Aspen RooftopComedy Festival facts for kids
The Aspen RooftopComedy Festival was a fun stand-up comedy event held every year in Aspen, Colorado. It usually took place around the Memorial Day Weekend, starting in 2008. Roxane Davis and the City of Aspen came up with the idea for this festival.
Roxane Davis, who is a consultant and producer, helped create a partnership between rooftopcomedy.com and Aspen's Wheeler Opera House. The Wheeler Opera House is a famous old theater right in the middle of Aspen.
The Aspen RooftopComedy Festival was created because another big comedy festival, the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival by HBO, had stopped. That festival used to be in Aspen from 1985 to 2007. HBO later moved their festival to Las Vegas, Nevada, and gave it a new name. So, in 2008, the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival started as a new comedy event for the town.
RooftopComedy.com helped the festival focus on new and upcoming comedians, especially those using online media. The Wheeler Opera House made sure the festival was great for the Aspen community. They offered tickets at good prices and special discounts for local people. The old HBO festival had become mostly for people in the comedy business. But the new festival wanted to build a place for new comedians to grow. It also wanted to offer great live comedy shows for everyone who loved comedy.
The festival happened three times. After 2010, it was followed by the Aspen Laff Festival in 2011.
About the Festival
The Aspen RooftopComedy Festival was a special event that brought lots of laughter to Aspen. It was a place where both new and experienced comedians could share their jokes and stories. The festival was designed to be a fun experience for the whole community.
Festival Fun in 2008
The first Aspen RooftopComedy Festival in 2008 was a big success! Many talented comedians performed, making people laugh out loud.
Comedy Awards
During the 2008 festival, special awards were given out. These awards honored comedians and others who were doing exciting and funny things in online comedy. Some of the awards included "Best of the Fest" for the top comedian and "Rooftop Comics' Comic" chosen by other comedians. Awards were also given to the best comedy clubs and online comedy shows.
College Comedy Competition
A highlight of the 2008 festival was the finals of the National College Comedy Competition. The best college students from all over the United States competed. They showed off their skills in stand-up comedy and short comedy films.
- Tim Ball from Duke University won in the Stand Up Category.
- Dan Perrault from Emerson College won in the Short Film Category with his film called Car Phone.
