South By Southwest 2020 Announces Comedy Festival Line-Up

Updated on 3/6/2020: SXSW 2020 is now CANCELLED due to the Coronavirus pandemic. https://www.hi-techchic.com/the-city-of-austin-announces-cancellation-of-sxsw-2020-march-events/.

Despite the global outbreak of the Coronavirus, the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals from March 13-22, 2020 in Austin, Texas is still happening. This week SXSW has announced an initial list of SXSW Comedy Festival participants and shows. The SXSW Comedy Festival will include performers from all reaches of entertainment, SXSW Comedy Festival hosts a lineup of acclaimed comedians and entertainers. This year’s festival will also host performances from the industry’s brightest comics and a catalog of diverse programming including stand-up, sketch, improv, podcast recordings, conversations, and more.

2020 SXSW Comedy Festival Participants Announced

Aaron Jackson • Ahmed Bharoocha • Alex English • Alyssa Stonoha • Andy Haynes • Anthony Devito • Ayo Edebiri • Besty Sodaro • Bill Burr • Bob Odenkirk • Brett Davis • Byron Bowers • Dave Hill • David Gborie • Doug Benson • Eddie Pepitone • Eugene Cordero • Frank Oz • Gil Ozeri • Greg Stone • Hannibal Buress • Horatio Sanz • James Adomian • Joel Kim Booster • Jon Daly • Judd Apatow • Kiry Shabazz • Leonard Maltin • Liza Treyger • Lorelei Ramirez • Maggie Maye • Mary Holland • Matt Besser • Matt Kirshen • Megan Stalter • Mike Feeney • Mitra Jouhari • Monroe Martin • Nick Thune • Patti Harrison • Pete Davidson • Rachel Pegram • Ricky Velez • Robert Kelly • Rosebud Baker • Sabrina Jalees • Samantha Bee • Sandy Honig • Shane Gillis • Stuart Goldsmith • Thomas Middleditch • Yamaneika Saunders

2020 SXSW Comedy Festival Special Programs Featuring Announced

ASSSSCAT • The Comedian’s Comedian • Doug Loves Movies • Dynasty Typewriter • improv4humans • The King of Staten Island Revue • The Last Laugh • The Laugh Button Live! • Loud Village Live • Maltin on Movies • National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast • Roast Battle • The Underculture and more!

On Friday, March 13, following his SXSW Film Opening Night world premiere, Judd Apatow will host The King of Staten Island Revue featuring Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, and Friends for an evening of stand-up benefitting the Friends of Firefighters (friendsoffirefighters.org) foundation.

In celebration of National Lampoon’s 50th anniversary, the iconic brand will bring two nights of its National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast to SXSW. This revival cast of exceptionally gifted up-and-coming writers and performers continue the tradition established by the original players of the groundbreaking Radio Hour, embodying the Lampoon’s distinctly twisted humor in their original sketch showcases.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) cofounder, Matt Besser, will return with a slate of shows including his beloved podcast improv4humans. He will riff on hit songs in the Sing-A-Long Comedy Experiment, provide weed comedy for stoners and friends of stoners at The 420 Show, and lead UCB’s longest running show, ASSSSCAT (improv based on true tales from celebrity guests). This year the theatre’s flagship show will feature performances by some of the most skilled improvisers working today, including Horatio Sanz, Gil Ozeri, the cast of Golden Arm, (a SXSW Film world premiere) Mary Holland, Betsy Sodaro, and Eugene Cordero, along with guest monologist, Bob Odenkirk.

Hannibal Buress will revisit his breakthrough comedy album with a live performance of My Name Is Hannibal: Redux in advance of the SXSW Film world premiere of his new stand-up special, Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights, at the Paramount Theater on Wednesday, March 18.

Expert impressionist James Adomian (Trump vs. Bernie) will conjure an alternate reality populated by familiar pop culture characters in a live version of his surrealistic, satirical podcast, The Underculture. Festival mainstay Doug Benson will be on site with two chances to catch his hit game-show podcast, Doug Loves Movies. Also returning, Riffs and Riff Raff with Nick Thune & Friends will unite Thune and other musically inclined performers for a bedlam of outlandish characters, nonsensical lyrics, and improvised songs. Roast Battle will be back to offend for another year. The original team from The Comedy Store in LA will lead this anything-goes brawl of wits. Host Brian Moses, DJ Coach Tea, and dynamic hype crew The Wave (Willie Hunter, Jamar Neighbors) will be joined by guest judges who will preside over three rowdy nights of unpredictable trash-talk.

This year’s festival features several in-depth podcast interviews. Legendary film historian Leonard Maltin will sit down with director and comedy icon Frank Oz for Maltin on Movies, Samantha Bee will be interviewed for an episode of The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast, and Stuart Goldsmith will return with British podcast staple, The Comedian’s Comedian, for a deep dive into the creative process of the most interesting personalities at the festival.

Adult Swim will be back to celebrate Three Busy Debras, which will premiere on the network later this month. Creators and stars Sandy Honig, Mitra Jourhari, and Alyssa Stonoha will be joined by Joel Kim Booster and Patti Harrison for a showcase performance and sneak peek of the new absurdist live-action series. Jon Daly will host Dynasty Typewriter Presents!, a showcase in the spirit of LA’s hip, new comedy venue. And festival staple The Laugh Button Live! will team up with New York’s legendary Gotham Comedy Club to present a night of shows at Esther’s Follies.

The backbone of this year’s lineup are some of comedy’s most compelling new voices and promising emerging stars. The festival is proud to include Kiry Shabazz and Rosebud Baker who were recently featured in, Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers, Sabrina Jalees, Megan Stalter, and star of Honey Boy, Byron Brown and as some of these new voices. There will also be special solo performances by Ricky Velez who will debut his new stand-up hour, Ricky Velez: Lower Middle Class, and Liza Treyger will share childhood photos, home movies, and stories about ruining her family trips in Liza Treyger: Vacation.

All SXSW badgeholders (Platinum, Interactive, Music, and Film) are welcome to all SXSW Comedy showcases and conference sessions. Film wristband holders can attend SXSW Comedy showcases from Friday, March 13 through Saturday, March 21 and Music wristband holders, Monday, March 16 through Saturday, March 21.

To learn more about the SXSW Comedy Festival please visit: https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/comedy/. For more information or to register for SXSW 2020 please visit: www.sxsw.com.

###

Source: SXSW