by While the situation still feels fluid with some leading tech companies bailing on travel to Austin for SXSW due to fears or concerns about the spread of coronavirus (note: Texas just reported its first case, outside of Houston, today), the festival itself is still a go.
Netflix cancelled its SXSW screenings late yesterday, following Amazon Studios pulling out on Tuesday.
For official Texas updates on coronavirus from the state’s Health and Human Services department, check here.
With that said, SXSW has announced the slate of comedians and funny business people scheduled to convene in Austin from March 13-21, 2020.
2020 SXSW Comedy Festival Participants
Aaron Jackson • Ahmed Bharoocha • Alex English • Alyssa Stonoha • Andy Haynes • Anthony Devito • Ayo Edebiri • Besty Sodaro • Bill Burr • Bob Odenkirk • Brett Davis • Byron Bowers • Dave Hill • David Gborie • Doug Benson • Eddie Pepitone • Eugene Cordero • Frank Oz • Gil Ozeri • Greg Stone • Hannibal Buress • Horatio Sanz • James Adomian • Joel Kim Booster • Jon Daly • Judd Apatow • Kiry Shabazz • Leonard Maltin • Liza Treyger • Lorelei Ramirez • Maggie Maye • Mary Holland • Matt Besser • Matt Kirshen • Megan Stalter • Mike Feeney • Mitra Jouhari • Monroe Martin • Nick Thune • Patti Harrison • Pete Davidson • Rachel Pegram • Ricky Velez • Robert Kelly • Rosebud Baker • Sabrina Jalees • Samantha Bee • Sandy Honig • Shane Gillis • Stuart Goldsmith • Thomas Middleditch • Yamaneika Saunders
2020 SXSW Comedy Festival Special Programs Featuring
ASSSSCAT • The Comedian’s Comedian • Doug Loves Movies • Dynasty Typewriter • improv4humans • The King of Staten Island Revue • The Last Laugh • The Laugh Button Live! • Loud Village Live • Maltin on Movies • National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast • Roast Battle • The Underculture and more!
On Friday, March 13, following his SXSW Film Opening Night world premiere, Judd Apatow will host The King of Staten Island Revue featuring Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, and Friends for an evening of stand-up benefitting the Friends of Firefighters (friendsoffirefighters.org) foundation.
In celebration of National Lampoon’s 50th anniversary, the iconic brand will bring two nights of its National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast to SXSW. This revival cast of exceptionally gifted up-and-coming writers and performers continue the tradition established by the original players of the groundbreaking Radio Hour, embodying the Lampoon’s distinctly twisted humor in their original sketch showcases.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) cofounder, Matt Besser, will return with a slate of shows including his beloved podcast improv4humans. He will riff on hit songs in the Sing-A-Long Comedy Experiment, provide weed comedy for stoners and friends of stoners at The 420 Show, and lead UCB’s longest running show, ASSSSCAT (improv based on true tales from celebrity guests). This year the theatre’s flagship show will feature performances by some of the most skilled improvisers working today, including Horatio Sanz, Gil Ozeri, the cast of Golden Arm, (a SXSW Film world premiere) Mary Holland, Betsy Sodaro, and Eugene Cordero, along with guest monologist, Bob Odenkirk.
Hannibal Buress will revisit his breakthrough comedy album with a live performance of My Name Is Hannibal: Redux in advance of the SXSW Film world premiere of his new stand-up special, Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights, at the Paramount Theater on Wednesday, March 18.
Expert impressionist James Adomian (Trump vs. Bernie) will conjure an alternate reality populated by familiar pop culture characters in a live version of his surrealistic, satirical podcast, The Underculture. Festival mainstay Doug Benson will be on site with two chances to catch his hit game-show podcast, Doug Loves Movies. Also returning, Riffs and Riff Raff with Nick Thune & Friends will unite Thune and other musically inclined performers for a bedlam of outlandish characters, nonsensical lyrics, and improvised songs. Roast Battle will be back to offend for another year. The original team from The Comedy Store in LA will lead this anything-goes brawl of wits. Host Brian Moses, DJ Coach Tea, and dynamic hype crew The Wave (Willie Hunter, Jamar Neighbors) will be joined by guest judges who will preside over three rowdy nights of unpredictable trash-talk.
This year’s festival features several in-depth podcast interviews. Legendary film historian Leonard Maltin will sit down with director and comedy icon Frank Oz for Maltin on Movies, Samantha Bee will be interviewed for an episode of The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast, and Stuart Goldsmith will return with British podcast staple, The Comedian’s Comedian, for a deep dive into the creative process of the most interesting personalities at the festival.
Adult Swim will be back to celebrate Three Busy Debras, which will premiere on the network later this month. Creators and stars Sandy Honig, Mitra Jourhari, and Alyssa Stonoha will be joined by Joel Kim Booster and Patti Harrison for a showcase performance and sneak peek of the new absurdist live-action series. Jon Daly will host Dynasty Typewriter Presents!, a showcase in the spirit of LA’s hip, new comedy venue. And festival staple The Laugh Button Live! will team up with New York’s legendary Gotham Comedy Club to present a night of shows at Esther’s Follies.
The backbone of this year’s lineup are some of comedy’s most compelling new voices and promising emerging stars. The festival is proud to include Kiry Shabazz and Rosebud Baker who were recently featured in, Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers, Sabrina Jalees, Megan Stalter, and star of Honey Boy, Byron Brown and as some of these new voices. There will also be special solo performances by Ricky Velez who will debut his new stand-up hour, Ricky Velez: Lower Middle Class, and Liza Treyger will share childhood photos, home movies, and stories about ruining her family trips in Liza Treyger: Vacation.
SXSW Film Festival
Many of the comedians performing will be featured in selections from the Film festival. Judd Apatow directs Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, Liza Treyger, and Ricky Velez in the Opening Night Film world premiere The King of Staten Island and Frank Oz’s documentary In & Of Itself also makes its world premiere at SXSW. UCB improvisers Mary Holland and Betsy Sodaro star in Golden Arm and Thomas Middleditch lends his voice to Justin Roiland’s new animated series Solar Opposites, plus festival favorite Hannibal Buress presents his new stand-up special Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights. Ayo Edebiri appears in the Narrative Feature Competition film Shiva Baby, Sabrina Jalees pops up in Still Wylde, and Dave Hill is featured in Drunk Bus starring Will Forte.
SXSW Conference
Comedy performers will also make appearances at Featured Sessions at the Conference portion of the festival. Samantha Bee sits down with her team for a discussion about the 2020 elections in Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents “Comedians on Panel Drinking Cocktails” and Bob Odenkirk and Vince Gilligan give an inside look into their hit show in Hoboken Squat Cobbler: A Better Call Saul Conversation.
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2020 will take place March 13-22, 2020. For more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.
