Laugh It Up at the Third Annual RISE Comedy Festival This Weekend

Nick Armstrong’s eyes light up with excitement when he recalls the energy that pulses through RISE Comedy during the venue's annual festival. "There is this atmosphere around a festival — the audience is jazzed because you are seeing so many different types of shows," he says, capturing the essence of what makes the RISE Comedy Festival a standout event in Denver's thriving comedy scene.

As the co-owner and artistic director of RISE Comedy, Armstrong is passionate about creating an inclusive, dynamic space where both seasoned performers and newcomers can shine. The RISE Comedy Festival, which runs from Friday, July 26, to Saturday, August 3, celebrates the best in improv, sketch and standup comedy from Colorado and around the world. With a robust lineup that includes local acts, workshops with expert comedians and a highly anticipated standup competition, RISE Comedy is set to be the epicenter of comedic talent in Denver for its weeklong run.
Attending festivals was an important part of Armstrong and co-owner Josh Nicols's introduction to the comedy community when they first started out. "We loved going to them when we were younger, and we saw how beneficial they are to people, so we have always wanted to host one," Armstrong says. "It is fun to invite people from all over the world to Denver. We have a lot of talented people here, but they also need to see and be inspired by other people's work, and a festival provides an easy, accessible way to do so."

This commitment to developing talent and providing opportunities for advancement is central to RISE Comedy's mission. The festival debuted in 2022 hoping to fill the void left by the Denver Improv Festival, which had previously been a community staple before the pandemic. For years, Armstrong had flown in from Los Angeles to attend it before moving to Denver in 2019 to run the comedy club, which was then known as Voodoo Comedy Playhouse (it rebranded to RISE Comedy in 2021).
Armstrong initially approached the Denver Improv Festival organizers to discuss a possible collaboration. "After the pandemic happened, the Denver Improv Festival went away, and I wanted to talk with them about bringing it back," he says. "I called them and I was like, ‘Hey, do you want to do the Denver Improv Festival again? We would be willing to help.’ But nobody wanted to do it."

So, rather than giving up, RISE Comedy decided to organize its own festival. Each year, the company has worked to grow the festival little by little. That effort is paying off, as the RISE Comedy Festival has received the most submissions to date for its 2024 event. Despite a tight budget, the owners' belief in the event's intrinsic value motivates them to raise the funds necessary to successfully execute an event of this size and scope.

"There's no money in organizing a festival, so we have to find sponsors to help us make this financially feasible," Armstrong admits. "People pay a lot of money to come out here for lodging, plane tickets, and other amenities, so we give them gifts, pay for photographers to take their headshots and provide all kinds of perks. However, these things require us to raise capital due to the festival's narrow margins. Josh and I don't get paid extra for doing extra work, and that's not why we do it; we do it because we love comedy and being around comedians."
 
The 2024 event offers a wide range of activities, from improv performances by such groups as King Penny Golden Radio Show and Mockumentary Now! to specialized workshops and late-night parties. The standup competition, a festival highlight, awards significant cash prizes of $500, $250 and $150 to the top three performers. Perhaps more importantly, participants have the opportunity to perform in front of judges who book other prestigious events such as America's Got Talent and the High Plains Comedy Festival, providing invaluable exposure and potential career-boosting opportunities.

"Josh and I always want to be a resource for comics," Armstrong says. "Whenever we're designing the festival, we want to make sure that they're not just coming here to spend money in Denver, but they also get something out of it. I have a lot of ties to Los Angeles, so I invite Creative Artists Agency agents to these panels so they can see new comics. Last year, they got email addresses from them so they also got an email pipeline to important industry contacts."

Armstrong and Nicols hope to see the RISE Comedy Festival continue to grow while maintaining its community-focused atmosphere. “We’d love to see it get bigger and bigger each year, but there’s also a nice thing about the simplicity; it allows us to focus on connections,” Armstrong notes. "As the festival grows, we will probably end up using more venues here. For the time being, our orange room in the back will serve as our second stage, and we hope to eventually build a real second stage in our theater to increase the number of shows we can perform."

For those attending the RISE Comedy Festival for the first time, Armstrong offers some practical advice to make the most of the experience.

“Make yourself at home," Armstrong encourages. "At RISE, customers are more than just customers; they are people who may one day want to be a part of our community. So come on in, relax, grab a drink, and enjoy some comedy. It is extremely casual; you can leave to get a drink and come back in. It is all general admission, so if the show is not sold out, which it usually is, your ticket gets you into the next show on our regular schedule, allowing you to see two or three good shows. Also, don’t heckle, and definitely don’t tell us who you’re voting for: We don’t care.”

RISE Comedy Festival, Friday, July 26, through Saturday, August 3, RISE Comedy, 1260 22nd Street. Learn more at risecomedy.com.