First-ever NEPA Comedy Fest turns Stroudsburg into one big joke on Oct. 3-5
Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to annual music festivals, food festivals, film festivals, wine and beer festivals, and even a fringe festival. That’s a lot of entertainment, but some local comedians thought something was missing.
“Comedy is not only something fun to do and a gig for literally thousands of people across the country and beyond – it’s also a really robust community of funny, creative, clever, and thoughtful people from a range of backgrounds, with a wide variety of stories to tell. Having a festival gives us an opportunity to get together and do just that in a big, loud, messy, beautiful way,” Jessica Delfino said.
The “dirty folk rock raconteur,” as the musical comedienne calls herself, has had the idea to organize a comedy festival for the last three or four years. A concrete plan finally started coming together five months ago as fellow comics Chris Jones, Zack Hammond, Ryan P. Flaherty, Ryan Manzo, and Boris Khaykin came on board to establish the inaugural NEPA Comedy Festival, which takes over six different venues in Stroudsburg with 16 shows on Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5.
“I’m so glad I was able to rope [them] into it and hope we are still friends after it’s all over,” she joked.
“We’ve been planning it daily and late into the evenings for months. It’s like planning a wedding where 90 people are getting married.”
“Jess bringing me on has been both wonderful and a true test for me in helping create something bigger than anything else I have ever worked on with some of my closest friends,” Jones added.
“I can speak for all of us that this festival has taken hundreds of hours of work put together between all of us. I personally put in anywhere from 25-40 hours a week myself making sure the planning and scheduling goes according to plan. Jess has done amazing work both publicly and behind the scenes getting us the funds and the publicity to get this all off the ground. We also have an amazing group to work with, helping us with everything from fundraising to watching videos to making sure the word gets out about this festival.”
Featuring over 50 comedians, the event includes four headliner shows, five stand-up showcases, improv, open mics, seminars, networking events, and even an off-Broadway show. The main sponsor, Newberry’s Yard of Ale (622 Main St., Stroudsburg), will host shows both upstairs and downstairs, alongside Vault 636 Restaurant (636 Main St.), Signature Brewery & Saloon (564 Main St.), Bloom Waldessori Play Space (106 Renastar Rd., Stroudsburg), Bryant Park (717 Bryant St., Stroudsburg), and the nearby Pickle Me Poconos Festival happening at the same time on Crystal Street in East Stroudsburg. That’s a lot of funny business.
“I truly believe that Poconos comedians are underrepresented on the national stage, and there are lot of really frickin’ funny people here. I also think there are lots of great things to do here tourism-wise and, as a huge lover of the comedy scene and performing, I believe comedy deserves a piece of that pie. It’s an economic engine hiding in plain sight that is completely under-tapped, and we are ready to tap that engine,” Delfino emphasized.
“We think Stroudsburg is a hub for many different cities and scenes that can all culminate together into one awesome scene. Being so close to so many places, we felt this town was the perfect place for it,” Jones affirmed.
“I grew up going to the Sherman Theater, hosted mics there, and made many, many memories there. It is a part of my childhood and adulthood, so naturally having it here made complete sense to me. I am very excited to see how it will grow.”
NEPA is full of colorful characters who, they believe, are at their best when they help each other and come together, so this nonprofit festival will not only provide new audiences to established comedians but also help develop the careers of up-and-coming jokesters.
“I think NEPA breeds and attracts a particularly interesting brew of people,” Delfino mused.
“The area is also really beautiful and historic, serving as an awesome backdrop for a bunch of entertaining loudmouths to share their opinions and hopefully make people laugh at the same time.”
“The NEPA comedy scene feels like family to me,” Jones noted.
“We all work as a unit to get better. I have put in countless hours doing my best to pay my dues, and having this scene of comics around me while I do it has been amazing.”
Tickets, which range from $10 for a single show to $100 for a VIP all-access pass, are on sale now via Eventbrite. Some of the shows are also free.
“Comedy festivals, I believe, are really great opportunities to expand your reach and network as a comedian. I am so excited to bring so many people together because of comedy,” Jones enthused.
“We all love the casinos, the waterparks, the river, nature, the breweries, the restaurants, the art galleries, the snowmen, the community that exists here,” Delfino listed, “but laughter is an awesome offering that is sporadic at best.
“We are happy to be able to provide that missing piece.”
Learn more about Chris Jones, Ryan P. Flaherty, and the local comedy scene in Episode 187 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
More recently, Jones appeared in Episode 216:
