USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 6

About the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 6

The 6th Edition of the USC Comedy Festival returns to campus in person this February to celebrate community and share laughter, while exploring the changing nature of comedy in contemporary society.

The festival kicks off with standup comics Alyssa Limperis, Christina Catherine Martinez, and Moses Storm debating the topic: Does Comedy Have to be Funny? with Vulture Senior Editor Jesse David Fox. On Saturday, the Women of Cinematic Arts (WCA) return with the ever popular Women of Comedy panel, this year featuring two unique sessions - one featuring showrunners, writers and directors, including Debby Wolfe (Lopez vs. Lopez), Brittani Nichols (Abbott Elementary), and SCA Alumna Thembi Banks (Only Murders in the Building), and one highlighting on-screen performers, including Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek), Lauren Ash (Superstore), and Andrea Savage (I’m Sorry, Veep). Saturday afternoon, Jesse David Fox will explore The Changing Flavor of Series Comedy with Showrunners Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Steve Levitan (Modern Family, Reboot), and Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola). The festival's Saturday night program will honor legendary comic actress and Emmy-winner Catherine O’Hara (SCTV, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Waiting for Guffman, Schitt’s Creek), recipient of our 2023 Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Award, in conversation with John Michael Higgins (Best in Show). Our final day will shine a spotlight on the 2023 Best Picture Nominated feature Triangle of Sadness with Best Director Nominee Ruben Östlund, followed by Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law with Series Creator Jessica Gao, and conclude with An Evening with Billy Eichner, hosted by Emmy-winner Wayne Federman.

Visit the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 6 Homepage: http://cinema.usc.edu/ComedyFestival
Follow the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 6 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USCComedy
Follow the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 6 on Instagram: @USCComedy
Follow the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 6 on Twitter: @USCComedy

Calendar of Events

CLICK ON EVENT TITLES TO RSVP FOR SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.

Friday, February 24th, 2023

7:30 PM: DOES COMEDY HAVE TO BE FUNNY?
Venue: The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108

Jesse David Fox, Senior Editor at New York Magazine’s Vulture, will explore and debate this complex and nuanced topic with Comics Niles Abston, Jena Friedman, Alyssa Limperis, Christina Catherine Martinez, and Moses Storm, analyzing the changing form of comedy, particularly in the standup world.

Saturday, February 25th, 2023

11:00 AM: WOMEN CREATING COMEDY
Venue: The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108

The SCA alumnae group Women of Cinematic Arts return for a new edition of this festival favorite panel, bringing together talented contemporary women writers, directors, and producers to discuss the current landscape of creating comedy. Panelists include SCA Alumna Thembi Banks (Only Murders in the Building), Brittani Nichols (Abbott Elementary), and Debby Wolfe (Lopez vs. Lopez), moderated by WCA Board Member Shannon Hardy.

1:30 PM: WOMEN PERFORMING COMEDY
Venue: The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108

The Women of Cinematic Arts take on a second installment this year of their Women of Comedy panel by focusing on multi-hyphenate performers in the comedy world, including Lauren Ash (Superstore), Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek), and Andrea Savage (I'm Sorry, Veep), moderated by WCA Board Member Shannon Hardy.

4:00 PM: THE CHANGING FLAVOR OF SERIES COMEDY
Venue: The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108

Jesse David Fox, Senior Editor at New York Magazine’s Vulture, will explore the many changing forms of series comedy on broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms with comedy writer/producer/performers Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Reboot), writer/producer Steve Levitan (Modern Family, Reboot), and Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola).

7:30 PM: OAKIE MASTERS OF COMEDY LECTURE SERIES - CATHERINE O'HARA
Venue: Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall

Prolific, multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O'Hara is our 2023 Oakie Masters of Comedy Award Recipient, and will join us in conversation with host and frequent co-star John Michael Higgins.

O'Hara's many film credits include Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, After Hours, Heartburn, The Life Before This, Penelope, Away We Go, Where the Wild Things Are, A.C.O.D., The Right Kind of Wrong, Nightmare Before Christmas and her many wildly popular collaborations with Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, including Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration. O’Hara first performed with Toronto’s Second City Theatre and later, with fellow alumni including Eugene Levy, created the iconic sketch comedy show SCTV.

In the final two seasons of the hit CBC series, Schitt’s Creek, Catherine received an Emmy Award® for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Television Series, a SAG Award® for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, and multiple Canadian Screen Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role amongst others.

Sunday, February 26th, 2023

11:00 AM: TRIANGLE OF SADNESS WITH ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE RUBEN ÖSTLUND (BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Venue: Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall

In Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 2023 Academy Awards.

3:30 PM: SPOTLIGHT ON MARVEL'S SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW
Venue: The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108

In Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Emmy®-Award winning actress Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”) stars as Jennifer Walters—an attorney specializing in superhuman-oriented legal cases. She leads the complicated life of a single, 30-something who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk. Series creator Jessica Gao discusses her work writing and producing  Marvel's meta, 4th-wall shattering interpretation of a half-hour comedy series with SCA Professor J.D. Connor.

6:00 PM: AN EVENING WITH BILLY EICHNER
Venue: The Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall

Billy Eichner is a four-time Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, writer and producer. Eichner starred in, co-wrote and produced the critically acclaimed film, “BROS,” from Universal Pictures. “BROS” made Eichner the first openly gay man to write, star in and produce a comedy for a major Hollywood studio. The film was also the first major studio film to feature an all-openly LGBTQ+ cast in all lead and supporting roles. On television, Eichner was recently seen as the infamous Matt Drudge in Ryan Murphy’s third season of the Emmy winning “American Crime Story: Impeachment”, alongside Sarah Paulson, Beanie Feldstein, Edie Falco and Clive Owen. Previously, Eichner co-starred on two seasons of Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series, “American Horror Story”, as well as Hulu’s critically acclaimed series “Difficult People”. “Billy on the Street”, Eichner’s iconic, critically acclaimed series is now on HBO Max and clips from the series have garnered over 200 million views online. Billy will discuss his influences and career with Emmy-winning comedian, author and producer, Wayne Federman.

About USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts

In 2010 USC became the first university in the nation to offer a program dedicated to training filmmakers in the art of comedy. USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts offers instruction in the writing, directing, production as well as the history and theory of comedy. Students work with a distinguished, award-winning faculty of comedy professionals to discover and develop their comedic voices, while getting unrivaled access to the field through workshops, internships, demonstrations and screenings and festivals.

USC Comedy boasts an award-winning faculty that includes Jack Epps Jr. (The Secret of My Success, Legal Eagles, Top Gun), Barnet Kellman (Murphy Brown, Mad About You, George Lopez), David Isaacs (Cheers, Frasier, M*A*S*H*), Robert Townsend (Diary of A Single Mom, The Parent Hood), Rob Schiller (The King of Queens), Andy Cadiff (Last Man Standing, Spin City), Jay Kogen (The Simpsons, Frasier), Chris Guerrero (BuzzFeed, Super Deluxe), Dave Goetsch (The Big Bang Theory), F J Pratt (Sullivan & Son) and Tim Marx (Young Sheldon), to name just a few.
 
Our students benefit from the expertise and participation of SCA Comedy Alumni such as Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents), Tim Story (Barber Shop, Ride Along), Judd Apatow (Girls, Superbad, Knocked Up),  Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy), Peter Segal (Tommy Boy, Get Smart), Gabe Sachs (Freaks and Geeks), Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), Nahnatchka Khan (Fresh Off The Boat), Prentice Penny (Insecure), Cathy Yuspa & Josh Goldsmith (What Women Want, King of Queens), Thembi Banks (Only Murders in the Building), Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, First Wives Club), Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), among many other luminaries and industry professionals.

For more information, visit: http://cinema.usc.edu/comedy

About USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative

Visions and Voices is a university-wide arts and humanities initiative that is unparalleled in higher education. The initiative was established by former USC President C. L. Max Nikias during his tenure as provost in order to fulfill the goals set forth in USC's strategic plan; to communicate USC's core values to students; and to affirm the human spirit. Emphasizing the university's commitment to interdisciplinary approaches, the initiative features a spectacular array of events conceived and organized by faculty and schools throughout the university. The series includes theatrical productions, music and dance performances, conferences, lectures, film screenings and many other special events both on and off campus. Each program invites students to dialogue and interact with artists, writers, professors and special guests. These interactions provide a dynamic experience of the arts and humanities and encourage active exploration of USC's core values, including freedom of inquiry and expression, team spirit, appreciation of diversity, commitment to serving one's community, entrepreneurial spirit, informed risk-taking, ethical conduct and the search for truth.

Visit the Official Visions and Voices Website: https://visionsandvoices.usc.edu/
Follow Visions and Voices on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisionsAndVoices
Follow Visions and Voices on YouTube: @uscvisionsandvoices7970
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