{"id":110472,"date":"2022-01-05T15:31:55","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T20:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=110472"},"modified":"2022-01-05T15:31:55","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T20:31:55","slug":"the-steelstacks-improv-comedy-festival-returns-in-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=110472","title":{"rendered":"THE STEELSTACKS IMPROV COMEDY FESTIVAL RETURNS IN-PERSON"},"content":{"rendered":"

9th annual festival features 20+ teams, headlining set from members of Netflix sketch show<\/strong><\/p>\n

BETHLEHEM, Pa.\u2014 ArtsQuest is proud to present the 9th Annual SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival (SSICF) live and in-person on Saturday, Jan. 29.\u00a0Tickets are now on sale\u00a0<\/a>for\u00a0ArtsQuest Members<\/a>\u00a0and the general public. Face coverings will be required at this event for anyone in the showroom other than performers actively on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so grateful to be able to produce this festival in any shape or form but are particularly excited to get people back in the Blast Furnace Room to watch some live comedy,\u201d ArtsQuest Senior Programing Director Ryan Hill said. \u201cWe were in touch with many of the teams we\u2019ve worked with over the years to see if they\u2019d still come to be a part of a live festival and heard overwhelmingly that they would, as the SSICF has become one of their favorites to perform at year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2022 SSICF will be headlined by It\u2019s in the Stars, a trio made up of Ray Cordova, Monique Moses and James III of Astronomy Club, whose Netflix sketch show,\u00a0Astronomy Club The Sketch Show<\/a>, was called \u201cdelightful for a number of reasons\u201d by Paste Magazine and \u201cso addictive that I had to resist bingeing them all at once\u201d by Isaac Feldberg of The Boston Globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a challenging couple of years, Astronomy Club is so excited to be back at The ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in person,\u201d said Moses. \u201cWe\u2019re huge fans and friends of the SSICF and look forward to starting our 2022 with this fantastic comedy community!\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the featured headliners, more than 20 teams hailing from New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore and the Lehigh Valley will perform for nine hours during this marathon-style event. Each team \u2013 such as Model Citizen, Synced Up and Hot Pursuit \u2013 will have 20-minutes to produce live comedy on the spot. The festival, starting at 4:30 p.m. and lasting through the night until 1:30 a.m., will kick off with the traditional \u201cYes, And\u201d Ceremony in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room on the second floor of the ArtsQuest Center.<\/p>\n

Tickets are now on sale<\/a>\u00a0for this event. ArtsQuest member tickets are priced at $16 in advance, $19 day of show, for the general public $19 in advance, $22 day of show, with ages 25 and under tickets priced at $17 in advance and $20 day of show.<\/p>\n

For this event, masks will be required for anyone in the showroom other than performers actively on stage. Visit\u00a0artsquest.org\/safety\u202f<\/a>\u00a0for the latest updates.<\/p>\n

Ray Cordova is an actor, writer and comedian born and raised in New York City. His work can be seen on Netflix in Astronomy Club The Sketch Show, Comedy Central\u2019s Alternatino, Starz\u2019s Raising Kanan and many other networks. He also performs and teaches improv at theatres such as The Upright Citizens Brigade, The Pit and Magnet.<\/p>\n

Monique Moses is a writer, director and actor based in Brooklyn N.Y. A long-time performer and teacher at New York\u2019s Upright Citizen\u2019s Brigade Theater (UCB). She has written and starred in content for Comedy Central, NBC Universal and Adult Swim\u2019s Teenage Euthanasia. She also co-created Astronomy Club The Sketch Show, which premiered on Netflix in 2019 to stellar reviews.<\/p>\n

James III is best known for co-creating and co-starring in the Netflix sketch series, Astronomy Club. He\u2019s written for Netflix\u2019s Human Resources, Nickelodeon\u2019s All That and truTV\u2019s Adam Ruins Everything and has appeared in the Miley Cyrus episode of Black Mirror. He\u2019s also written feature films for Tyler Perry Studios and Marginal Media.<\/p>\n

About ArtQuest<\/strong>
\nArtsQuest\u2019s <\/a>mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest\u2122 supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events.<\/p>\n

Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest<\/a>; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks<\/a> arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest\u2019s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization\u2019s programs and events, approximately 50 percent of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region. ArtsQuest is a proud member of NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association<\/a> and NATO, the National Association of Theatre Owners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nNicole Harrell
\nArtsQuest Director of Communications
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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