HUNTERS POINT — Move over, guys. Girls are in town to bust your gut.
From Tina Fey to Sarah Silverman, comediennes are taking center stage. To acknowledge their growing popularity, a Long Island City club is organizing its first festival for funny ladies, the She-Devil Comedy Festival.
Some 250 comedians from the U.S. and abroad, including Canada and England, applied, according to Steve Hofstetter from the Laughing Devil Comedy Club, which organized the event. About 70 women are expected to perform.
“There will be a number of fantastic acts,” Hofstetter said.
There will also be about 10 special guests, including Ophira Eisenberg, the host of the NPR trivia show “Ask Me Another,” and Veronica Mosey, who has appeared on Comedy Central and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
Contestants will be competing for a cash prize of about $1,000.
“But the main prize is that you are seen by a ton of industry,” said Hofstetter, adding that the panel of judges will include Allison Cohn, a casting professional who has worked at Comedy Central in Los Angeles and booked talent on various specials, including the "Roasts" and "The Last Laugh" shows.
Carmen Lynch, a Brooklyn-based comedienne who will perform during the festival, said it doesn’t matter whether you are a man, or a woman. “If you work hard, you’ll get there,” said Lynch, who has been doing stand-up comedy for about 10 years.
“It’s important to make sure you are having a good time,” added the comedienne, who has been seen on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" and was a finalist on the first season of NBC's "Last Comic Standing."
Lynch, a former flamenco dancer of Spanish heritage, is ready to include a lot of autobiographical material and some observations in her acts.
“You get to do anything you want and you don’t have to answer to anyone,” she said about stand-up comedy. “You can change your jokes, you can try new things and that’s very liberating.”
The She-Devil Comedy Festival will run from Oct. 24 through Oct. 28. To get more information, go here.
