Local Comedy Line-up Announced for NCFF Comedy Night’s Herd Mentality: Stand-up Showdown – April 12

Sit down and buckle up, it’s about to get rowdy when the Nevada City Film Festival (NCFF) and The BVNKR (bun-ker) co-present the opening night of NCFF’s Comedy Nights with Herd Mentality: Stand Up Showdown, Friday, April 12 at the historic Nevada Theatre. The inaugural event features over a dozen of the top local and regional comedians bringing their best acts and funniest jokes in hopes the audience will vote for them to secure the opening slot at Saturday night’s headlining live comedy show with Irene Tu and Ian Lara.

“NCFF has a history of showcasing exceptional talents before they become big stars,” says Jesse Locks, executive director. “We’ve welcomed such infamous characters as Marc Maron, Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, Beth Stelling, Brett Gelman, Eric Andre, Nick Kroll, Natasha Leggero, Kyle Kinane, John Early and Kate Berlant to name a few. The BVNKR has the same relationship with curating stellar lineups and show with emerging new talent and voices.”

The BVNKR is Nevada County’s premier stand-up comedy coalition. Formed in 2020 with the intention of providing comics a place to work and work out, The BVNKR soon evolved into a community for stand-up fans, newcomers to comedy – on either side of the mic – and seasoned comedians alike, and continues its dedication to cultivating community, comedy and bringing laughter to Nevada County and beyond. 

Herd Mentality is the brainchild of local comedian and event producer Michaela King. Over the last four years, King has been producing and hosting comedy shows at Gold Vibe Kombuchary, Miners Foundry, and Nevada Theatre, that have showcased an array of local and regional comedians, and built a scene of supportive and excited audiences.  

“It’s been really rewarding watching the local comedy scene grow and evolve over the last few years,” explains King. “And audiences have been so supportive and willing to take chances on new faces exploring a wide range of topics. But everyone is having a blast and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”

Herd Mentality features an all-star lineup of Nevada County favorites Tom Wolfe, Audrey Delgado, Jori Phillips, Tyler Cantu, John Bivens, Zani Salvatore, Jon Shea, and Ganga Das; Reno/Tahoe’s finest Mo Gobena, David Gamble Jr., Andrea B and Sara Rooker and two excellent Sacramento-based comedians, Mark Snipes and Imin J Love.  

Each artist was invited by King because of their quality and commitment to the craft. They will have the opportunity to perform a fast and furious five-minute set (a “tight five”) to audiences, who will then vote at the end of the evening for who they thought was the best and should open for headliners Irene Tu and Ian Lara on Saturday night. The top three from the evening will also each take home a cash prize.

“Due to the constraint of a tight five, everyone is bringing their a-game,” says King. “As a comic it’s a little scary, but very exciting. For the audience, it’s going to be so much fun.”

Saturday night’s headliners are Irene Tu, an LA-based stand-up comedian, actor and writer who honed her chops in San Francisco. Her first comedy album WE’RE DONE NOW debuted in March of this year at #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Irene has performed at Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival. Paste Magazine praised Irene’s “quick wit, relaxed stage presence, and hilariously off-the-wall observations” in this album that “ticks all the boxes of a winning introduction, and then some.” She was named one of Vulture’s “Comedians You Should and Will Know” and singled out in The SF Chronicle as an “artist on the brink of fame.”

Joining Irene is New York City based comedian Ian Lara. He found internet success when he recorded his “Comedy Central Stand up Featuring” which has garnered over 10 million views, he also made an appearance on the first season of “NBC’s Bring the Funny” and made his late-night debut on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon all in the same year. He was a regular player on ‘This week at the Comedy Cellar’ on Comedy Central with his second Comedy Central set hitting the 10 million views mark yet again.