Best of the Fest welcomes local comedians

The Comedy Attic is welcoming some new talent to its stage this weekend.
Winners and semifinalists of the Bloomington Comedy Festival will perform their original acts every night through Saturday as part of the Fifth Annual Best of the Fest.

The event kicked off Thursday, when a crowd of about 50 people showed up to check out the budding comedians.

Although Thursday’s audience was small, Comedy Attic owner Jared Thompson said he expects to reel in bigger crowds Friday and Saturday.

“We’ll have more student turnout during the weekend for this,” he said.

Annie Lorenzano, a newcomer to the Comedy Attic, was there Thursday to cheer on Jon Hancuff, winner of Bloomington’s Funniest Person contest at the festival and her co-worker from Cook Medical.

“Everyone at work was really supportive of him doing the contest,” she said. “I’m excited to finally see him on stage.”

Lorenzano said seeing Bloomington’s best all in one night was a good way to start going to comedy clubs.

“I’ve never been before, but I want to go more,” she said. “It’s cool that my first time here is at an all-local show.”

Each night of the show, Hancuff will perform along with the other five top finishers, Josh Cocks, David Britton, Melinda Kashner, Jonas Schrodt and Stephanie Lochbihler.

Thompson said Hancuff dominated the competition, and although the winner is usually determined by the comedian’s previously earned popularity, Hancuff seemed to have no trouble rounding up some new fans.
 
“He brought friends and family, but from the general feeling of the audience, I knew he was going to win,” Thompson said.

Thompson said he doesn’t watch the competition. He said because he’s friends with some of the competitors, he’d rather leave the decision to an unbiased crowd.

“I don’t have to see it,” he said. “You can tell by the rhythm of the room how good someone is, and he got some pretty loud responses at key times.”

And timing is important. Thompson said it’s especially so for the host, who’s responsible for keeping pace with the show throughout the set.

Because all of this weekend’s performers have braved that task before, Thompson said the comedians have learned from the headliners the Comedy Attic has hosted in the past.

“Students get to see a much better opening here than in any other city,” he said. “In Bloomington, we get a lot of comedians who have made a name for themselves, and all six of these folks have worked here on the weekend to set the table for bigger stars. This is their turn.”

Follow reporter Ashley Jenkins on Twitter @ashmorganj.