Before the era of viral crowd work clips and stand-up sets available all over the Internet, comedy festivals were essential for “breaking” the careers of rising talent. The Boston Comedy Festival – which returns April 1 – entered that game 25 years ago, and Cambridge and Somerville played a crucial role.
It was in spaces such as The Burren, The Rockwell and the Somerville Theater in Davis Square that the festival grew in size and prestige, attracting industry attention and crowning festival winners that went on to change the industry. It was natural: Festival director Helen DiMarzio lived in Somerville for 20 years and festival founder Jim McCue has a long history with The Rockwell especially. “He worked there when it was Jimmy Tingle’s,” DiMarzio said, referring to the five years the former “60 Minutes II” humorist ran a comedy club.
In the years post-pandemic, though, the festival migrated to the opposite side of the Charles, taking up residence at City Winery.
“Schedules got really, really tough,” DiMarzio said. “A year and a half out, we just couldn’t get back into where we could get a week at all the same places. So we just kind of had to adapt.”
With more lead time to work with long-beloved venues and a renewed opportunity to partner with the latest iteration of The Comedy Studio in Harvard Square, the festival is finally able to return to its Camberville roots.
“We’re really excited to be back. The Comedy Studio reached out this year and so we’re excited to do some shows with them. It’s the first time working with the new staff there. It’s great when there’s more venues permanently that comedians can get time at [who] aren’t headliners yet,” DiMarzio said. “There’s a community vibe that I’m hoping the Studio brings back.”
Returning to The Rockwell is special because “we were the first show at The Rockwell when they reopened,” she said. “The paint wasn’t even dry yet.”
“We have such fond memories and relationships with these venues, especially since a lot of them have changed over the years,” DiMarzio said.
The festival has changed too. Its nature as a contest was important once as “the only way we could think to get people to pay attention to it,” DiMarzio said, and she’s proud to point out winners such as Nate Bargatze. “He has always been really great and kind in staying in touch with us over the years, and we’re just thrilled every time we see him on ‘Saturday Night Live’ or a Super Bowl commercial. It’s really mind blowing.”
Liz Glazer (written up in The Wall Street Journal) and Learnmore Jonasi (“America’s Got Talent”) are other notable winners, and DiMarzio notes them.
But the contest is now secondary to the festival’s goal of showcasing the talent of outstanding performers from Boston and beyond, she said, and she tries to deemphasize the competitive element of the experience with comics taking part for the first time. “Networking with your fellow comedians during the festival and the people you meet has become just as important as winning. There are all sorts of different ways to benefit from the festival,” she said.
For residents who are newcomers to the festival, DiMarzio wants you to know: “You’re gonna see some really funny people. Really funny. Every show, you’re gonna have somebody that you really like. And you’re going to be ahead of everyone,” she said.
People coming to the festival in 2010 “would have already known Nate Bargatze,” she said. “And then you’re at work and people are like ‘Have you heard of this guy? He’s so funny!’ You’d get to say, I’ve known about him for years.”
The 25th Annual Boston Comedy Festival opens April 1 with preliminary rounds at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, and The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Shows take place all week, with a finale April 5 at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. Tickets, a full schedule and details on the contest’s history are available at bostoncomedyfest.com.
Disclosure: Amma Marfo is a 2025 contestant in the Boston Comedy Festival.
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