TC Comedy Fest Announces Rory Scovel, More Headliners

The 2024 Traverse City Comedy Fest will feature headliners including Rory Scovel, Zainab Johnson, Joe List, Dwayne Kennedy, and Norm Stulz, festival producers the Downtown Traverse City Association and SamRose Entertainment announced Monday.

This year's festival - taking place January 31-February 3, 2024 - will feature 80-plus performers from across Michigan and the U.S. The lineup includes the return of multiple events from the inaugural festival, including Hip-Prov, Daily Dozen, Comedy Rumble, Clean Comedy Showcase, The Sal & Bob Show, Jokes On You, Kamikaze Comedy, Eyes Up Here, Next Up Showcase, The Nightcap: The Dirty Show, Open Mic, and Comedy Karaoke.

Headliner Rory Scovel can currently be seen starring as Danny in Apple TV+’s hour-long series Physical, as well as in Paramount Picture’s Babylon. Prior to that, he starred in I Feel Pretty opposite Amy Schumer and can be seen in New Line’s feature The House, ABC’s Modern Family, and NBC’s Superstore, as well as in his Comedy Central series Robbie, which he also created. His stand-up special Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up for the First Time is on Netflix. 

Zainab Johnson is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Johnson debuted her one-hour comedy special Hijabs Off on Amazon Prime Video, is currently a series regular on the Amazon Original hit series Upload from Greg Daniels, and co-hosts the Netflix show 100 Humans. Joe List is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor whose movie Fourth of July (directed by Louis C.K) played theaters across the U.S. List's latest one-hour special, This Year’s Material, premiered on his YouTube page in April. His previous special, I Hate Myself, was released by Comedy Central in 2020.

Dwayne Kennedy is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer.  As a producer, he won a 2019 Emmy Award Winner for the CNN original series United Shades of America. Winner of Best Comedian at the 2002 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Kennedy has performed on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. With a career spanning over forty years, Norm Stulz has graced comedy clubs, cruise ships, and theaters across the nation. He has been described as "Michigan's premier storyteller," earning a following for his long-form comedy.

In addtion to the above headliners, the 2024 Traverse City Comedy Fest will "feature an expanded improv scene this year, with four groups performing – plus a performance by Big Fun Murder, a completely improvised murder mystery show," according to a festival release. In addition to returning festival venues – including the City Opera House, Traverse City Comedy Club, Encore 201, The Workshop Brewing Company, and Hotel Indigo – this year’s event will include two new venues: the Old Town Playhouse and The Alluvion.

Tickets for the 2024 Traverse City Comedy Fest are on sale now online.