Second Annual Plano Comedy Festival

The second annual Plano Comedy Festival returns Sept. 12-15 and organizers say audiences can expect even more hilarity than at last year’s inaugural event.

“Our mission as the Plano Comedy Festival is to bring comedic arts to this area,” co-organizer Britainy Goss said. “We have some amazing comics coming and want to show that Plano is funny.”

The festival will be centered at Downtown Plano’s Hub Streat, with additional performances slated for Cox Playhouse, ZaLat Pizza and other downtown venues. Approximately 80 standup comedians, improv acts and podcasters from across the country will take part in the four-day event.

On Saturday afternoon there will be free, all-ages shows at McCall Plaza featuring family-friendly standup and improv acts as well as a magician. Sunday highlights include a comedy brunch.

This year’s headliners feature performers who have appeared on Comedy Central, “Last Comic Standing” and national late-night talk shows. Topping the bill is Martin Urbano, a New York City-based comic who has appeared on Comedy Central and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” He currently hosts a bi-weekly comedy show in the East Village called “Latino & The Tramp.”

Also slated to perform are Richard Douglas Jones, who recently appeared in the Comedy Central show “The New Negroes,” and Dallas’ own KeLanna Spiller. She made her national television debut earlier this year.

Headliners:

Martin Urbano
seen on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Howie Mandel’s Comedy Gala,” and “Comedy Central Stand-Up”

Paul Varghese
seen on “Loco Comedy Jam,” “Last Comic Standing,” “Comedy Central – Live At Gotham” and “Russell Peters Presents”

KeLanna Spiller
seen on “Comedy Central – Kevin Hart Presents Hart of the City” and a Funniest Comic in Texas Finalist

Richard Douglas Jones
seen on “Comedy Central – The New Negroes” and “Kevin Hart – LOL Network”

Jasmine Ellis
seen on “Stand Up Empire” and the Moon Tower Comedy Festival

Barry Whitewater
seen at the Dallas Comedy Festival and East Texas Comedy Festival

Co-organizer Britainy Goss is an advocate for comedy in North Texas and hosts a weekly open mic night at Hub Streat. Festival founder Wes Corwin also hosts an open mic night at ZaLat Pizza downtown. He is the most recent winner of the Funniest Comic in Texas contest. In December, the Dallas Observer named him the top comedian in Dallas. Both Wes and Britainy will perform at the Plano Comedy Festival.

According to Britainy, North Texas has become nationally known for its growing and collective comedy chops. And while Dallas may attract much of the attention, the scene has also expanded north. As a Plano native who reared her daughter here, Britainy wants people to know that our city has its own thriving comedy community that deserves attention. She sees the Plano Comedy Festival as a way to showcase an aspect of the city perhaps unfamiliar to many people.

“We want to get people excited about comedy and show them that comedy is an art,” she said. “We want to bring the fun to Plano.”