By Kelsey Sanchez.
“Yeah, record all of this,” Brianne Halverson nodded, adding, “Just make us look smart.” Brianne Halverson and John Brennan, two of the four creators of the Savannah Comedy Festival, sat down to talk about themselves and the show they’ve pulled together. The 2018 festival starts this Thursday, Jan. 25, and runs through Saturday Jan. 27.
Last year was the first annual Savannah Comedy Festival and the pair learned a lot from it. “People wanted to see the stuff—and that’s good. So, this year we added a night to the festival. Primarily, we are focused on bringing outside groups to Savannah,” said Halverson. New York City, Chicago and Atlanta are just a few of the homes of the different performers this week. Each of the six acts perform locally, one for over twenty years.
If you think you don’t like improv comedy, think again. “There’s pushback with people and improv,” said Brennan. “A lot of people will go to one show and say, ‘Yeah, you know—I just don’t know if I like improv.’ Would anyone say that about music? Go to a single music show and say, ‘I don’t know if I like music.’ Of course you wouldn’t— because every group has their own style.”
Caleb Williamson
The Savannah Comedy Festival boasts a wide variety in the line up—improvised musicals, sketch shows, character improv and both long and short form improv. Halverson and Brennan will also be performing in the festival with their local comedy group: Front Porch Improv. The group has a show almost every Saturday and the occasional Friday. A calendar for shows is provided on FPI’s website.
Halverson and Brennan agreed when it came to describing Front Porch Improv’s sense of humor. “It’s like, everybody cries for the same things. Your mom dies, you’re going to cry. But not everybody laughs for the same things so…” Halverson said.
Brennan interjected, “Exactly. We want the people that are going to laugh at that.”
“Yes! The darker the better.”
The Savannah Comedy Festival is located at 2222 Bull Street, Second Floor Theatre ; tickets are on sale now for $15 a show or $25 for a night pass. For the most part proceeds go directly to the artist performing that night, except performances night with Halverson, Brennan and the rest of FPI, in which case a portion of the ticket sales are donated to local groups Creative Coast and Savannah Stage Company.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit savannahcomedyfest.com.
