San Fran Hosts First-Ever Asian Comedy Festival

Andrew Lam, New America Media

SAN FRANCISCO - Asians have been making waves in the comedy world for years, with popular performers like Margaret Cho, Dat Phan and Jo Koy drawing big audiences across the country. San Francisco has been the starting point for a few of those careers, and now, the city is hosting the first ever all-Asian comedy festival, according toAsianWeek.com. Sponsored by the Asian American Theater Company and the API Cultural Center, the festival includes five original plays by three directors, featuring 17 actors. The three-week comedy event kicked off on Oct. 7 with a “Tight Ten” Standup Comedy competition, “in which comics battled over the course of three nights for a $200 cash prize,” AsianWeek.com reported. Comedy lovers can still get their fix this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with standup comedy performances by Kristee Ono, Charlie Ballard, Kat Evasco, Herb Digs, Bradley Lum, Joey Guila, Kevin Camia and Kevin Kataoka.

More information about specific performances can be found atasianamericantheater.org. All festival performances are taking place at the Thick House theater, located at 1695 18th St. in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood.