Exclusive: Asian Comedy Fest Announces Top Performers for May Shows
Image courtesy of Asian Comedy Fest Comedy News
Asian Comedy Fest has announced the headliners for its shows on May 6 and 7 in New York City: Dylan Adler, Jes Tom, Karen Chee, Usama Siddiquee, and Yuhua Hamasaki. Adler’s known for his hilarious musical comedy (some of which I managed to catch pre-pandemic at the now-defunct venue Vital Joint, and he does not disappoint). Beyond appearing in Love Life, These Thems, and Anatomy of an Orchid, you can watch Tom’s half-hour comedy special COLD BREW here. Chee writes for and appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers—and she’s also part of that special comedian cohort that counts Harvard as their alma mater. Usama Siddiquee’s television appearances include Inventing Anna and Dash & Lily. Yuhua Hamasaki is a drag performer and alum of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Billed as the “largest national AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islander] comedy festival” as per a press release, the third year of ACF has two nights and six comedy shows in store for attendees. On May 6, stand-up comedians will be performing at—where else?—Stand Up NY. The following night, Caveat will host sketch comedy, musical comedy, and a live podcast taping, which will be livestreamed (tickets available here). Part of ACF’s profits will aid the organization Hearts of Dinner, which supports New York’s elderly AAPI community through weekly deliveries of hot meals, fresh produce, and letters written in their native languages.
Beyond the in-person entertainment, ACF is also inviting AAPI creatives to enter an online contest, run in conjunction with the video app Rizzle. Entrants can compete by downloading Rizzle, using #ACF2022, and following the below instructions:
To enter, AAPI creators should film a one-minute proof-of-concept video for a talk show. The top three winners will be screened live at the 8pm show on May 7 at Caveat and will be greenlit by Rizzle for a 10-episode series. Winners will also receive a cash prize of up to $1,000.
The deadline for entries is Monday, April 25.
Tickets for the festival, helmed by executive producer Edward Yoo Pokropski (NBC Universal) and producer/marketing director Kate Moran (Yahoo!), can be purchased here.