Johannesburg International Comedy Festival launch
The Johannesburg International Comedy Festival will be launched over three days from 6 to 8 November, 2015. The festival is a multi-venue, multi-show comedy showcase featuring local, continental and international talent performing at the Alexander Theatre, Orbit Jazz Café, Thirteen and the Bannister Hotel in Braamfontein as well as The Market Theatre and Bassline in the Newtown precinct with 42 comedians scheduled to take part.
Over and above that, there will be fringe shows staged at popular Braamfontein venues, namely Kitcheners, Great Dane and Anti Establishment that will feature emerging talent in the build-up to the festival from 2 to 4 November.
The Johannesburg International Comedy Festival is built around key concept shows each featuring a great mix of local favourites and specifically chosen international talent as follows:
- Stand Up Africa (Alexander Theatre) - Comedy with Africa's finest comedians. League of Nations (Alexander Theatre) - Comedy without borders featuring talent from around the world.
- Fire In The Hole (Bannister Hotel Basement) - Comedy with no limits or boundaries, humour that is risky, edgy and politically incorrect.
- Bantu Hour Live (Orbit Jazz Café) - Comedy inspired by the late-night talk show format of host, live band, interactive engagement with the comedians and special music guests.
- Live From The 13th Floor (Thirteen) - Comedy that celebrates trailblazing female talent live from Braamfontein's newest and sexiest venue atop the Neighbourgoods Market.
- Vernac Attack (Bassline Theatre) - Comedy in any of South Africa's indigenous languages, a previously underground category that is now taking the country by storm.
- Jokenation (Market Theatre) - Jokenation is a global talent search that seeks to find tomorrow's comedy stars in the US, the UK, Continental Europe, Middle East/Asia as well as South Africa. The best comedian to win this SA final will be flown to Switzerland to perform at the Montreux Comedy Festival in December.
The shows will be hosted by an unbelievable spread of comedians that reads like a nominees list at the Comics Choice Awards. Loyiso Gola, Ndumiso Lindi, John Vlismas, Kagiso Lediga, Tats Nkonzo and Mashabela are included whilst an amazing array of comedians lies in wait to entertain on the various stages.
The local contingent of acts includes the likes of: Jason Goliath, Donovan Goliath, Trevor Gumbi, Deep Fried Man, Celeste Nthuli, Stuart Taylor, Loyiso Madinga, Carvin Goldstone, Siya B, Nina Hastie, Smowkey Nyembe, and Tracey Lee Oliver.
World class continental talent will be represented by the likes of Salvado (Uganda), Daliso Chaponda (Malawi), and Carl Joshua Ncube (Zimbabwe]). There will also be a diverse array of international talent such as Maureen Langan, Orlando Baxter, Mike Leibowitz from the US, Francesco de Carlo from Italy, Yacine Belhousse from France and others.
Tickets are on sale now from www.webtickets.co.za, www.jicf.co.za or the festival's Facebook page with prices ranging from R150 to R250.
