DETROIT WOMEN OF COMEDY FESTIVAL

2023 SCHEDULE

Schedule at a glance

Snag a two-day festival pass

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Friday:

7pm Ant Hall - Variety Block A

7pm Indy - Stand-Up Block A

8pm Ant Hall - Variety Block B

8pm Indy - Stand-Up Block B

9pm Ant Hall - Headliners Roni Shanell and Bottle of Red

9pm Indy - Headliner Kate Willett with Johanna Medranda

10pm Indy - Stand-Up Block C

Saturday:

6pm Ant Hall - Variety Block C

6pm Indy - Stand-Up Block D

7pm Ant Hall - Variety Block D

7pm Indy - Stand-Up Block E

8pm Ant Hall - Variety Block E

8pm Indy - Stand-Up Block F

9pm Ant Hall - Headliners COCO and Improvised Jane Austen

9pm Indy - Headliner Kate Willett with Tam White

10pm Indy - Stand-Up Block G

Take a Workshop!

FULL 2023 SCHEDULE

Friday, May 19

GET VARIETY BLOCK A TICKETS NOW

Catch Variety Block A of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 7pm on Friday, May 19 at Ant Hall, featuring:

"Je T'aime" sketch video screening; THE new fragrance. Can you smell it? Written and Directed by Rebecca Berdy. VO and music by Mikey Brown

Gwen Sunkel, stand-up; Gwen is a comic from Indianapolis. Her jokes are smart, sassy, and irreverent.

Ladies Who Launch, improv troupe; made up of members of current and previous Go! Comedy launch groups, these ladies love to bond. Their friendship has bloomed over wine, good food and fun adventures. They are the Ladies who Launch!

Pinky Swear, improv duo; two women that met midlife, but their souls tell them they have really known each other since elementary school. Will their improv be sentimental? Sexy? Weird? Who knows? What we do know is that it will be a blast.

GET STAND-UP BLOCK A TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Block A of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 7pm on Friday, May 19 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Kelly Shanley (she/her); Kelly shares her experiences growing up in a ski town, being super close (too close?) with her mom, her vast dating "wisdom" garnered from being single from age 25-35, and now living with a partner for the first time and contemplating geriatric pregnancy in her late 30s.

Lizzie Kaniecki (she/her); Come check out Lizzie Kaniecki sing about the hardships of gay dating, the intrusive thoughts that plague her mind, and the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to her.

Asia Hicks (they/them); Asia is a local Detroit comic, actor, producer, director and professional attention whore. They offer spicy insight on the queer black experience through a satirical lens that will have you laughing between every cringe! insta: @asiamhicks

Seynique Smythe (she/her); Seynique Smythe is a NYC-based comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster from Washington D.C. She loves to riff on taboo topics like race and mental illness with an air of irreverence, but never self-deprecation. Society already puts down Black women, why do it to herself?

GET VARIETY BLOCK B TICKETS NOW

Catch Variety Block B of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 8pm on Friday, May 19 at Ant Hall, featuring:

"Clumps" sketch video screening; an original comedy short exploring what force birthers are protesting about at abortion clinics. Nothing but clumps.

Featuring: Matt Wixson, Daniel Brickley, Marissa Stringer, & Logan Monson; By: Amie Burke, Jessica Cooper, Jen Lee, Myles DeLeeuw, Abby Jaske, & Alex Suriano

Brie Watson, stand-up; Brie Watson is a stand-up, improv and sketch comedian from Canada. She teaches improv at the world-famous Second City in Toronto and founded Improv Niagara. Described as "a bundle of explosive energy" Brie’s stand-up attacks the stage with boisterous vigour that’ll leave you (and maybe her) in stitches.

She Knows She Knows, improv troupe; An assemblage of Ferndale-based improvisers and we perform a Harold!! She Knows, She Knows lets you into their pre-teens psyches, grown-up aspirations, and everyday encounters.

Hot Metal Playground, improv duo; a comedy duo comprised of Kali Meadows and Janée Marie Meadows, is known for their character-driven improv and sketches. They've trained at the Groundlings School and performed at the Comedy Central Theater directed by Guy Stevenson (MAD TV). Always weird, their improv is a blend of unusual characters with exceptional performances with a dash of Midwest flavor.

GET STAND-UP BLOCK B TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Block B of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 8pm on Friday, May 19 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Emma Stevenson (she/her/they/them); Emma Stevenson is a stand up comic from metro Detroit. She's performed at various comedy clubs and entertainment venues all over the state, hosting for national headliners such as Greg Morton and Bobcat Goldthwait.

Robyn Gilleran (she/her); Robyn Gilleran is based in Detroit and is the better (looking) half of Hard G Comedy with her husband Jason. This former fat kid and current actor/model is the mother of teenage boys and has a thing or two to say about growing up, motherhood and life in general. She has graced the stages at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle, One Night Stan's, Traverse City Comedy Club, Off the Hook Comedy Club and Key West Comedy Club as well as Gilda’s Laughfest. She's sure to catch you off guard and teach you to never judge a book by her cover.

Heather Kyles (she/her); 9 years into comedy! Been on many stages: Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, Funnybone, Knuckleheads just name a few! I talk about funny experiences being a 2nd grade teacher, midlife crisis in my 40s, and dating at my age!

Lotto Marie (she/her); Lotto's dynamic personality commands the stage with her organic and relatable material. Her content is centered around real life adventures of her life. Her sets are high energy, funny for all ages and cultures. She is a fun time comic that draws her audience in.

GET TICKETS FOR HEADLINERS RONI SHANELL AND BOTTLE OF RED

See Detroit stand-up Roni Shanell and improv super-duo Bottle of Red headline the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 9pm on Friday, May 19 at Ant Hall!

Hailing from the Motor City, Roni Shanell is a rising star in comedy. She began her career in 2015 and has been on fire ever since! She’s performed across the country at comedy clubs such as Hollywood Improv, Chocolate Sundaes at the Laugh Factory in LA, The Comedy Store, Pittsburgh Improv, Toledo Funny Bone, and Detroit House of Comedy. In 2022 she headlined at Carolines on Broadway!! She won Detroit’s Laugh Masters competition in 2018 and was the winner of the 2020 Sway in the Morning Comedy Search. Her stage presence is like no other! Roni Shanell is fun, energetic, and unapologetic!!!

Bottle of Red is the collective name for besties Nancy Hayden and Margaret Edwardtowski, Second City Detroit Mainstage alumni and original founders of the Planet Ant Improv Colony.

Margaret Edwardtowski received her (BFA) in acting from Wayne State University and is a playwright, author, and teaching artist. She was a main stage cast member with The Second City Detroit from 1996-1999 and again in 2005-2006. She co-founded the Planet Ant Improv Colony in 2000 and helmed the Home Team until 2020. In 2013, her play Hamtown Races won a Wilde Award for Best New Script and her novel (under the name of Maggie Eliot) Lark Lake Lodge won the 2021 Contemporary Long category for the Put Your Heart in a Book contest hosted by New Jersey Romance Writers and the 2022 Maggie Award for Best Unpublished Contemporary Romance from the Georgia Romance Writers. She has served as the Executive Director of Y Arts (the arts and humanities branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit since 2013.

Nancy Hayden began as a writer/performer in the Mainstage cast of The Second City in Detroit. After co-writing and appearing in five revues, Nancy went on to become a director of several Second City productions, including the first-ever national touring Theatricals production, “My Cousin’s Wedding.” Other directing titles include “Blah-Blah Sista’hood” and the Second City Detroit Mainstage revue “Jihad It Up to Here.” Nancy has worked as a staff writer for “Detroiters” on Comedy Central, as well as several productions for Bravo like “Bravo After Hours” and the digital series, "Ex-Housewife.” She also wrote shorts for DreamWorksTV and AwesomenessTV and co-wrote “Love, Factually,” the hit holiday parody that ran at The Kennedy Center. Nancy has taught improvisation, acting, directing, and writing at The Second City and improv/sketch creation at Michigan State University and California Institute of the Arts. She served as Producer of The Second City Detroit before becoming Associate Artistic Director of The Second City Hollywood. She was then named Artistic Director of the Second City Training Center in Chicago. Most recently Nancy was thrilled to return to her beloved hometown of Detroit when she was named Executive Director of the Detroit Creativity Project, a non-profit that provides improv training as a crucial life skill to the students of the Detroit public schools.

GET TICKETS FOR HEADLINER KATE WILLETT with Johanna Medranda

NYC-based comedian, actress and writer Kate Willett is headlining the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival with a special standup double-header! Catch Kate and opening act Johanna Medranda at 9pm on Friday, May 19 at the Independent Comedy Club. SEATS ARE LIMITED!

Kate Willett is a New York-based comedian who has appeared on THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT and has a stand-up special on Netflix’s THE COMEDY LINEUP. She co-hosts the popular political podcast REPLY GUYS. Some of her other TV credits include Comedy Central’s CC STAND-UP FEATURING (her second appearance premiered in December 2021), Comedy Central’s JIM JEFFERIES SHOW as a guest correspondent,and Viceland’s FLOPHOUSE. Her appearance on Comedy Central’s THIS IS NOT HAPPENING which was on Splitsider’s list of “2016’s Best Late Night Standup Sets.” She has appeared at Bumbershoot, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, High Plains, Big Sky Festival, Bridgetown, SF Sketchfest, Laughing Skull and many other festivals. In addition to headlining around the nation, she has performed in England, Scotland, Australia, and Canada.

Kate’s audio memoir DIRTBAG ANTHROPOLOGY which she penned and voiced, was released by Audible Plus in 2021 and has been a successful title for the platform. Her writing has also been featured in ELLE magazine and Cosmo UK.

Johanna Medranda is both a finalist of the Gilda Radner LaughFest Roast Battle and a fan favorite of LaughFest's "Dirty Show". She has played for Bricks & Bridges Comedy Festival, StoopFest, The “12 Days of Grizmas” showcase, NPR’s WDET “What’s So Funny About Detroit?”, produced and performed for The Motor City Comedy Festival, and was the first comedian to perform for So Far Sound Detroit. Johanna Medranda has opened for comedians Dave Attell, Brody Stevens, Liza Treyger, Stavros Halkias, Nicole Schreiber, Akaash Singh, and Robert Kelly.You may have seen Johanna on the cover of Hour Detroit Magazine, featuring at The Milwaukee Comedy Festival, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, The MadHouse Comedy Club, and the infamous Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.Outside of performing stand up, Johanna is the co-founder of Honorary Mentions Comedy, a producer for The Independent Comedy Club, Don’t Tell Comedy Detroit, 313 Comedy, and the host of Each Other's Mothers podcast.

GET STAND-UP BLOCK C TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Block C of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 10pm on Friday, May 19 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Shanda Sung (she/her); Shanda Sung is a stand up comedian from Bloomington, Indiana. She is a regular at the Comedy Attic and clubs and shows around the Midwest. She is the cohost of the podcast Passing Notes with Ashley and Shanda.

Estar Cohen (she/her); Estar Cohen is a Detroit comedian who connects her love for stand up, characters, improv, and music in a way that invites her audience to be in the moment. There is always at least a hint of the unplanned in Cohen’s sets, which keeps audiences laughing, interacting, and wondering what may happen next.

Madison Thomas (she/her); Madison is a traveling comedic storyteller with a knack for misdirection.

Vivian Burgett (she/her); Born and raised in Pinckney Michigan, Vivian Burgett has performed comedy all over the Southeast part of the state, including at many friends' weddings because, that's right, she's the only one who isn't married yet.

Ella Horwedel (she/her); Ella Horwedel has performed at clubs all over the country, where she explores the difficulties of being a 24-year-old woman through bawdy stories and intimate self-reflection. She has opened for Eddie Pepitone, Yamaneika Saunders, Luis J. Gomez, and Kurt Metzger, and was a featured performer at Laughfest, Altercation Comedy Festival, and Skankfest.

Saturday, May 20

GET VARIETY BLOCK C TICKETS NOW

Catch Variety Block C of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 6pm on Saturday, May 20 at Ant Hall, featuring:

Ali Lu, stand-up; Ali is a comedian from Alaska trying not to melt in LA. She disarms audiences with her warmth before going for the throat with razor sharp jokes. An accomplished vocalist, Ali includes musical elements that are equal parts beautiful and hilarious. She has appeared on Buzzfeed and written for FOX.

Name Pending, improv troupe; Name Pending is an improv troupe formulated in March 2022 through Planet Ant’s Training Center. Having performed at Snow Day Marathon at Go! Comedy in 2023, Thursday Throwdown hosted by Da Bureau, and soon Monday Night Improv at the Ant, one could say they’ve already made a “Name” for themselves.

Detroit Creativity Project, improv showcase; A special performance from the students of DWCF's primary non-profit beneficiary, the Detroit Creativity Project! Showcasing local Detroit and Hamtramck youth performers alongside members of the Planet Ant Home Team.

GET STAND-UP BLOCK D TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Block D of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 6pm on Saturday, May 20 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Torri J (she/her); Real life with a twist!

Grace Bahler (she/her); Grace Bahler brings her Reductress writing and Laugh Factory experience to Detroit in an iconic girlboss act, exploring womanhood through a satirical and absurdist lens.

Shilpa Rege (she/her); Big things come in small packages! Despite her fun size, Shilpa consistently brings big laughs to wherever she performs! Shilpa’s takes on her name, marriage, Indian heritage and life in America are a big hit with all audiences!

Patty Rooney (she/her); Patty Rooney is a Detroit comedian, improviser, and sketch comedy writer. She's been dubbed "very funny, but also very nerdy," by some drunk guy at a bar show. Her sketch comedy videos have been featured on Elizabeth Bank's site, WhoHaHa. You can find her performing with her improv troupe, Big Fun Social, during their monthly show "Big Fun Murder" at Go Comedy. She's excited to perform at The Comedy Experiment, One Night Stan’s, and many more across the midwest this year!

GET VARIETY BLOCK D TICKETS NOW

Catch Variety Block D of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 7pm on Saturday, May 20 at Ant Hall, featuring:

"Detective Tickles" sketch video screening; Marissa and Fee have been creating comedy together ever since the 2020 shut down. All they want to do with their comedy is heal their own trauma, release endorphins in people's brains through laughter, and uplift other (particularly femme/female-identifying) artists while they're at it. Detective Tickles is about a party clown who turns Private Eye. The sketch pays homage to film noir tropes, and is filmed in the classic style of black and white.

Camila Ballario, stand-up; Camila Ballario is an Argentine-born comedian from Michigan. Voted ‘Best Comedian’ by Current Magazine in 2020, winner of ‘Best of Fest’ at both the 2021 Big Pine Comedy Festival, and 2022 Laugh After Dark Comedy Festival. Camila has been entertaining crowds far and wide with her fresh brand of stand-up, where she often joins her ideas with songs to give you a unique look into her perspective on the realities of being a woman in her 30s.

Patty & Patty, improv duo; This local duo comprised of Maggie O'Reilly and Nuverre Naami uses shared character monologues to inspire hilarious scenes.

Plant Mamas, improv duo; Plant Mamas is an exciting, newly-formed improv duo troupe with Cara Trautman and Tara Rase. Cara and Tara are both members of the Planet Ant Home Team. They met originally as understudies at Second City Detroit and together have a combined improv experience of over 40 years. Cara and Tara have performed in several troupes together and were cast mates and writers for the Planet Ant Original Productions of Seance 4 and Seance 13.

GET STAND-UP BLOCK E TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Block E of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 7pm on Saturday, May 20 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Amber Maeda (she/her); Amber Maeda, aka the Midwest Hawaiian, started her standup career in Cleveland, OH after attempting to be a singer in a punk band. She now resides in Detroit, MI and is a regular at The Independent Comedy Club. Her dark humor is juxtaposed with her happy-go-lucky delivery warming the hearts of audiences in clubs all over the Midwest. She has opened for Comedy Central's Jeff Dye, Netflix's Gianmarco Soresi and HBO's Ramon Rivas.

Mia Wilson (she/her); Mia Wilson is a NYC-based stand-up comic and writer whose irreverent storytelling and observations focus on absurdities in social interactions, relationships, and trying to maintain Midwestern politeness while living in New York.

Esther Nevarez (she/her); Esther Nevarez is a stand up comedian from Los Angeles by way of the wonderful Detroit comedy scene. With her sharp wit and relatable storytelling, Esther has been able to use her personal experiences to create hilarious and insightful material that has resonated with audiences across the country.

D.Lo (she/her); Known for her quick wit and comebacks, she is definitely a spitfire on the mic. Known as the "roast queen" of Baltimore, and a improv master, she's sure to leave a lasting impression.

GET VARIETY BLOCK E TICKETS NOW

Catch Variety Block E of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 7pm on Saturday, May 20 at Ant Hall, featuring:

"Gran & Boy" sketch video screening; Gran and Boy spend a relaxing day in the sun until a playful dispute over Boy's hat turns into a twisted lesson in generosity. From Hot Metal Playground, aka Kali and Janée Marie Meadows.

Lotto Marie, stand-up; Lotto's dynamic personality commands the stage with her organic and relatable material. Her content is centered around real life adventures of her life. Her sets are high energy, funny for all ages and cultures. She is a fun time comic that draws her audience in.

The Ladies of the Home Team, improv troupe; Catch the ladies of Detroit’s longest-running improv show! Founded in 2000, the Home Team is the resident troupe at Planet Ant Theatre and performs every Monday at Ant Hall.

Big Fun Social, improv troupe; We're throwing a Big Fun Social and you're invited! Six pals will throw a party (aka improvise a series of scenes) just for you. Featuring: Lola Ahearn (she/her), Chris Fortin (he/him), Steve Grain (he/him), Keenan Mullaney (he/him), Patty Rooney (she/her), Jared Simard (he/him).

GET STAND-UP BLOCK F TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Block F of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 8pm on Saturday, May 20 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Visionary Speaks (she/her); The Queen, Diva, Extraordinaire Comedian Visionary Speaks Baby! @comedianvisionaryspeaks on IG

Stephanie O. (she/her); Stephanie O. is a New York City-based stand-up comedian who has performed at Lady Laughs Comedy Festival, San Diego Comedy Festival, Cream City Comedy Festival, Black Girl Giggles, and Sno Jam Comedy Festival. Fun fact - she has appeared on Bravo TV's Cash Cab and won! You can catch her performing regularly throughout New York City.

Myles De Leeuw (she/her); Myles De Leeuw is a stand-up comedian, writer, actor and director from Metro Detroit. Myles is a dark delight whose sharp punches really make you think before you laugh, she has been doing stand-up for over ten years and is a regular at The Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase and the Independent Comedy Club. Myles has written, directed, produced and starred in a dozen shows at Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck since 2019!

Toi Too Tall (she/her); Voted favorite local comedian for the 2022 Detroit Choice Awards, Toi TooTall is ready to hit the stage with her bubbly personality and exciting humor!!

GET TICKETS FOR HEADLINERS COCO AND IMPROVISED JANE AUSTEN

See Detroit stand-up queen COCO and Chicago's Improvised Jane Austen headline the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 9pm on Saturday, May 20 at Ant Hall!

Born Ingrid Walton, COCO is a 30+ year veteran in the world of entertainment and radio. Since taking the stage in 1991, she has worked with some of the world’s greatest comedians and actors, such as Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and the late Bernie Mac. COCO has made a name for herself as a comedian, over the years. The Hour Detroit Magazine named her the comedian of the year in 2018. She’s also been featured in several stage plays and was seen on TV delivering laughs to the world on BET’s Comic View and HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. It doesn’t stop there for COCO. As a respected radio personality, COCO’s voice has been heard on Detroit’s airwaves since 1996. She’s worked for some of the largest media companies in the United States including iHeart Media, Radio One and Adell Broadcasting Corporation. During that time, she’s interviewed Hollywood actors/actresses, musical artists and everyone in between. You can hear her weekly on the LAVISH AND COCO PODCAST, available on all social media platforms.

England born and Chicago bred, Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress. This long-running all-femmes-and-thems improv troupe performs weekly at the famed iO Theatre in Chicago and has graced the stages at Donny's Skybox at Second City, Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, The Chicago Improv Festival, the Dallas Comedy Festival and more. Get excited for headstrong heroines, meddling mothers, and charming cads, plus an exclusive workshop on long-form genre improv!

GET TICKETS FOR HEADLINER KATE WILLETT with Tam White

NYC-based comedian, actress and writer Kate Willett is headlining the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival with a special standup double-header! Catch Kate and opening act Tam White at 9pm on Saturday, May 20 at the Independent Comedy Club. SEATS ARE LIMITED!

Tam White is a stand-up comic and improv actor from Detroit, MI. She is currently a resident cast member at the Go Comedy Improv Theatre in Ferndale and creator/producer/host of the improv game show 'Hip-Prov' which plays monthly at Planet Ant Theatre, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, One Night Stan's Comedy club and other locations. She recently hosted the first season of ‘Detroit’s Big Shot’ talent competition, became board member and Talent Director of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival and was mentioned in Hour Detroit Magazine as one of Mark Ridley's favorite local comics.

She has performed stand-up in venues and festivals all over including Detroit House of Comedy, Toledo Funny Bone Comedy Club, Michigan Theatre, Break Out Comedy Festival, Chicago's Women Comedy Fest and Joe Dombrowski's sold-out national tour 'Indoor Recess'. She has recently worked with many national acts including Ms. Pat, Pauly Shore, SNL's Chris Kattan, Pinky Patel and Tony Roberts.

GET STAND-UP BLOCK G TICKETS NOW

Catch Stand-up Showcase G of the Detroit Women of Comedy Festival at 10pm on Saturday, May 20 at the Independent Comedy Club, featuring:

Hailey Zureich (she/her); Self proclaimed Posh Spice of the Metro Detroit comedy scene -- Hailey Zureich integrates story telling, jokes, and audience engagement for a unique experience designed to make folks laugh and generally be inspired!

Peggy Beattie (she/her); Peggy Beattie is a fresh, new, but old comedian from the northern suburbs of Detroit. She's not afraid to talk about the ridiculousness of the world today and her own version of crazy.

Natalie Bainter (she/her/they/them); Originally from Michigan, Natalie Bainter is a comedian living in Bloomington, Indiana. You can hear their soothing voice as a character on An Evening With the Authors* at the White Rabbit Cabaret in Indianapolis, and on other stages and podcasts across the Midwest. She’s been grateful to perform to benefit causes she cares about in events like Standup for Choice in Columbus, OH and Nasty Women in Indianapolis and Bloomington.

Gloria White (she/her); This Atlanta native, standup comedian and corgi mom loves to talk about her adventures in dating and being a plus-sized goddess.

Workshops

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Workshops 〰️

This three-hour workshop will focus on supporting the genre, while being in the moment. Reacting naturally and authentically from within the genre’s world, which will inherently move the plot forward. Making the best choice for the show, and sacrificing jokes for the betterment of the story. Oh, and wooing, we will absolutely work on wooing and proposing, as it’s SO MUCH FUN.

In this two-hour workshop, you’ll learn tips and tricks from the comedian and creator/producer/host of ‘Hip-Prov’ Tam White, as she shares tons of fun exercises and lessons learned throughout her years in the world of ‘rhyming’. An avid fan of hip-hop and rapping freestyles for fun at a very young age, Tam has also written comedic parodies/raps/poems, performed in musical All-Star Showdowns at her resident improv theatre ‘Go Comedy’ and joined the musical Improv cast ‘Improv: The Musical’.

Of all things, rhyming strikes the most fear and hesitancy in the heart of the average ‘Hip-Prov’ game show contestant, so Tam is excited to help everyone get out of their heads and ‘trust themselves’. Various exercises will be played as groups, pairs and line games.

“Just bring an open mind and appetite for fun. I’ll take care of the rest!” ~ Tam :)

Spend two hours with Margaret Edwartowski and Nancy Hayden, aka Bottle of Red, as they break down all the elements of their original long form known as the Goon Ass. Designed for improv duos, this two-hour workshop will cover what makes a strong two-person long form show. They’ll help pairs work on the art of the point/counterpoint duologue (one of the benchmarks of the Goon Ass), using duologues to create a table of contents from which to launch strong scenes, creating character-driven scene work that grows organically, how to smoothly edit within a two-person set without feeling like a dipwad, and all sorts of other cool, fun coaching tips that will be discovered in the moment!

TWO DAYS. TWO STAGES. OVER 50 PERFORMERS.

Our Mission

The Detroit Women of Comedy Festival is a celebration of diverse perspectives in comedy and creativity from Metro Detroit and beyond.

DWCF strives to honor and elevate marginalized voices across a spectrum of genders and identities to create an inclusive platform for community-building, joy, and collaboration in comedy.

The festival features improv, stand-up, sketch, podcasts, alt-comedy, and workshops. Proceeds directly support Detroit-based non-profits providing arts education and services for at-risk populations in the community.