Sofia Niño DeRivera will perform at The Laugh Festival on March 13. She is considered a trailblazer of stand-up comedy in Latin America, delivering biting and honest humor with observations that have earned her accolades across international comedy circuits. Her show will be performed in Spanish only.
Legend has it that the Wheeler Opera House is haunted. If so, could the ghost be on stage, attempting to tell a joke?
Comedy in Aspen dates back to the opening night of the Wheeler Opera House on April 23, 1889, when the curtain was raised for the first time on a play, “The King’s Fool.” Comedic plays and Vaudeville-style troupes were common fare in the waning days of the 19th century in which the Wheeler was part of the “Silver Circuit” touring route; acts would start in Denver and perform across the state en route to Utah.
Fast-forward more than a century: Tourism and real estate have replaced mining as the economic mainstays of the upper Roaring Fork Valley. But there are plenty of comedians mining local stages for a good joke.
Judging by the many acts scheduled for winter and early spring, it appears that comedy is on the rise in the RFV with the Wheeler, The Collective Snowmass and The Arts Campus at Willits all booking artists at a regular clip.
Moreover, the number of local stand-up comedians has grown along with the opportunities for them to perform — area venues are adding more and more comedy showcases.
“The rise of comedy these last few years has been a joy to watch,” said TACAW Executive Director Ryan Honey (who is also a member of the local group Consensual Improv). “As both a nonprofit venue operator and someone who dabbles in comedy, it’s a win/win. Collaborations around comedy amongst TACAW, The Collective Snowmass and the Wheeler continue to grow, and opportunities for local comics to perform and hone their craft are increasing.”
Consensual Improv is a local group that got underway in 2016. They will perform at The Arts Campus at Willits on Dec. 12-13.
Aspen is fast becoming a favorite place for comedians to perform. Sammy Anzer is a Denver comedian who will appear at the Snowmass Live Comedy Series on Jan. 8. He said Snowmass has a special place in his heart.
“In so many places if audiences want to see great acts, they have to travel, but I love the idea of bringing comedy to people,” Anzer said. “That’s the way it should be and that’s why I’m excited to come to Snowmass.
“I love mountain town culture. There’s a combination of thoughtfulness where they appreciate a well-thought-out joke or idea and with all the winter recreation they just know how to get down with good energy. Also as the only Colorado-based headliner in the Snowmass Live series, I’m super proud to represent our state.”
The year 2025 looks to be a record-setter in terms of the sheer amount of comedians that will take the various stages in the Roaring Fork Valley, looking for a laugh. Here’s a preview of some of the comedy shows coming to the Wheeler, Snowmass Collective and TACAW during the upcoming winter and early spring season.
Jerry Seinfeld will headline the 2025 Aspen Laugh Festival with two shows on March 15. Seinfeld’s observational humor has defined an era of stand-up comedy.
Wheeler Opera House
More than anyone perhaps, the Wheeler is responsible for the comedy revival in Aspen over the last few decades. The modern era started in 1984 with a major renovation that brought the aging theater back to life.
That same year, Lily Tomlin did a six-week residency as she workshopped what would become a hit, “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” at the opera house. The play went on to Broadway and Tomlin would win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1986. She reprised the role in a 1991 film of the same name.
The HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival launched at the Wheeler in 1995 and lasted until 2007. The festival presented the first-ever public reading of “The Simpsons” and featured big-name comedians such as Lewis Black, Margaret Cho, Aziz Ansari and Dave Chappelle.
In 2007, HBO pulled the festival from Aspen and the Wheeler started The Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival which lasted from 2008-10. In 2011, The Wheeler launched the Aspen Laff Festival which was produced in house by the Wheeler. In 2017, the event was rebranded as Aspen Laugh Festival with A-list comics in Whitney Cummings, Margaret Cho, Adam Devine and Kevin Nealon. Since 2018 (there was no festival in 2020 or 2021), Paula Poundstone, Colin Jost, Second City Comedy Group, Alex Edelman, Jim Gaffigan, Nate Bargatze and Trevor Noah have all performed at the festival.
This year, Aspen Laugh Festival will be headlined by Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld appeared at the Wheeler in 1990, just months after the hit show bearing his name appeared on TV.
Mike Harrington, the Wheeler’s new executive director, previously worked at the Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The theater hosted the New York Comedy Festival and Harrington had a relationship with Seinfeld. Looking for a marquee name to anchor the 2025 Laugh Festival, he reached out to his people about the comedian appearing in Aspen.
“It was actually the very first call I made on my drive when I drove out to Aspen from New Jersey,” Harrington told the Aspen Daily News recently.
Sammy Anzer is a Denver comedian who will headline the Snowmass Live Comedy Series on Jan. 8. He said the Snowmass series has a special place in his heart.
As has become the trend in recent years, local comedians will participate in the Wheeler festival. Five local comics will kick it off on March 11 with the Valley Comedy Showcase, which will take place in The Vault (second-floor bar area). The evening of comedy is a collaboration between The Wheeler and The Collective Snowmass.
“One of the first events I experienced at the Wheeler after my arrival was (local improv group) Consensual Improv in The Vault,” Harrington said. “Following that, I was committed to kicking off the 2025 Aspen Laugh Festival with a showcase for local talent. It will be a celebration of the incredible creativity and artistic energy here in the valley and a perfect bookend with Jerry Seinfeld closing out the festival.”
Other comedians appearing at the upcoming Laugh Festival include Saturday Night Live’s Chloe Troast, the off-Broadway hit “Sorry For Your Loss” by Michael Cruz Kayne and a family show with Alex “The Zaniac” Zerbe. The main stage will feature Becky Robinson, the Sklar Brothers and Sofia Nino de Rivera.
However, the laughs will roll at the Wheeler well before the festival begins. Brian Regan, who will perform on Jan. 29, as been called (Vanity Fair) “the funniest stand-up alive.’ Regan has appeared in two Netflix comedy specials. He also stars in his own Netflix series, “Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan,” co-produced with Seinfeld.
Comedian Tom Papa takes the opera house stage Feb. 2. Papa has had six highly acclaimed stand-up specials, including his latest Netflix show, “Home Free.” In this special, filmed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., he examines life as an empty-nester, uncovering the absurdity of everyday experiences. Other specials such as “You’re Doing Great!” and “Human Mule” have solidified his place in comedy.
David Koechner did standup at The Arts Campus at Willits in September. He has been featured in the “Anchorman” movies and also the TV series “The Office.”
The Collective Snowmass
The Collective Snowmass has been a major player in the comedy scene in the Roaring Fork Valley since the pandemic, when socially distanced stand-up shows were performed.
The Collective launched the Snowmass Live Comedy Series in the winter of 2021 and it has been growing steadily ever since, culminating in last summer’s inaugural Snowmass Comedy WKND!, a two-day event that was headlined by Emmy winner Alex Edelman in addition to nationally renowned comedians Josh Adam Meyers, Nancy Norton and Reem Edan.
“As both a comedy performer and producer, it’s been an incredible journey to see our Snowmass Live series grow over the past four years,” said Sarah Saunders, director of events in Snowmass Base Village (and a stand-up comedian). “Our first comedy show during COVID had two comics and three guests that were all staff. I’m filled with gratitude for the talent, support and audiences that have consistently showed up and made it possible to grow the series.”
The Snowmass Live Comedy Series lineup for winter 2024-25 features local, regional and national comics. All shows are at The Collective Hall. The series kicks off Dec. 11 with the Valley Comedy Showcase, featuring some of the area’s most outstanding comedians. On Dec. 18, The Collective hosts The Ho Ho Ho Comedy show with Brittany Brave, a comedian, actress, writer, producer and host who’s been featured on TBS, MTV, Quibi, The Wendy Williams Show, SiriusXM and also in The New York Times. She stars in, co-wrote and produced “The Disastrous Dating Life of Diane Damone,” which is available on Amazon Prime and all digital streaming services.
The Sklar Brothers, Randy and Jason, are scheduled to play the Laugh Festival on March 12. They are expected to deliver commentary on sports, pop culture and the absurdities of everyday life.
On Jan. 8, The Collective presents “An Evening of Comedy with Sammy Anzer,” who has performed alongside DL Hughley, Maria Bamford, Fahim Anwar and Kevin Nealon. He has written for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, appeared on PBS Roots of Comedy, Funny or Die and SiriusXM. His debut comedy album hit No. 1 on iTunes.
In conjunction with Gay Ski Week, on Jan. 19, The Collective will host “An Evening of Queer Comedy with Emma Willman,” who is a stand-up comedian, actress and podcaster. She was a part of the inaugural season of Netflix’s “The Lineup,” and has made appearances on CW’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Judd Apatow’s “Crashing” and “The Good Fight” on Paramount+. Willman has made multiple appearances on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and is a regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City. All ticket sales benefit the organization AspenOut.
Jan. 29 is Comedy Mic Night at The Collective with local comedians. A week later, Tommy Brennan will appear at The Collective on Feb. 5. His standup has been featured on Comedy Central and “Don’t Tell Comedy” and he was selected as a new face in 2023 at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.
On Feb. 19, Jourdain Fisher comes to The Collective. Fisher is a comedian, writer, and actor who has performed on Comedy Central. He made his late-night debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” where he was then hired as a staff writer. His comedy album “Good For You” can be found on all streaming platforms.
The Collective will host “An Evening of Comedy with Katherine Blanford” on March 5. She has appeared on “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.” Her debut album, “Salt Daddy,” was released in 2022 and reached No. 1 on iTunes. Blanford is co-host of a weekly podcast, “Cheaties,” with fellow comedian Lace Larrabee.
The Collective’s season ends with a Comedy Open Mic Night on March 26.
Alex Zerbe, known as “The Zaniac,” will bring his high-energy, family friendly comedy to The Vault at the Wheeler on March 15.
TACAW
The Arts Campus at Willits opened in 2021 and in three short years, comedy has found a happy home in the midvalley performing arts facility.
In its first two years, The Grawlix, Tig Notaro and Bobcat Goldthwait performed at the fledgling venue. Also, TACAW hosted a Valentine’s Day comedy show in 2023 with husband-and-wife comedy team Jared Logan and Kara Klenk.
In April, Kevin Nealon made his first appearance at TACAW with a sold-out show. David Koechner of “Anchorman” and “The Office” fame did a standup set in September, and even poked a little fun at Alpine Bank throughout his performance.
On Dec. 12-13, TACAW will host the the Roaring Fork Valley’s Consensual Improv troupe. “A Consensual Christmas” will feature a mix of original sketch comedy, holiday-themed improv, digital shorts and according to marketing materials, “more Dolph Lundgren than you thought was possible.”
Audience members are invited to wear their worst Christmas sweaters. Prizes will be given for exceptionally awful sweaters.
Norm Macdonald performs at the Aspen Laugh Festival in February 2020. The former Saturday Night Live writer and cast member passed away in September 2021.
Formed in 2016, Consensual Improv is a 13-member improvisational comedy troupe composed of actors and comedians living in the Roaring Fork Valley. They have been a regular at the Aspen Laugh Festival and at their own shows.
This is the third annual “A Consensual Christmas.” In 2022, there was one show. A second show was added in 2023, both of which sold out. TACAW is expecting two sold-out shows again this year.
Kevin Nealon returns to TACAW on March 22. He is an Emmy-nominated actor and comedian who is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
As one of the longest-running cast members on SNL, Nealon helped create some of the show’s most memorable characters, including “The Subliminal Man” and “Hans and Franz.” His recurring role as anchor of “Weekend Update” helped resuscitate the feature from its popular early days. Nealon currently produces and hosts a digital series, “Hiking with Kevin,” and he continues to tour globally.
Maria Bamford will perform at TACAW on April 23. She is known for her deeply personal and experimental comedy about mental illness. She’s the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, “Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult,” and is the star of four hour-long standup specials.
Bamford was the first female comic to have two half-hour “Comedy Central Presents” specials and starred alongside Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis and Brian Posehn in “The Comedians of Comedy.” She also created and starred in the web series, “The Maria Bamford Show,” in which she plays all the characters.
Bamford’s late-night appearances include “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Conan,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.”
“Watching the comedy scene thrive and expand here in the valley is inspiring, and I’m excited about the opportunities ahead for performers and producers alike,” Sanders said. “The future feels bright for comedy in our community.”
