Your guide to the world of comedy — May 3, 2026
Welcome to The Jokebook, your weekly update on comedy. This week:
College Students Turn Attic Show into Festival
Comedians Are Cool with Crowd Work
Comedy Headlines
Specials, jobs, fests, and submissions
A scrappy group of Northwestern students hold shows in their Evanston attic. The venue, dubbed the “Prattic”, started as a small comedy experiment but grew into a de facto comedy club. The attic fits 100 people and has weekly open mics.
Jackson Heller, one of the students behind the Prattic, says their lease is up in June, which sparked an idea: go out with a bang with a festival.
Their fest, Prattic Fringe (May 7-11), rivals established ones. They booked major venues across Chicago, like IO Theater, The Annoyance, and Bughouse. Their marketing tactics are fun, like paying an Island Boy to shoutout the festival.
The festival is part of a broader effort to connect the Northwestern scene with Chicago. As the festival unfolds, show locations move from Evanston into Chicago. “It doesn't feel like there's any interplay between the two scenes,” says Jackson. “And there really should be.”
Below is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation with Jackson.
Poll: Comedians Are Cool with Crowd Work
We asked 29 comedians on Instagram how they feel about crowd work, and 90% are either actively using it or totally fine with it, while only 1 in 10 say they’re not a fan. Despite ongoing discourse, many comics aren’t resisting the trend. Comedian Matt Ruby notes that the algorithm “demands crowd work”. But it has potential downsides: on Reddit, many users say crowd work clips are creating more hecklers by making audiences expect to be part of the show.
Comedy Headlines
TV & Film
Someone bought the Late Show with Stephen Colbert sign for $102K on Ebay.
Pop Culture Jeopardy! returns to Amazon Prime Video on May 11 with Colin Jost.
Theo Von and David Spade’s Busboys grosses $1.65M on opening weekend, nearing half of its $3M budget, but with a 65% Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
Comedian Michael Turner shares that he bombed on Funny AF with Kevin Hart.
YouTube greenlights a new late-night show hosted by Ben Gleib, a push into digital-first talk shows as traditional formats shift.
FUNNY AF with Kevin Hart drops 10 tips from comedians like Kumail Nanjiani on what it takes to be a standout comic.
Olivia Rodrigo hosts SNL for the first time while serving as musical guest.
SNL UK taps Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa to host its final two episodes, closing out the show’s debut season.
The Scene
Matt Ruby argues comics shouldn’t get worked up over a certain non-comedian performing at Netflix Is a Joke Fest.
Dave Chappelle sets three shows at the Hollywood Palladium (May 7–9) as part of Netflix Is a Joke Fest.
NY Comic Rebecca Kaplan plans to do a fully clean 45-minute set in Cleveland after a guy told her women only do sex jokes.
Mark Normand releases a new Human Trials episode featuring an audience of only bald men, watch here.
Kill Tony inks a multiyear deal with Fox’s Red Seat Ventures, expanding distribution to Tubi and Fox One.
Marcus Monroe performs stand-up in the NYC subway dressed as Zohran Mamdani.
Jerry Seinfeld shares his daily habits he credits for brain function and creativity.
Sinbad announces a return to stand-up after suffering a stroke in 2020.
Specials, Releases, Tours
New specials from Sandi Benton (Prime/Apple, May 5), Evil Eye Comedy (Prime/Apple, May 5), Jenny Tian (YouTube, May 7), Anjelah Johnson (YouTube, May 10). Ari Shaffir released Jew on Netflix, his first on the platform, and appeared on Deadline’s Comedy Means Business podcast. Ania Magliano sets a U.S. tour. Please Don’t Destroy announced a summer tour.
Fests This Month
Netflix is a Joke · May 4–10 · Los Angeles
Asian Comedy Fest · May 5–7 · New York City
Prattic Fringe · May 7–11 · Chicago
Montreal Sketchfest · April 30–May 9 · Montreal, Canada
New Zealand Comedy Fest · May 1–24 · Auckland, New Zealand
Submissions
Thoroughbred Comedy Cup · Lexington, Kentucky. Bracket-style stand-up competition with multiple rounds; $500 cash prize. Fee: $20. Deadline: May 11. Submit here.
Sketchfest Chicago · Chicago, Illinois. Fee: $20 until May 13, $30 late. Deadline: May 27. Submit here.
Rise Comedy Festival · July 24–August 1, 2026 · Denver, Colorado. Fee: $40. Deadline: May 15. Submit here.
Good Karma Arts Festival · June 18–27, 2026 · East Coast (NH, CT, NY, NJ, MD). Fee: $25. Deadline: May 15. Submit here.
Bend Comedy Festival · September 4–6, 2026 · Bend, Oregon. Free (!) lodging, ground transportation, and professionally taped set. Fee: $35. Deadline: May 15. Submit here.
Make Em Laugh OK Comedy Festival · October 23–25, 2026 · Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sketch festival has PG-13 focus. Fee: $20. Deadline: May 15. Submit here.
Full list of festival submissions on our site here. We’re also partnering with Inside Comedy to track festival submissions better!
Comedy Jobs
The Comedy Cellar Floor Manager — New York, NY, $55K–$68K. Full-time role overseeing staff, customer service, and operations; requires prior NYC management experience and hospitality background.
SiriusXM / AdsWizz Associate Producer, Comedy — New York, NY, $51K–$54K. Full-time hybrid role supporting comedy programming, podcast production, guest booking, audio editing, and content scheduling across SiriusXM platforms.
United Talent Agency (UTA) Ticketing Operations Assistant — Los Angeles, CA, $23–$27/hr. Full-time role supporting music & comedy touring teams (ticketing, tour coordination, promoter + agent relations).
Casting Calls / One-Offs
Carnival Entertainment Stand-Up Comedian (Cruise Ship) — Worldwide, paid (contract-based). Perform ~5 shows/week across family-friendly and adult sets. Requires 90 mins total material (30 min clean + 2×30 adult). Must apply through an agent via [email protected].
Yelp Unscripted YouTube Series Comedian / On-Camera Talent — Los Angeles, CA, $250–$500. Comedy challenge series where comedians take on hands-on home service tasks; shoots late May–mid June.
That’s The Jokebook — your Sunday comedy update. Have something to share? Message us at [email protected].