2nd Best Comedy Fest, Richmond, VA (2026)

02/13/2026

🐤 Early Bird deadline for 2nd Best Fest submissions is THIS SUNDAY, Feb 15! If you have an improv, stand-up, or sketch act and want to have the most fun one can possibly have in Richmond, VA this summer, get on it!! (Regular submission deadline is March 15th!) ☀️

06/09/2025

4 venues, 3 days, 2 after parties, and 1 literal dumpster fire later, the 8th Annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest has officially come to a close.

We can’t say THANK YOU enough to everyone who made this our best fest yet, but we’re gonna try anyway:

🥈 THANK YOU to all of our incredible performers for sharing your time, talent, and energy with us.
🥈 THANK YOU to our volunteers, who spent months making this happen kept the whole thing running smoothly.
🥈 THANK YOU to every audience member who showed up, laughed hard, and supported local comedy.
🥈 THANK YOU to our sponsors for believing in the magic of being Second Best.
🥈 And a special THANK YOU to the local fire department for responding to the aforementioned dumpster fire with such impressive speed!

It was truly one for the books. Until next year, 2nd Besties 🌟

(But keep sharing and tagging us in your fest pics, please. We’re not emotionally ready to move on 🙏🏼)

06/07/2025

🥈🎉 Last night was killer 2nd Besties, and we’re doing it all again TONIGHT starting at 6pm! Grab those ✨Festival Passes✨ at 2ndbestfest.com and enjoy the final evening of Richmond’s three-day comedy gauntlet!

❗️ NOTE: Amber Hendrix will now be performing in the 7pm show at Theatre Gym with Horse Apples and Princeton New Money A$$clowns!

🌟 Let’s shine a light on some of our performers one last time. Thank you to all of our brilliant acts for being here this weekend and absolutely crushing it.

🎤 Amber Hendrix is a Richmond, Virginia-based comedian and producer. She frequently performs throughout the DMV area and North Carolina. A headline contributor for Reductress, Amber has opened for Dave Attell, Emily Catalano, Geoffrey Asmus, and Ginny Hogan, among others.

🎥 The Movies has everything you could ask for in an improv team: they’re hot, fast, inappropriate, and sometimes funny! Watch these best friends get weird on stage.
CAST: Anthony Brazeau, Harrison Brooks, Liz Davenport, Joe Freeman, Gretchen Glaeser, Kathryn Schmidt, Addie Stevens

🎤 Randall Davis
Hailing originally from Ettrick, VA, and now based in Toano, VA (Williamsburg area), Randall is a fresh face in the comedy world. Randall weaves stories about his wife, kids and his adventures as a big guy navigating life—with a sprinkle of childhood anecdotes. Randall has performed at DC Improv, Richmond Funny Bone, Last Word Comedy Festival, and the Good Karma Comedy Festival.

🎤 Rachel Marsh is an award-winning writer and a non-award-winning comedian in Chicago. She’s performed at theaters like Second City, Laugh Factory, and one time in a parking lot. She did improv for many years but eventually transitioned to standup in an effort to win back the respect of her parents.

🐺 Wolf Night is a house team at the Coalition Theater. Their show is a cavalcade of weirdo characters from all eras of history, though they somehow usually end up playing orphans suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. They play twice a month at the Coalition Theater’s House Team night.
CAST: Brandon Beswick, Ryan Dondero, Casey Searles, Z Seliquini, Josh Wright

06/06/2025

Our 7pm show (Still Life / Kornfeld & Andrew’s) at Coalition SOLD OUT!!! Feeling left out? You simply don’t have to! Grab tickets at 2ndbestfest.com and start literally running on over for our 9pm shows at Coalition Theater, Theatre Gym, and Black Iris. We guess you can wait for Saturday Night but…. Why??

06/06/2025

🥈 WOW. Day 1 of 2nd Best Fest is over and y’all showed UP!! Every act absolutely killed it last night and boy of boy did they set the bar high for Day 2 and 3. But we’re feeling preeeeeeetty 100% confident that the rest of our performers are going to keep making this our best 2nd Best yet. Peep the schedule for all the fun we’ll be having tonight!

🌟 Speaking of tonight… we promised you more performer spotlights and heck yeah we’re gonna give ‘em to ya. At 6pm, you’ll have to make a heartbreaking choice - either go to Theatre Gym to see Silver Child and Mettlesome Tourco, or Coalition Theater to see Street Jelly and Triple Threat Comedy. So much good improv, so little time! But let’s be honest, you can’t go wrong either way. See you tonight!

🩶 Silver Child
Hailing from Richmond Virginia’s very own Coalition Theater, Silver Child is here to get weird! The only thing they love more than Half Off Appetizer Night at Applebee’s is putting on a hilarious show!
CAST: Chandler Brooks, Jess Brooks, Ryan Casey, Jonathan Fuller, Nicole Krause, Hannah Land, Megan Lemay, Ethan Wright

✨ Mettlesome Tourco
The Mettlesome TourCo consists of teachers and performers from the award-winning Mettlesome Theater in Durham, NC. Mettlesome produces weekly improv and sketch comedy. Come check out Durham’s best!

❤️ Street Jelly
Born in the cereal aisle at Kroger, Street Jelly emerges as one of Coalition Theater’s newest teams with the highest percentage of advertising majors. Enjoy exploring worlds and stories with grounded and emotional characters, as well as the occasional trip to large locations that could fit several small locations inside of it.
CAST: Jonas Benz, Emilee Bruski, Shawn Hambright, J McClain, Katie Samuelson, Lauren Serpa, Kenneth Stephens, Nick Tenaglia

💫 Triple Threat Comedy hails from Wilmington, North Carolina, and brings together players from all walks of life to laugh and spread joy wherever they go! They blend different styles of long form improv to create a spontaneous show based on audience suggestions.
CAST: Linzi Adydan, Chelsea Connor, Jeremy Isett, Steve Marcinowski, Lizz Mathews, Jamie Smither, Hunter Wilson, Jesslyn Wilson

06/05/2025

🎉✨OH MY GOD IT’S HAPPENING!!! TODAY IS THE DAY!✨🎉

The 8th annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest begins TONIGHT at 7pm with Coalition House team, Airhead, kickin’ off the whole dang thing. We want to give a huge preemptive thank you to the staff, volunteers, performers, and YOU, our gorgeous audience, who are making it happen 💜🧡💛🩷💙 It’s gonna be such a good time and you simply don’t want to miss out!

✨Festival Passes✨ and tickets are available at 2ndBestFest.com ! Check it out for the full schedule, workshop info, and more!

(Oh, and don’t worry - we still have a couple performer spotlights to keep the party going! But after that…. We guess you’ll just have to come and see everyone in real life 😎)

06/05/2025

🎉✨OH MY GOD IT’S HAPPENING!!! TODAY IS THE DAY!✨🎉

The 8th annual 2nd Best Comedy Fest begins TONIGHT at 7pm with Coalition House team, Airhead, kickin’ off the whole dang thing. We want to give a huge preemptive thank you to the staff, volunteers, performers, and YOU, our gorgeous audience, who are making it happen 💜🧡💛🩷💙 It’s gonna be such a good time and you simply don’t want to miss out!

✨Festival Passes✨ and tickets are available at 2ndBestFest.com ! Check it out for the full schedule, workshop info, and more!

06/04/2025

🎉✨ONE DAY UNTIL 2ND BEST FEST BEGINS!! ✨🎉
The whole town is abuzz with excitement! And boy, we’re feeling antsy to get this party started. Have you secured your all-access ✨Festival Pass✨? Gotten tickets to see your favorite act? Signed up for workshops? If not, you still have time! Go to 2ndbestfest.com and get on it!

‼️ We’re also excited to announce that Chloe Radcliffe will be offering a workshop on Saturday, June 7 from 2:30-4:30 at Gallery5. Better yet, it’s Pay What You Can (suggested donation: $15)!
A Career In The Entertainment Industry: People call comedians brave for getting up on stage, but the real bravery is committing to a career in comedy. Chloe Radcliffe (The Tonight Show, Comedy Central) outlines the biggest lessons she’s learned in entertainment and answers your questions.

🤔 Can you handle another spotlight on some of the incredible acts performing at the fest? Well, you have to, because here they are! TOMORROW @ 9PM, come to Coalition Theater to see The Complaint Department, Jordan Boyd, Super Mega iCon Group, and “Just Fine” Dining take the stage!

📈 The Complaint Department takes down Corporate America by illustrating your terrible consumer experiences.
CAST: Jay Frank, Beth Hailey. With Brenden O’Brien and Haley Parker.

🎤 Jordan Boyd is a Richmond-based comedian and show producer who has performed for Don’t Tell Comedy, The Last Word Comedy Festival, and many more. She co-produces the Coalition Theater’s Open Mic, Champions, known for its exclusively curated lineup of comedians from across the state, and runs shows across Richmond with the goal of promoting diversity within stand up.

💙 Super Mega iCon Group
What is perfection? Who knows…Super Mega iCon Group is a beautifully imperfect powerhouse of creatives with a passion for simplifying the detailed complexities of life into fun, laughter, & love for you and yours.

🍽️ “Just Fine” Dining
You are invited to attend a decadent three-course meal hosted by Emma Bailey, Addie Stevens, and Z Seliquini. Entertainment will be provided, but please BYO suggestions.
CAST: Emma Bailey, Z Seliquini, Addie Stevens

06/04/2025

✨ Oh, do we have some delicious comedy to serve you hungry fiends this Friday at 7pm! At Coalition Theater, catch an improvised play when Still Life opens for headliners Kornfeld & Andrew’s. Or scoot on over to Theatre Gym where you can get an incredible comedy sampler in one show: Sketch comedy from The Dude Cave, stand-up from Hannah Land, and improv from BIANCHI & BYLAND. Yummm, fill your bellies with comedy this weekend - go to 2ndbestfest.com for full fest schedule, all-access ✨Festival Passes✨, and more!

🎭 Still Life
A whirlwind of relationships and emotions with possible whispers of betrayal, happily ever afters, and sometimes the supernatural, Still Life is an improvised play. Completely made up on the spot, they will weave a tale that will only be told once—a play’s opening and closing, all in one night!
CAST: Connor Doyle, Shamoniki Ellison, Joe Mack, Wes Parker, Nicole Patterson, Randall Reed Jr, Madeline Smith

✍️ The Dude Cave
Hey dudes. wanna see all original sketches only a mother could love? Well, we got you covered. If you’re a fan of the Carol Burnett show, Key and Peele, or I Think You Should Leave, then this is the show for you. The Dude Cave is a q***r and woman owned sketch comedy hub all the way from Mobile, Alabama. The dudes pride themselves on being THE BEST (and the worst) sketch comedy group in Alabama and the world.
CAST: Lauren Ainsworth, Camryn Simmons, and Adam Meshejian

🎤 Hannah Land is a standup comic, improvisor, and sketch writer based in NYC. Originally from Richmond, she has performed at Second Best Fest, the Richmond Funny Bone, Baltimore Comedy Festival, and was the host/producer of the hit monthly show WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH AIRPLANE FOOD in 2024. Since moving to New York, she’s been working on getting established in the local standup scene and is currently performing on a house improv team at The Armory.

👯‍♀️ BIANCHI & BYLAND are two friends from two separate cities that put the “extra” in the “ordinary.” Big personalities inspire even larger characters in this fast, funny, fearless show of giggles and girl power!
CAST: Jenn Bianchi, Elizabeth Byland

06/03/2025

Only two days until 2nd Best Fest!!! We’re basically sitting by the figurative window, gazing out, waiting to welcome our out of town acts to Richmond - but we guess we’ll do some more spotlights until then!

Saturday at 6pm is gonna be packed with brilliant comedy! Catch a double dose of improv at Gallery5 with BABE and Mouth Stuff, or head to Coalition Theater for the mind-bending antics of Chekhov’s Box and the horror-comedy fever dream Stay Funny. Stay Scared.

BABE
Two weirdos who travel through space and time to deliver you a multi-dimensional improv experience that will have you on the edge of your seat asking yourself, “what the hell is going to happen next?!”

CAST: Anthony Brazeau, Elizabeth Byland

Mouth Stuff
Often requested, always appreciated. It comes in many forms, and this one is long form improv. There might be talking animals. There might be science fiction. Topher will probably die. Only one thing is for sure—these hot, hip, Baltimore improvisers will take you on an epic improv journey. Join Mouth Stuff for a slow build up, a legendary climax, and maybe even a happy ending.

CAST: Daniel Costa, Darin Harm, Lisa Perrin, Lindy Rhodes

Chekhov’s Box, improv group or thought experiment? Come see a resident Coalition Theater House team and find out. You’re bound to leave with more questions than answers.

CAST: Emma Bailey, Kelly Barnes, Nathan Bemis, Lisa Cantrell, Quan Chau, Jamie Sneed

Stay Funny. Stay Scared.
A 25-minute fever dream examining the correlation between horror and comedy through characters, storytelling and good ol’ fashion fun. Erica was an exceptionally terrified child. Then one day, everything changed. She now watches movies like ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘It’ for fun. As it turns out, the connections between horror and comedy are more prevalent than we thought. Come watch ‘Stay Funny. Stay Scared’, her half-hour exploration of all things horror. Laugh at some spooky themed characters and be a part in discovering how to overcome the terror within.

CAST:Erica Diederich, Audrey Shaw

2nd Best Comedy Fest

02/13/2026

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