Hamptons Comedy Festival Returns To Bay Street Theater

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will be hosting the HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL, returning to Bay Street Theater this fall after successfully launching this past April (with a completely sold out debut performance)! The HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL is produced by Bay Street Theater's very own Paul Anthony and the Long Island Comedy Festival with the goal of bringing top comic talent to the Hamptons. Festival shows are presented in a "Comedy Showcase" format, featuring a 4+ performer line-up of headlining comedians, each performing short sets at each show. One would rarely if ever see this much comic talent on one stage at any comedy club venue in the US! This iteration of the HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL presents two showcases this year with 4 performers appearing Saturday, September 23rd & Saturday, October 21st, both 8 pm show times. In addition, each performance will feature a Surprise Guest Comedian.

Paul Anthony, producer of the HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL remarked "We're looking forward to returning to Bay Street Theater this Fall with all new line-ups of some of the best comedians working today. The ultimate goal of the Hamptons Comedy Festival is to bring more laughter and fun into people's lives. The shows we present bring people together to share in the experience of LIVE Stand-Up Comedy. It's very rewarding after one of our shows to hear from audience members telling us they haven't laughed so hard in a very long time. When we receive that kind of positive feedback and know that we helped people forget about some of their problems for just a little while, mission accomplished!”
 

The HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL

 

Saturday, September 23 features:
Eric Haft:
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Born and raised in New York, Eric Haft has appeared in such classic venues as The Borgata in Atlantic City, Caroline's on Broadway, Stand-Up New York, and is a regular touring act with the Long Island Comedy Festival.  
 
Richie Byrne:  
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Richie Byrne is a national headliner and has performed at top venues around the country.  For over ten years he was the warm-up comic for The Dr. Oz Show. Richie is also an accomplished actor and has appeared in Sex & the City, The Sopranos and Law & Order.  
 
Scott Baker:  
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Half of the Comedy Team of Baker & Mark, “The Quickest Thinkers in Comedy”.  Scott Baker is one of the top improv performers in the country and has performed at some of the top theaters, resorts, and comedy clubs in the country. Venues such as The Tropicana AC, The Borgata, Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods, and Caesars Resorts. Scott has actually taught his Improv Class, Just For Laughs Improv, at Bay Street Theater for the past few years.  
 
Vinnie Mark:  
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Vinnie Mark, the other half of the Comedy Team Baker & Mark, has been a touring stand-up comedian performing at venues across the country as well as being a regular performer on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise lines. His many TV appearances include Late Night with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and Comic Strip Live.  Vinnie has performed overseas for American troops in Iraq, Saudi Arabi and Qatar. 
 

 
The HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL

 

Saturday, October 21 features:  
Art Schill:
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Known as the Octogenarian Comedian, Art Schill combines the best of the Borscht Belt comedians with his own cool style. Winner of the AARP 50 Plus Comedy Search, Art has been part of the 50+ Comedy Tour since 2016. Art has been featured at top venues around the country including Mohegan Sun Casino.     
Maria Walsh:
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Known as “America's Naughtiest Mommy”, Maria has been a regular at the annual Long Island Comedy Festival, Mom's Night Out Long Island, and has headlined at top venues across the country.  
 
Raanan Hershberg: 
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Raanan Hershberg has performed his high-energy, joke-packed comedy on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late, Late Show with James Corden, and Comedy Central. His latest special 'Jokes from the Underground' was just included in the New York Times 'Best Comedy of 2022'. Raanan performs all over the world and is a regular at The Comedy Cellar in NYC. 
 
Rob Falcone:  
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Veteran Comedian Rob Falcone has performed at every venue across this country. A regular in the Catskills, Atlantic City, Vegas and top venues. Rob is also a veteran actor and has been seen on Gossip Girl, The Sopranos, Law and Order and Blue Bloods.  

Tickets are $35 and $45 and are available at our Box Office starting at 11AM daily or 24/7 at BayStreet.org. 
 
In addition to the performances on September 23 and October 21, the HAMPTONS COMEDY FESTIVAL will offer aspiring comics a brand new Stand-Up Comedy Class -- Think You're Funny? Mondays 7-9 pm, October 16 - November 20. The comic instructor will be comedian Paul Anthony himself. (photo) “We wanted to expand the scope of the Hamptons Comedy Festival and working with Bay Street Theater to offer this unique opportunity to aspiring comedians out there is the perfect vehicle," said Paul Anthony. The class will be a hands-on intensive where students will be taken behind the curtain to learn from the ground up about becoming a stand-up comedian and the art of stand-up comedy.  The 7-week program will combine class instruction with hands-on exercises and student participation, culminating with a final performance by all students in front of a live audience. Guest Comedians will also visit the class to give students additional insight into the world of stand-up comedy. “It's going to be educational, inspirational, and the most fun you'll ever have in a class,” said Paul Anthony. He added: “The class is for adults any age interested in learning what it takes to actually perform stand-up comedy. I think trying Stand-Up Comedy is on the bucket list of more people than you'd care to believe.  There's a fascination with it, and we're here to help people scratch that itch so to speak!” The class will have limited capacity, for more information visit baystreet.org.
 
The Long Island Comedy Festival is now in its' 17th year and has been the longest-running Comedy Festival of its kind all across Long Island. The Comedy Festival has been featured at top theater venues in Nassau and Suffolk counties, including Bay Street Theater itself during the fall of 2022.
  
Paul Anthony has been the official comic emcee and executive producer of the Long Island Comedy Festival since it launched in 2006. His other projects include The Berkshire Comedy Festival, The 50+ Comedy Tour, Mom's Night Out Long Island , and the new Hamptons Comedy Festival. He's performed at top venues across the country and has opened for comic icons such as Louie Anderson and Robert Klein.

Bay Street Theater is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center, that endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. It serves as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.

Bay Street Theater is a fully vaccinated company. All attendance is available via touchless ticketing. Masks are optional upon entry to the theater and when seated. For a full list of COVID-19-related safety procedures and guidelines for in-person events, please visit us online at baystreet.org.

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