The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival enjoys the same stature in comedy as South by Southwest does in the music world.
Superstars mingle with industry types, drooling fans and locals for days of nonstop shows. Awards are bestowed, panels are attended and groundbreaking films are screened.
But the most exciting events at the festival, which kicks off Wednesday in the tony mountain town of Aspen, are the surprises.
Whether that’s a “Monty Python” reunion, a Seinfeld appearance, or the discovery of a hot new performer, the unexpected makes the festival what it is: the most important annual event in American comedy.
For a quartet of comedians with Denver origins, the five- day festival is also the best opportunity to network with the biggest names in entertainment. T.J. Miller, Ben Kronberg, Josh Blue and Steve McGrew will represent the Mile High City for the first time in the festival’s 13-year existence.
“The hope for someone like that is to be seen by a tremendous amount of people in the industry, whether it’s casting, development or management agents,” said J.P. Buck, manager of the talent for the HBO-sponsored event. “Hopefully these industry types find in that person a voice they can identify with and see the potential in.”
The performers’ backgrounds are diverse. Josh Blue won NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Ben Kronberg is partner in Denver’s Wrist Deep Productions and an indie-friendly guy about town. Steve McGrew is a TV regular and KYGO DJ better known as “Mudflap.” T.J. Miller has spent his post-college years in Chicago with the famed Second City troupe.
In fact, the 25-year-old Denver native was the only Windy City comic to make the cut, having flown to New York to audition for the bigwigs. When reached by phone earlier this week Miller was in L.A. screentesting for a sitcom pilot from Bruce McCulloch of “Kids in the Hall.”
Not too shabby, dude.
“My father offered as a birthday present to take me up to (Aspen) to see a show, but it didn’t work out,” Miller said. “Part of it is that I didn’t want to go if I wasn’t a performer. It’s been the biggest thing I’ve always wanted to do growing up.”
Miller will perform as part of the New Faces showcase, one event among hundreds. Others include achievement awards (Don Rickles, Stephen Colbert), tributes (HBO’s “Entourage”), and dozens of performances from names like George Carlin and Katt Williams.
For most of the performers, even the young ones, admission into the festival represents thousands of hours of work and dedication to their craft. Miller performs seven nights a week in Chicago, often hosting open mic nights with rank amateurs. He credits his work ethic with his upbringing, particularly his education at East High School and a theater education from teacher Melody Duggan.
“It’s funny to go from being suspended from doing the school announcements to being flown out and asked to be a part of this huge thing in the comedy community,” Miller said. “It’s just amazing to have the opportunity to meet Stephen Colbert or to pick the brain of the people from ‘Entourage.”‘
Miller, who’s warming up for the festival with a Comedy Works stint this weekend, is also smart. He launched satirical websites (verybadporn.com) and videos online, helping increase his presence in an increasingly blog-oriented world.
“We’re really trying to recognize a lot of the new technology being used, and the fact that people are taking advantage of the Internet to broaden beyond live performance,” J.P. Buck said. “This year there’s a Broadband Theater show, which looks at burgeoning talents that are breaking the boundaries.”
Whether it’s Sarah Schaefer, who hosts the AOL show “The DL,” or L.A.’s Charlyne Yi, an exciting young comedian in the surrealist vein of the late Andy Kaufman, the festival continues giving platforms to those who will speak for the next generation of comedy.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
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U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
COMEDY/MULTIMEDIA|Various venues in Aspen; Wednesday-March 4|Various prices|866-350-3369 or hbocomedyfestival.com.
