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Alchemy Comedy hosts 10th annual New South Comedy Festival

A 10 day long comedy show including sketch comedy, stand-up, improv, and workshops, will be held at Coffee Underground in November.

Three men on a stage wearing plaid shirts. The man on the left is miming being stabbed. The man in the middle is pointing to him. The man on the right is staring.

Look ma, no props. | Photo by Walter Ezell | Provided by Alchemy Comedy

Alchemy Comedy will be hosting its 10th annual New South Comedy Festival on Thursday, Nov. 2- Saturday, Nov. 11.

You might be thinking, “Ten whole days for a comedy festival?” Answer: yes. This is no ordinary comedy festival. This improv, stand up, and sketch comedy show is the longest continuously running comedy festival in the Southeast + all performances will be in the Alchemy Improv Theatre, located in Coffee Underground.

What is stand up, improv, and sketch comedy?

  • Stand up comedy is performed to a live audience, and the performer addresses the audience directly.
  • Improv is a performance in which there are no previously written lines of dialogue. (Read: Everything is made up on the spot.)
  • Sketch comedy is performance done in a “skit format.” (Think: SNL).

Who will be performing?

This festival attracts folks from NY, Chicago, Atlanta, and other metropolitan cities. There will be a total of 200 individual performers.

What else is there to do?

In addition to attending the shows at the festival, there will also be workshops taught by the masters of their craft. Each year, professional improv artists from all over the country send in submissions for workshops they would like to teach.

“These are the best of the best teaching improv,” Tyler Prescott, Executive Producer of Alchemy Comedy told us.

Submissions for the festival and the workshops are open now, and close on Thursday, August 31.

How can we support Alchemy Comedy outside of the festival?

Alchemy Comedy is the only improv theatre located in the Upstate. With six improv shows a week (you will literally never see the same show twice), classes for aspiring comedians, and festivals throughout the year, Alchemy gives you plenty of opportunities to stretch your funny bone.