Just for Laughs
Key and Peele's Keegan-Michael Key headlines upcoming Dallas Comedy Festival
Contrary to what you might think, Dallas doesn't lack a comedy scene. The area boasts two branches of the Improv, the burgeoning Hyena's Comedy Club chain, Backdoor Comedy Club, Ad-Libs and — as anyone who's gotten a speeding ticket knows — the defensive driving teachers named the Comedy Guys.
Despite all that, comedy does remain somewhat of niche form of entertainment in the area. For four years, the Dallas Comedy House has worked to change that perception, most notably with the Dallas Comedy Festival.
Most of the participants hail from Dallas, but this year there is also talent from New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
The annual event, running March 26-30, brings together a slew of comedians to promote the art of standup, improv, sketch and short film comedy.
Although most of the participants hail from Dallas, for the 2013 edition the organizers have attracted talent from Austin, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and New York City.
That includes Keegan-Michael Key, who's gained a certain amount of fame in recent years as part of the cast of MadTV and his current Comedy Central show, Key and Peele. He performs as part of the Los Angeles-based improv group The 313 during the last show on Friday night.
In addition to the 14 shows taking place throughout the festival, several participants are putting on comedy workshops to teach the finer details of their craft. Teaching comedy has been one of the goals for Dallas Comedy House since its beginnings, so these workshops, run by other members of The 313, are right on message.
Whether this gives comedy a more prominent role in Dallas entertainment remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure: The festival and Dallas Comedy House are doing more than their fair share to entertain the masses.