HCF's Mission
- To celebrate comedy arts.
- To promote laughter as a
path to healing and to raise awareness raise awareness and funds
for cancer research and patient services.
- To entertain the diverse
Hamptons communities with unparalleled live comedy, an outstanding
comedy film program, and compelling comedy workshops.
Background:
The Hamptons Comedy Festival (HCF) is the only comedy festival
in the country with the twin mission of celebrating comedy arts
while raising funds for cancer research and patient services.
For three years, the Hamptons Comedy Festival has celebrated the
power and healing benefits of comedy arts. A summer home for
comedians, the Hamptons Comedy Festival has presented sell-out performances
and delighted Hamptons audiences while raising awareness and funds
for cancer research. And we believe that the Hamptons is an
ideal place – both for its storied history as a cultural hotspot
and its spirit of philanthropy. The HCF is the marquee annual
fundraising event of Comedy Fights Cancer (www.comedyfightscancer.org),
a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization that delivers comedy to cancer
patients and aims to improve patient quality of life through humor.
Comedy Fights Cancer brings live and taped stand-up comedy
into hospitals and care facilities.
Festival:
In the Hamptons, the comic is king! The Hamptons Comedy Festival,
by design, is a ‘summer camp for comedians.’ Set
in the Hamptons -- with its seascape setting and low-key, beachy
vibe -- the Hamptons Comedy Festival provides an intimate, insidery
setting for comedy that is distinctive, multi-ethnic and cutting
edge. The HCF stand-up comedy experience aims to be one that
presents a comedy potpourri of multi-ethnic/multi-viewpoint, next-generation
talent anchored by established performers.
The HCF is an annual comedy festival that exists to celebrate the
art form of comedy, to celebrate and promote talented comics, to
entertain the community and to raise funds for cancer research.
The Hamptons Comedy Festival presents stand-up comedy shows, a comedy
film program, comedy workshops, nightly parties, and distinctive,
special-themed comedy programs. For example, there is the
HCF-exclusive annual presentation of the Friars Club Award for Special
Achievement in Comedy Arts. The first award was presented
to comedy legend Soupy Sales.
A fast-growing industry event, the Hamptons Comedy Festival opens
creative doors to accomplished and aspiring comedy arts stars. Both
stand-up comics and comedy filmmakers throughout the world are provided
an unparalleled summer seascape environment to perform and screen
their funniest bits and films for industry players and the general
public.
HCF has taken place in previous years at the following venues: East
Hampton’s John Drew Theater at Guild Hall and Mary Jane’s
Restaurant; Amagansett’s Stephen Talkhouse; Bridgehampton’s
Wild Rose Café and Bridges Restaurant Cabaret; Westhampton
Beach Performing Arts Center; Southampton’s Tavern; and, Sag
Harbor’s Rocco’s.
Press & Outreach:
Comedy Fights Cancer and the Hamptons Comedy Festival has garnered
nice reviews and mentions in many media outlets, including television
& radio, magazines, newspapers and websites. Some of these
include: BBC News, NY1 News, NY Magazine, Hamptons Magazine, Rosie
Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Out Magazine, The NY Observer,
Dan’s Papers, Sag Harbor Express, East Hampton Star, The Independent,
Southampton Press, Aspen Times. The HCF website got 30,000
hits in its first month. Our Postcards reach 10,000, and our Posters
will reach 20,000.
The Hamptons
The Hamptons is a summer destination and vacation community for
young, hip trendsetters in every industry as well as home to the
cultural establishment. For the vast pool of talented comics both
in New York City and beyond, the Hamptons is an ideal place to perform
and showcase their material. The Festival audience is made up of
local residents, vacationers, and visitors. Through the high profile
Hamptons Comedy Festival, comedy talent throughout the nation are
given the opportunity for national and international press exposure,
while showcasing work for industry players such as agents, managers,
directors, producers, celebrities and an enthusiastic New York audience.
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