by Angie McMahon
So back in January we had our annual Comedy Festival Snubfest. This is a Comedy Festival where anyone who has been rejected from any other Comedy Festival can come and perform and compete to win performance slots in other major Comedy Festivals Through out the Country. Something that we will be resuming in the summer.
Well there is something interesting about Snubfest. Performers love it. They want to be a part of it. Some clammer for it. But every year someone cancels very very last min and they do it with a lie. Well we have only done it for three years and the first year was planned in three weeks so no no one canceled that year. But our second year I did get a call from a improv group from LA called The Cherry Spits Fan Club . I got a call from the head guy of that group the night before they were suppose to perform and I was told the group got into a fight in the airport and that they broke up and that they didn’t get on the plane and wouldn’t be coming to the festival.
Farrell, when met with the news on Friday night, decided that gather up any CIC folks we had standing around and act our that groups break up on stage. It went very very well. Some folks even said it was the high light of the fest. Silly and Fun. And because of that set we had decided to put together the first all CIC member group 96 Decibels.
Later I found out the group didn’t break up. They over booked themselves and lied to me. Instead of just saying, my God we screwed up they made up some crazy lie so that I wouldn’t get mad? Not sure why.
Last year similarly a group Mess Hall told me two days before the festival that they had broken up and wouldn’t be doing the show. But I later found out that they did a Sketchfest show the day before and a Cagematch show the night they were booked to do Snubfest.
But this time something else happened. I brushed off my one women show 
“Judy In Disguise with Glasses” to fill the slot. A show I hadn’t done since 2001. We needed a sketch group to fill the slot. And since Sketchfest was going on at the same time it wasn’t an easy fix. So no problem, I’ll do it. Well because of that Jim Mendrios of New York Underground Comedy Festival saw me perform and invited me (along with Cornwallis , Marz Timms, Tony Sam, Name Change Pending Extreme Improv and Velvet Tom) to perform at his festival.
So I talked with Jim this week. My agent had planned to come and shop me about but can’t because of family related issues. So I called Jim. He first gives congrats on our new space. Then starts to tell me he understands if we arent’ coming cause we are too busy. WHAHAHAHAT!!! I yell into the phone. “No we are coming, I just don’t have my agent for all the industry stuff coming. So I wasn’t sure how to ya know shop myself about”. Jim then asks if I would like to add two more shows. And continues that he will introduce me to some of the industry folks that will be attending (among them talent scouts from E!, Comedy Central, NBC, and Fox)the network parties. He says he has been pushing all the shows at the Sage and that with the extra shows no problem I should get seen.
So long story short. Thanks Mess Hall!
I will be performing my one women show on Saturday to warm me up for our NY show on Oct 4. So come by and check it out. It should be an amazing line up with Seth Thomas as the host (winner of the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival best new sketch comedian award), Mike and Duane Show (”Winner of the Audience Prize” — Bass Red Triangle Comedy Tour).
Saturday Sept 29
10:30pm Tix $10
The Cornservatory Theater
4210 N Lincoln
Chicago, IL
www.cicomedy.com