The Center for the Arts Hosts the 47th San Francisco Stand-up Comedy Competition

The San Francisco Comedy Competition is an annual, multi-week, judged, stand-up comedy contest. Over thirty comedians, out of hundreds who apply, perform in shows held in comedy clubs, bars, restaurants, casinos, and theaters in San Francisco and around the Bay Area. No other festival or TV show can claim to have discovered as many future comedy superstars as the annual San Francisco Comedy Competition. The list begins with the likes of Louis C.K., Dana Carvey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Robin Williams.

Many talented comedians have since emerged from this annual event to become major stars. It could be argued that the San Francisco Comedy Competition helps turn them into diamonds, as it is a true contest that develops its contestants by forcing them to adjust to a variety of audiences – in comedy clubs, colleges, casinos, and theaters – while enduring the strain of an extended road trip.

For the evening, ten semi-finalists, the top performers from two preliminary rounds, will perform their best ten minutes for five chances to advance to the finals. The San Francisco Stand-up Comedy Competition shares the same basic format and structure as the Seattle International Comedy Competition — and both competitions share the same Executive Producer, Jon Fox. 

Hosting the competition is the hilarious Ellis Rodriguez, a stand-up comedian from Northern California and one of the fastest-rising comedians today. Ellis was the winner of the San Francisco Comedy Competition, a finalist in both the Las Vegas World Series of Comedy, ‘Comedy Central’s Up Next’, and ‘Stand Up NBC’ comedy showcases. He is a favorite at comedy clubs across the West Coast including the Improv, Laughs Unlimited, Tommy T’s, PepperBelly’s, and the Laugh Factory. He has also performed in filmed showcases including Shaq’s All-Star Jam, Laugh’s On FOX, and Comedy Central & Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City. 

This will be a night of laughs you won’t want to miss for the 47th San Francisco Stand-up Comedy Competition at The Center for the Arts on September 14, 2023.  

Since 2000, The Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, has grown into a leading presenter of music, dance, theater, comedy, literary and visual art, and family programming, offering more than 150 events per year from its location in downtown Grass Valley. The Center recently completed a major renovation of its multiuse, 21,000-square-foot facility in downtown Grass Valley, making it a premier performing arts destination. The venue includes the Main Stage, which accommodates up to 492 guests in configurable theater seats and up to 700 patrons for dance shows, and a 90-seat studio theater.