Cream City Comedy Festival Promises Laughter All Weekend Long

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Photo Credit: Cream City Comedy Festival

In a city already not lacking for comedy events, the next few days promise to be all the richer with laughter, as the fourth-annual Cream City Comedy Festival commences Thursday, May 9. Of the four-day event, Devin Settle, one of its seven organizers (and onetime Shepherd Express writer) boasts, “This year, we have 12 venues and 60 comedians, which is enough to create a very full and entertaining weekend.”

Unlike other multi-day comedy celebrations in Milwaukee, all of Cream City’s participating performers will be on their own. “Cream City Comedy Festival has always been a stand-up festival. While other festivals might have improv or sketch, we wanted to keep our focus on stand-up,” Settle says. Among the local comics plying their shtick over the long weekend of hilarity are two of Settle’s Cream City co-organizers, Ryan Holman and Chris Schmidt. Other hometown talent taking the stages involved in the fest include AJ Grill, Elijah Holbrook, Jeff Spankowski, Raegan Niemela, Carter Deems, Eric Smith, Dana Ehrmann and Will Krolowitz. All those townies will also be hosting at least one of the two Cream City showcases they will be playing.

For those not counting, that’s 10 funny folks, or a sixth of the participating comedians. But they all had to go through the same process to make the bill. “We choose our performers based on uniqueness of voice and originality of content, and we try to keep diversity at the forefront of our minds,” Settle explains. It’s not like the there was a shortage of hopefuls, either. “We had 400 submissions this year and went through a process of narrowing it down to 60, which was not an easy task!”

Though it may have been difficult for Cream City’s organizers to determine who gets to play, it’s much easier for anyone looking for a night of comedy to take in any of the festival’s dates. That’s because there are no cover charges to any of the shows. It still takes funds to put on so expansive an undertaking, though. So, where does the money come from? As Settle explains, “Every year, we have local sponsors who either donate space, money or materials for our festival, which helps with a lot of the production costs. Cream City Comedy Festival is a very grassroots project. We have been very fortunate to partner with some amazing Milwaukee companies and establishments.”

A bit of the financial responsibility for putting on the show sits on the shoulders of those playing it, too. “We do have a small submission fee for solo performers as well as show submissions, but we try to keep that as low as possible,” she continues.

But just as Cream City needs funds to thrive, it also gives back. Collections taken at every performance every year benefit one specific non-profit organization. The recipient of this year’s donations will be the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). The Wisconsin Humane Society and the Wisconsin chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness number among previous beneficiaries of the festival’s generosity.

Cream City’s full 2019 schedule, and submission instructions for next year’s festival, may be found at creamcityfest.com.

Here, from her national TV debut on Stephen Colbert’s show and giving Milwaukee a mention therein, is opening-night headliner Carmen Lagala:

Funny Storytelling

For another approach to a humorous time this weekend, Milwaukee Comedy offers a show that gets into the guts of the comedic arts. Hosted by local comedy luminary Greg Bach, “Anecdote: A Storytelling Showcase” promises a night of four comics—a couple from Chicago and two from Milwaukee—relating the inspiration behind their jokes and the experiences that have shaped them professionally and personally. This opportunity for edification and guffaws starts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the Riverwest Public House, 815 E. Locust St.

Below, one of the Chicagoans playing “Anecdote,” Mary Zee, reflects on celebrities she resembles and in what circumstances she’s the life of the party: