It’s that time of year again! The time when you pee your pants laughing at the best the Twin Cities’ Jewish comedians (and comediennes) have to offer, plus the jokes of a stellar bunch of national acts that make you wish you watched more Comedy Central….
It’s the Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival! Year 3!
And it’s coming up soon – January 14 – 28 at the Sabes JCC Minneapolis.
They’ve got it all. Stand up, one-person shows, improv, storytelling, film… even magic tricks. Like the Fringe Fest. But Jewy-ier. (And yes, if Jewy-ier is a word, I think this is how it should be spelled.)
And TC Jewfolk is a sponsor, so you know it’s going to be awesome. And we’re selling our kick ass new “Ya, sure… Jew Betcha” t-shirts (pictured here) for just $3 on the three Saturday nights of the Humor Fest – Jan. 14, 21 and 28. So you at least have to check out the Festival on one of those nights, so you can start sporting the coolest new shirt in the Twin Cities.
Buy tickets to individual shows (most are under $15), or save a few bucks by buying an All Festival pass (save $15) or Five Show pass (save $13 on 5 events). Or….
wait for it…
wait for it….
Win one of the TWO PAIRS of FREE TICKETS that we’re giving away to Opening Night of the Jewish Humor Festival!
[FREE TICKETS NO LONGER AVAILABLE]
Because we love you. And we haven’t given you enough Hanukkah gifts yet this week.
And yeah, your tix to Opening Night get you access to a sweet post-show party with the comedians as well – it just keeps on getting better.
So before we tell you how to win the tickets, here are TC Jewfolk’s picks for the coolest shows in this year’s lineup for the Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival!
1. Opening Night with Julie Goldman (plus Laura Thorne)– Jan. 14th. Um… Duh. The main act? Julie Goldman (named “Kick-Ass Comedian” by the NY Press), star of three seasons of LOGO’s Big Gay Sketch Show and winner of the 2008 NEWNOWNEXT Brink of Fame Comic Award, and the 2007 MAC Award for Best Headlining Comedian in NYC. You’ve seen her on Comedy Central and Lewis Black’s Root of all Evil and on Broadway in Laughing Liberally. And her opener is not too shabby neither. The fabulous local hit Laura Thorne, a rising star most recently seen at Jewbilee. You also get admission to the Opening Night party at Cooper’s Pub with your tickets, after the show.
httpv://youtu.be/609H9UpDT9s
2. Dave Goldstein – Jan. 21st. He’s done it all, from performing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to stand-up on The Comedy Network, to performing for our troops on a comedy tour of U.S. Army bases in Europe. And his opener? Dylan Fresco, who created two hit solo shows for the Minnesota Fringe Festival: The Anton Kissbougel Technique, a mockumentary take on your typical yoga class (which he workshopped at the 2010 Humor Fest), and last year’s sold-out Domino’s Pizza Saved My Life, which explores the personal in the global through story and song.
httpv://youtu.be/Exd5wKbwRMc
3. Amy Salloway – Jan. 22 & 23 – need we say more? Seriously, friend this woman on Facebook and you’ll be cracking up checking your blackberry between meetings. Amy is performing her new show, Circumference, and I have to defer to her to describe it because her description is perfect. “Amy is FAT as hell, and she’s not gonna take it anymore! But when her radical, desperate, last-ditch plan to nab herself a socially acceptable body backfires, how will she live with the reality that remains? Can an internal and external self ever reconcile after years of bitter divorce?” Yeah. Makes me want to see it too. That, and that the Pioneer Press called it “A MUST-SEE: poignant, sensitive and hysterically funny.” (Here’s an excerpt from Amy’s show)
httpv://youtu.be/uuVI_qe3gMs
4. David Harris and David Harris – Jan. 25. Okay, my head is spinning. TWO David Harrises. ONE night. That’s enough to make me want to show up and see what happens. Oh yeah, that and the fact that David J. Harris is a standup comedian and magician from Minneapolis, MN who has appeared to rave reviews on Minnesota’s ABC, CBS, & FOX TV and won two regional Emmy’s for sketch comedy TV. David M. Harris has performed as a standup comedian, vaudeville entertainer, comic acrobat, and modern dancer. And they’re performing with Jew-ish improv-comedy troupe, The Chosen Few. Sweet!
5. Rachel Feinstein plus Phoebe Bottoms – Jan. 28. Closing Night and the Fest is going out with a big one. Rachel was a finalist on Season 7 of Last Comic Standing, and has been featured on Russell Simmon’s Presents, Live at the El Ray, TBS’s Just For Laughs series and Comics Unleashed, and has her own half hour special, Comedy Central Presents Rachel Feinstein. Um… hells yeah. Closing Night Reception to follow. (PS – this video rocks. Laughed out.loud.)
httpv://youtu.be/-Gme2aADf70
6. And in case you want to laugh and stretch at the same time. Check out the Laugh Yoga Workshop with Sarah Routman (full disclosure – Sarah is on the Board of TC Jewfolk’s parent org, Jewfolk Media, and she writes for TCJewfolk.com). She’s also funny, warm, and has been a Laughter Yoga instructor since 2008. Started in India, laughter yoga is now practiced in 53 countries, including the United States, and anyone can do the simple exercises (stretching, breathing and laughing). No need to be flexible, wear special clothing, or know anything about downward dogs, upright rhinos or uptight colleagues.
Damn! And I swear, that’s not even half of it! Check out the full line up on the Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival’s website!
So you want to go to Opening Night for FREE?
Yeah, we thought so. Answer this question in the comment below before midnight on Thursday, December 29th for your chance to win. We’ll even throw in a free rockin’ TC Jewfolk “Ya, sure… Jew Betcha” t-shirt for the two winners.
What’s the funniest thing about you?
There’s no correct answer – we’re drawing the winner randomly. Two winners this time folks, and you each get a PAIR of tickets to opening night with Julie Goldman.
Good luck! May the funniest person win!
See you at the Humor Fest!
Sometimes I fart and it scares my cat.
My randomness.
I am funny because I am a certified laughter yoga leader
I am funny because I’m a blond, athletic Jew from Kansas.
My girlfriend disagrees, but I think the funniest thing about me is that I grind my teeth and scream while I sleep.
The funniest thing about me is that I have taught middle school for 25 years, it is where the best stand up comedians work!
I’m really punny and
I tell dirty jokes.
dirty puns?
I sometimes sit up in bed and talk in my sleep about made up medical jargon (made up words include the ‘tickerm’ and the ‘poomp’)
I love to make people laugh using every day
situations. Especially when it comes to saving money.
The funniest thing about me probably is all of the ironic observations I make in everyday life and conversation that make me laugh.
I’m a Jew (born and raised and practicing) who has studied the Holocaust and all its causes at great length, and yet I cannot get enough of the Wagner piece “Ride of the Valkyries.” Even in ads.
We’ll see what is funny!
The funniest thing about me is my birthmark on my hand. It’s shaped in a perfect circle.
The funniest thing about me is my laugh. It is very loud and very contagious.
So being totally Jewish, I would answer this question with another question: By FUNNY, do you mean “Funny HA HA” or “Funny Peculiar?”
I don’t know if I think I am funny now, although I find something to laugh at every day as a ritual, but my daughters think I will be hysterical as an Alzheimer’s patient. Just give me a few years. I am also confident that I am one of the few individuals without ‘issues’. My daughters believe that my ‘issue’ is the fact that I have no ‘issues’.
I tell stories about what happens in my life. College life, people I meet, and the places I go. I love telling people about the crazy things that people do. My mom is constantly telling me I should be a standup comedian, although I’m not quite sure I can trust her opinion, as she is my mother…
My bad haircut.
My dry sense of humor
I will be much more funny if I win tickets.
My Catholic parents almost named me Christopher, but settled on John Paul… and warped me so badly with Parochial school that I went Jewish!
I was the first Jewish baby born in a hospital in Mankato. There’s an article with me pictured, wrapped in a blanket, with an inquisitive, rabbi-ish, newborn look.
anika! that is awesome. you should totally come to the jewish humor fest (my other baby, besides 20% theatre)!!
Here’s a late response: I’M TOTES THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
The funniest thing about me is that I snort when I laugh.
We got one extra pair of tickets, so there are three to give away! And the winners of the free tickets are… Ida, Chuck and Roya! Congrats! You each have a pair of free tickets to Opening Night of the Minneapolis Jewish Humor Fest! I’ll email you the details.
The rest of you should buy tickets to the Festival! It’s going to be an amazing few weeks of comedy!
I am so looking forward to this event!