Upcoming Events

It's that time again, friends! 11 Weeks, 40 Comedians, 39 Frowny Emoticons, ONE Champion. With almost all sold out shows, the best audiences of the year, and the ability to decide the winner, The Bloomington Comedy Festival returns for it's 11th year. Join us Wednesdays ALL SUMMER LONG as we crown The Funniest Person in Bloomington!

First Round

June 19th

June 26th

July 3rd

July 10th

Second Round

July 17th

July 24th

Quarterfinals

July 31st

August 7th

Semifinals

August 14th

August 21st

THE FINALS

August 28th

Esther Lauren Povitsky, also known as "Little Esther," is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer living in Los Angeles, California. She is the co-creator and star of the comedy series Alone Together.

Povitsky moved to Los Angeles to pursue stand-up comedy and acting full-time after attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studied comedy at iO Chicago, The Second City, and The Groundlings. She frequently performs stand-up comedy at venues throughout Los Angeles, California, including The Comedy Store, The Ice House, and The Improv.

She plays Maya on the critically acclaimed series Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Other recent television appearances include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Love, and Parks and Recreation. Povitsky also survived several rounds of 2015's Last Comic Standing (season 9), drawing praise from judge Roseanne Barr in particular.

Roy Wood Jr.’s comedy has entertained millions across stage, television and radio. Roy joined Comedy Central’s Emmy-winning “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” in 2015 as a correspondent. In 2017, he was named the new host of Comedy Central’s storytelling series, “This is Not Happening,” which returned with new episodes on February 1st. His first Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, “Father Figure,” premiered in 2017. This was followed by his Roy’s second Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, “Roy Wood Jr.: No One Loves You,” in January of 2019.

Entertainment Weekly has described the thought-provoking comedy of Roy Wood Jr. as “charismatic crankiness.” Prior to “The Daily Show,” Wood co-starred for two seasons on TBS’ “Sullivan & Son,” playing the loving drinking buddy of star Steve Byrne, who has returned to Pittsburgh to run the family bar.

Wood, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, began his comedy career in 1999 at the age of 19 while attending Florida A&M University. In October 2006, Wood made his network television debut on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” In 2008, he appeared on HBO’s historic “Def Comedy Jam” and was later selected by America as one of the top three finalists on “Last Comic Standing” on NBC. Wood is a regular on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” And has also appeared on ‘The Late Show with Seth Meyers’ and “Conan,” He has also performed for the troops on numerous USO tours in the Middle East and the Pacific Islands.

Wood in addition to his career in comedy & TV, Wood was also an award winning radio morning show host for 10 years in Birmingham (95.7 Jamz) and later for two years in Atlanta (KISS 104.1). His numerous prank calls are still a staple to this day on nationally syndicated ‘Rickey Smiley Morning Show’

Each year, we celebrate our Anniversary with a 100% benefit for a local organization we believe in starring one of the best comedians in the business.

September 19th, we celebrate our 11th birthday by raising much needed funds for Stepping Stones with one of the best comedians on Earth, Ron Funches!

Stepping Stones, a program of Centerstone, provides transitional housing and supportive services to youth 16-20 years old who are experiencing homelessness. We provide a supportive community where young people experiencing homelessness can develop skills to live independently. We welcome youth regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, national origin, creed, religion or disability. We are located in Bloomington, Indiana.

Stepping Stones’ goal is to provide a supportive community that encourages young people to make decisions that positively affect their lives and prepare them for the future. Our program has two over arching components: transitional housing and independent living.

What We Offer

Ron Funches is a triple threat. He is an excellent stand up comedian, actor and writer.

Ron has built an impressive acting resume. Whether it's lending his voice to projects like Trolls, Bob's Burgers, and Adventure Time. Or his memorable acting roles on The Goldbergs, Black•ish, New Girl, Transparent, Powerless, and Undateable. He even made being a gang member likable in the film Get Hard.

His personal appearances include Conan, The Tonight Show, @midnight, Chopped, Cupcake Wars and many more.

Ron is a great writer too. His writing credits include The Eric Andre Show, Kroll Show and several television pilots.

He currently has a one hour comedy special on Comedy Central.

Ron is also a pretty solid dad and friend. He lives in Southern California with his son.