In 2015, University of Iowa students founded the Floodwater Comedy Festival, with a goal of fostering a community of love, diversity, and laughs. The fourth-annual festival will carry on this tradition by showcasing artists often marginalized in the comedy circuit.
Starting tonight, the Floodwater Comedy Festival will bring laughter to Iowa City throughout the weekend around downtown.
Floodwater is a member of the James Gang, a nonprofit, grass-roots, community-building organization. The James Gang provides a platform that fosters creative ideas, expressions, and ambitions through service-oriented projects. Floodwater will share its proceeds with Johnson County Crisis Center and National Alliance on Mental Health.
“The Floodwater board thought about organizations that were dear to us and that we thought could benefit from the proceeds,” student Executive Producer Elaine Stewart said. “[Floodwater] wanted to represent both a local and national charity.”
After accumulating an expansive list of possible charities, the Floodwater staff used social media to let the Iowa City community vote on which two organizations would be represented.
The 2018 lineup features a breadth of local up-and-coming artists as well as critically acclaimed headliners. Floodwater also corresponded with numerous colleges’ improv teams to round out the lineup.
RELATED: A flood to laugh at: Floodwater Comedy Festival begins today
The first headliner of the festival, Carmen Lynch, will perform tonight at Blue Moose, 211 Iowa Ave. Lynch has garnered critical acclaim from her late-night appearances on Conan, David Letterman, and Stephan Colbert. Her deadpan standup routine covers a breadth of topics, including online dating, politics, and therapy.
Floodwater Director Mike Lucas said her performances for troops in Iraq and Kuwait, as well as her Spanish-speaking comedy tours, exemplify Floodwater’s mission.
The process of assembling such a diverse and talented set list started on social media. Floodwater received numerous responses from standup comedians, improv groups, and variety teams from major circuits in Boston, the Twin Cities, and Chicago, among others. The act from farthest away will travel from Canada to perform.
“If you are using the same tired and crude jokes, that is not what comedy is about — it is about finding new things to discuss that will make people laugh,” Stewart said. “We focused on representing a diversity of voices this year.”
The second headliner of the festival, PREACH; will perform Friday night at Blue Moose. As an improvised spoken word movement, PREACH examines topical social issues. The troupe is known for its strong audience engagement, artistic experimentation, and minority representation. The performance will also feature University of Illinois improv team SPICY CLAMATO and BEDTIME SLUGS.
The final headliner of the festival, Sam Tallent, will perform Saturday night at the Mill, 120 E. Burlington St. He has collaborated with such comedic greats as Louis C.K., Dave Chappelle, and Dana Carvey, among others. His writing can also be found on Vice.com. Tallent is a dynamic presence who has performed at Oddball Comedy Festival, High Plains Comedy Festival, the Chicago Comedy Expo, and the New York Film and Television Festival, among others.
This year, Floodwater implemented a competitive aspect to the festival. Floodwater has selected comedians to perform in front of talent bookers, agents, and club managers as part of its Industry Showcase.
Lucas hopes Floodwater provides opportunities for comedians to gain exposure and advance their artistic careers while creating a diverse and enjoyable experience for audiences.
Iowa City is known as one of the comedy gems of the Midwest. As a member of a local Improv team, Stewart is familiar with the rich comedic tradition in the town. Floodwater will merge two comedy communities together with a weekend of laughs.