and is free to the public
The panel will be followed by a Fresh Faces 2021 performance at The Anacacho Room at the St. Anthony Hotel with the newest and freshest voices in comedy from around the country, including Jack Assadourian, Renee Santos, Nancy Lee, Cody Woods, Reece Muniz, Rick Izquieta, Dave Jay, Abi Sanchez, Chris Tellez, Cisco Duran, James Camacho, Rafi Gonzalez and Rojo Perez.
Tickets will be sold on Eventbrite. Friday night will also include two Latino Comedy Showcases at comedy club Jokesters 22 at 8 or 10 p.m. Tickets on sale through Jokesters 22 website or at the door. At midnight, the After Midnight open mic for comedians invited to the festival will be held at The Anacacho at the St. Anthony. This event is free to the public.
Saturday is packed with even more comedy, including “The Garcias” Select Clips Premiere and Cast Panel at the Tobin Center Plaza. The panel will feature members of the original cast of “The Brothers Garcia” who are back as “The Garcias” in the reboot for HBO Max. Later that evening at the Tobin Center Plaza and Theater is the inaugural Equal Footing Film Festival. The Equal Footing Film Festival will feature 10 short comedic films from diverse female filmmakers.
The Equal Footing Film Festival is one of the first ever all-female diverse film festivals and will celebrate emerging female talent in the comedy genre. A clip from the winning film will be featured on the HBO Max comedy special created from The Best of the Fest showcase. The Equal Footing Film Festival in association with the HA Festival: The Art of Comedy will take place on September 18-19, 2021 at the Tobin Center Plaza and Theater. Both of these events are free to the public.
The night will include Comedy Chingonas 2021 hosted by comedian and Tik Tok star Carmen Lynch, featuring comics like Renee Santos and Luz Pazos at The Anacacho at St. Anthony. Also, Saturday night at the Lila Cockrell Theatre will be a double billing — first Fresh Faces 2021 hosted by Emilio Rivera (Mayans MC and Sons of Anarchy star) and then a reunion of the top Fresh Faces from the 2020 HA Comedy Festival called Fresh Faces 2020 “On Their Way” hosted by comedian Paul Rodriguez. Tickets for all Lila Cockrell shows are available through Ticketmaster.
Two comedy showcases will occur at Jokesters 22 comedy club at 8 and 10 p.m. At 9 p.m. The Veteranos of Latino Comedy headliner show will happen at The Anacacho at St. Anthony, with host Rick Gutierrez and featuring Chris “Crazy Legs” Fonseca, Nick Guerra, Fabrizio Copano and Carmen Lynch will be featured. To top off Saturday night the After Midnight open mic begins at 12 a.m. This event is free to the public.
Sunday includes the announcement of the winners of the Equal Footing Film Festival and a replay of all films for the audience to enjoy at 3 p.m. at the Tobin Center Plaza. There are also two TV tapings of The Best of the Fest at the Lila Cockrell Theatre at 5 and 8 p.m. featuring comedic talents of Chingo Bling, Jessica Keenan, Steve Trevino, Carlos Santos, Lisa Alvarado and new finds Dave Jay and Renee Santos. Two of the 2020 Fresh Faces comics will be selected to get their first TV break and also appear on the Best of the Fest taping on Sunday.
The Best of the Fest will include guest hosts Paul Rodriguez, Emilio Rivera (Mayans MC and Sons of Anarchy star), a surprise appearance by an alum of the famed sketch troupe The Second City, members of the original cast of The Brothers Garcia and Paulina Chávez star of The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia. Additional celebs are soon to be announced.
Last year’s HA Comedy Festival was award-winning and critically acclaimed. It brought to life a new mainstream comedy festival featuring a lineup of a plethora of Latinx talent, including Gina Brillon, Mark Viera and was hosted by Anjelah Johnson. The festival concluded with the taping of the critically acclaimed stand-up special, HA: The Art of Comedy, which is currently available to stream on HBO Max.
Most performances require ticket purchases, but the HA Festival will also feature free and discounted shows to the public. For the full schedule and tickets, visit hacomedyfest.com.
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Source: HA Festival
