FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Info:
Janice Rodriguez
Latina Comedy Festival
773-330-2520
[email protected]
latinacomedyfestival.com
Latina Comedy Festival Returns to Chicago for an Exciting Third Year
The team behind Las Locas Comedy, Chicago’s only monthly Latina stand-up comedy show, is
back with an expanded 3rd Annual Latina Comedy Festival from October 3rd-5th, 2024, across
multiple venues in Chicago.
Chicago, IL September 9, 2024 – The Latina Comedy Festival, produced by Las Locas
Comedy, returns to Chicago from October 3rd-5th, 2024 with expanded showcases at multiple
venues across the city including Laugh Factory in Lakeview, The Den Theatre in Wicker Park,
Chicago Dramatists in River West and Lincoln Lodge and Surge Billiards in Logan Square. The
festival will feature the best Latina standup comedic talent from across the country including
Chicago native Gwen La Roka (HBO Max), New Yorker by way of Puerto Rico, dancer, actor
and comedian Suni Reyes (New York Comedy Club), and San Antonio comedian and TikTok
start Chona-E (LOL San Antonio). A panel of industry representatives and comedians recently
reviewed comedian submissions and selected 45 amazing performers from across North
America to perform at this year’s festival.
In an industry where Latinas represent less than 1% of comics booked at comedy clubs across
the country (The Comedy Club Database), Las Locas Comedy has been committed to
elevating diverse female voices in comedy. Celebrating its seventh year, Las Locas Comedy
continues to expand their programming to include this annual festival to showcase comics from
across the country – a feat made possible by the network they’ve built across the country with
Latina comics from cities such as L.A., Austin, San Antonio, New York, Denver, and Miami.
The first iteration of the festival in August 2022, showcased 18 locally-based Latina and
nonbinary Latinx/e comics performing short, rapid-fire sets at the Lincoln Lodge in Logan
Square. In addition to our flagship ‘Marathon Show’ at Lincoln Lodge which will happen at 5pm
on Saturday, October 5th in this year’s festival, producers have grown the festival to include 7
total showcases which will give selected performers multiple opportunities to perform to a
Chicago audience.
Our 3 day festival, happening at the heart of Hispanic Heritage Month, will also include networking events as well as educational workshops for the comedians to grow their craft and connect with each other and industry representatives. Audience members will have an amazing opportunity to see heavy hitters and up and coming Latina comedians from across the country in talent-packed showcases. The festival’s highlight happens on Saturday, October 5th at Chicago Dramatists with a special headlining showcase by Marcella Arguello, star of the HBO/Max comedy special Bitch, Grow up!. Full performer lineups and individual
showcase tickets are now on sale via the Latina Comedy Festival website.
Las Locas Comedy believes the fight for representation creates a ripple effect in the comedy
scene, propelling underrepresented talent to national comedy clubs and beyond. “There is so
much amazing Latina comedy talent here in Chicago and across the country. Showcasing that
talent through the Latina Comedy Festival platform will give comedians exposure to new
audiences as well as introduce festival attendees to comedians they have not yet had the
chance to see,” said Las Locas Comedy founder and Executive Producer of Latina Comedy
Festival, Janice V. Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, and their crew of “Locas” have proven time and again that there is a market for
comedy written and performed by Latinas in an industry that continues to be dominated by a
white male narrative. Five out of 6 of last year’s showcases were completely sold out and we
received local and national news coverage. The positive feedback from last year’s event and
the growth of this year’s Latina Comedy Festival continues to prove that audiences want
entertainment from diverse voices.
Showcase tickets and performer information are available at
LatinaComedyFestival.com/tickets and more “loca” content can be found on social media at
@laslocascomedy and @latinacomedyfestival.
About Las Locas Comedy
Las Locas Comedy is a Chicago-based monthly comedy showcase centered around Latinas
and female comics of color. The show was founded by comedians Janice V. Rodriguez and
Soli Santos in 2017 to provide a platform for Latina comedians and female comedians of color.
The debut show was standing room only and their popularity has continued to grow with each
subsequent show. Las Locas Comedy received the inaugural Lady Laughs Comedy Award for
Best BIPOC Show, has been Chicago Reader Recommended, dubbed a “Must See Comedy
Event” by Red Eye and selected to perform as part of Steppenwolf’s Lookout Series in 2019
and 2023. In 2022, Las Locas Comedy’s 5th anniversary show was also selected to be a
WBEZ produced community event.
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