This year’s Ñuñoa Comedy Festival in Santiago will run from Feb. 1 through Feb. 4. Free to the public, this second edition will feature performances, workshops, and panels. One of the panel hosts told Chile Today why the festival is so attractive.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1 the Ñuñoa Comedy Festival will start with multiple events across several venues in the Santiago district. The closing event is slated for Feb. 4. Overall, 30 comedians – big guns and newcomers – are set to perform. Entry is free.
The festival will also include open mic contests, with the winner getting the chance to showcase their routine in the final night. Workshops on comedy writing and panels to discuss various topics such as comedy on TV and social media impact are also on the agenda.
Comedy in this day and age
Fabiàn Barraza-Rocha, or El Faba Roch, will host the festival’s closing panel, focused on the LGBTQ+ comedy scene. He told Chile Today that “it is mainly about humor in the cross-dressing scene. It is very probable that we end up talking about themes that unite us as a comedy community, mainly about when it is okay to make jokes about the violence and phobias we endure, about where there is a limit to what one can joke about. I hope many people from the community go see the panel so that their questions will help us have a meaningful and useful conversation.”
Asked about what drew him to the festival, Barraza-Rocha said, “I was drawn by the idea of getting more visibility to the comedy that is done by members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
He added, “I think this festival and its other versions help massify comedy since the shows are free. I’m not sure if it will help grow the stand-up community since most of the faces are well-known and there aren’t as many up-and-comers. The good thing is that the few of us up-and-comers who are participating will get a chance to get our name out there and have people recognize us. I think the previous year was a lot more focused on showcasing new faces and that was great.”
Four days of events
The starting event takes place at Villa Los Presidentes park with newcomer performances and a workshop on creating a character. The following panel will discuss comedy during the dictatorship and another one how comedy has evolved on TV. Stefan Kramer will close the day with a performance at 9 pm.
The second afternoon starts with comedian interviews and a workshop on humor writing, followed by a panel on comedy and music and one about reinventing oneself. At 8 pm, the first round of the stand-up competition will begin. The winner of the competition will get a spot in the limelight at the festival’s closing event. Ignacio Socías will wrap the day up with a performance.
Friday begins with an interview of comedians and a workshop about the use of voice, followed by a panel on social media impact, leading into the second round of the stand-up competition. The day ends with a show by Belén Mora, who is also slated to perform at Festival de Viña del Mar at the end of the month.
The final day features an interview and a workshop on joke creation, followed by the panel on humor and cross-dressing hosted by Barraza-Rocha, as well as the stand-up competition final. To close the night and the festival, Fabrizio Copano, who recently made his US TV debut, will take the stage and then the winner of the competition.
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Diego Rivera is currently a senior in University, finishing up his audiovisual degree. You can find him on Twitter as @Piover45.