New York Underground Comedy Festival All-Stars

event schedule

Mark Riccadonna
The minute Mark Riccadonna gets onstage, you'll laugh and feel like you've known him forever. He is so unusually funny in his delivery, unique voice and his uncanny likeability onstage and off, so much so that he is becoming one of the fastest rising stars on the comedy scene today. Can't catch this rising star and put him in your pocket? He'd burn a hole right through it! Mark's alrea
dy nabbed several national commercials including McDonald's and Visa. He's a much needed breath of fresh air in comedy. A Must see for young and old. On top of being one of the fastest rising stars in New Yorks comedy scene. Mark also has been involved in theater, sketch comedy, improv, television appearances, Promotional work and Advertisements. Mark currently works with a film company and is a cast member of "The Man Hole" comedy series (available on DVD). Marks energy brings you right into his world and allows you to go to emotional roller coaster living though different things throughout Marks life. Growing up in small town Ohio with dreams of college football. A serious injury puts Marks life on hold. To his surprise, destiny fell onto his lap and making him a theater major and one of the hardest working comics in New York. Marks Theater Resume ranges from Shakespeare to modern contemporary plays and will be performing off broadway next fall and just wrapped a major motion picture over the fall.



Carole Montgomery
With over 2 dozen television credits to her name, CAROLE MONTGOMERY is an respected veteran of the standup comedy scene nationwide. In addition to her numerous tv appearances, Carole has headlined clubs & colleges across the USA and starred in 2 different Las Vegas production shows. In her ten years as a LAS VEGAS STAR, it is estimated that she has been seen by over 5 million audience members.

Audiences feel like she's sitting in their living room, saying the things they'd never say.
Her edgy, truthful style of comedy is a tribute to her hero, Richard Pryor.

THE LAS VEGAS SUN calls Carole "one of Vegas’ premier comics".
THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS says Carole is "one of the pioneering female comics of the modern era". THE SEATTLE TIMES calls Carole "one of the strongest women working today".

Carole was also a featured performer at the MONTREAL JUST FOR LAUGHS & BOSTON COMEDY FESTIVALS as well as coproducer of the NYC UNDERGROUND COMEDY FESTIVAL.

Check out her website
carolemontgomery.com



Felicia Michaels
Arriving in Hollywood with $40 dollars to her name, Felicia Michaels quickly found herself honing her comedy skillz at the Laugh Factory, Improv and Comedy Store. She was soon able to abandon her "day job" and support herself entirely via stand-up work, performing across the country on college campuses and "A-room" comedy clubs.

She has appeared with her comedy on such networks as MTV, A&E, COMEDY CENTRAL, VH1 and SHOWTIME. Not to mention NBC, ABC and FOX. She soon found herself becoming a COMEDY GRAND CHAMPION on STAR SEARCH.

Playing with and defying stereotypes, Michaels initially presented herself on stage as the quintessential "dumb blonde." But after several years of telling jokes in her high heels, she came to the conclusion that if she spent more time writing jokes then blow drying and maintaining her dried out blonde tresses, her new monologue would soon be filled with stronger more insightful reflections, it becomes apparent that intellect and wit are alive and well in this soft spoken talent.

She is known to have raised quite a few eyebrows by refusing to allow her gender tame her material.

An "Army Brat" who was used to moving about, Michaels never flinched when it came to the rigorous travel schedule that a stand-up comedy career demanded. She enjoyed the raucous laughter and the chasing of planes for tour dates, thirty-five weeks a year. Most importantly, she relished grasping for the exciting moments on stage when sharing clarity and laughter with the audience members in front of her over ideas.

The 35 week a year travel schedule resulted in Felicia not only being nominated for an AMERICAN COMEDY AWARD two years in a row, but also managing to win the award itself for FUNNIEST FEMALE.

Along with doing comedy Felicia also found time to attend film school at NYU, which led her to her writing and directorial debut with the short film "In the Weeds," which received a CINE EAGLE AWARD. This led her to work as an actor, assistant director and line producer on Mitch Hedberg's film "Los Enchiladas."

A passion for photography has always plagued Felicia as well, leading her to find time to teach underserved children photography along the side of many admired photographers, including Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Clarence Williams. She recently received first place at the PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE COMPETITION in Paris ,for her photo documentary project "Stand Up / Stripped Down." Her project documents the mystery of what happens backstage in the shadows that lead from the green room to the power of the stage, leading one to visually understand the loneliness
and process of being a cultural whistleblower.

Felicia's comedy CD "Lewd Awakenings" is available on itunes, and landed Felicia on XM SATELLITE's list of top 100 jokes. All this while raising two young boys as a single mother.

www.feliciamichaels.net



Stephen Kruiser
AFTRA/SAGA review early in his career referred to Stephen Kruiser as “…an intense young comic who has great instincts.” Showing that none of his intensity has diminished with adulthood, a 1999 review likened his onstage persona to that of “a charging rhino.” That energy has left audiences all over the world breathless from laughter. The following is a small sampling of the venues in which he has performed:

Media
Host of “Planet Kruiser” on RFCRadio.com
“Red Eye”-Fox News Channel
PJTV: Co-hosted live “Tax Day Tea Party” coverage
“Strategy Room”-FoxNews.com
A&E’s “An Evening At The Improv”
A&E’s “Comedy On The Road”

Clubs
The Improvisation-Hollywood
Gotham Comedy Club-New York
The Laugh Factory-Hollywood
Stand Up New York-New York
Zanies-Chicago, St. Charles
Hilarities-Cleveland
Catch A Rising Star-Las Vegas, Reno, Princeton & Atlantic City
The Funny Bone-Pittsburgh
Chicago Comedy Festival- 2000 & 2001
NYC Underground Comedy Festival- 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009

Stage
“The Last Piece Of My Mind” (One-man show written & performed by Stephen Kruiser/Directed by Kent Bateman)
“The Sisters Rosensweig” (Geoffrey Duncan)
Voice-Over
“Dead Leaves” (various)
“Burn Up Xcess” (various)
Writing
Suite 101.com- Political Humor Contributing Editor (2000-2002)
“Guide To Becoming A Stand-Up Comic (Published by Fabjob.com, 2001)
“The Poop Sheet”-Daily Contributing Editor (1996)
“Kruiser’s Outrage”- (TV Pilot, 1996)
“Sporting Off”- (TV Pilot, 1996/Co-writer)
Military
Kunsan AFB-Korea
Vandenburg AFB-CA
Edwards AFB-CA

www.twitter.com/stephenkruiser



Leighann Lord
Smart, sexy, savvy, and funny, Leighann Lord’s "heads up humor" is stand-up comedy at it’s finest. Inspired by the brilliance of George Carlin, the smooth jazz style of Franklyn Ajaye, and the elegance of Rita Rudner, Leighann has crafted her own unique brand of Thinking Cap Comedy. It’s no wonder she received the NYC Black Comedy Award for "The Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic."

A New York City native who’s entertained around the world, Leighann Lord’s stand-up style is not urban; it’s urbane. She has performed for audiences in North America, Europe, the Carribean and for U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Leighann is a regular on the Fox News online show, The Strategy Room, where she gives her informed and funny take on politics, world news and current events. Her popular weekly humor column, Leighann Lord’s Comic Perspective is featured on StageTimeMagazine. She is also a frequent contributor to FoxNew.com’s Team Washington Blog and The Huffington Post.

Leighann is heard often on XM Sirius Satellite Radio and has appeared on numerous stand-up comedy shows including Girls Night Out (Lifetime), The Original Def Comedy All Star Jam (HBO), The View (ABC), Premium Blend (Comedy Central), The World Stands Up (Comedy Central) and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen. It’s not hard to see why Improper Magazine named Leighann Lord one of New York’s 10 Hottest Comics. Her web site, VeryFunnyLady.com, says it all!