Prague International Festival of Comedy

The Prague International Festival of Comedy (PIFCO) is the largest international comedy festival in the Czech Republic. Established in 2018, it takes place annually in Prague over ten days, typically running through the first ten days of November. Performances are held in venues throughout the city. The PIFCO follows the steps of the PRAHAha International Comedy Festival, which took place in 2016, hosting 53 artists both from the Czech Republic and abroad. The festival was a huge success, nevertheless it was only a one-time event. The PIFCO plays host to a plethora of local and international artists; in 2018 the festival will list 29 shows, (including 4 free performances) by 50 artists. Although it is mainly a vehicle for stand-up and cabaret acts, the festival has also included sketch shows, improvisational theatre, debates, musical shows and workshops.

2016 Edition

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One of the Festival Venues
 
2016 Festival Performers
 
Petr "Nasty" Cerha facing chirps

The international festival was organized by the endowment fund “Nadační Fond Comedy in Prague,“ a nonprofit trust in accordance with Czech Law. Its mission was to provide a humorous, international, and multilingual cultural exchange where people from different countries, backgrounds & ages meet and connect through comedy.

The festival welcomed more than 4,500 guests in several venues around Prague, attracting both tourists and residents of Prague. Audience members were of all ages and nationalities, with a strong focus on comedy, travel, and other cultures.[1]

57 comedians coming from 17 different countries were performing in three different languages (Czech, German, English). The headliners were Andrew Maxwell, Alfred Dorfer and Lars Reichow.[2]

The festival director was Lynn Tourki,[3] a small person loving witty humor and sarcasm.[4]

Czech Shows

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  Adéla Elbel   Arnošt Frauenberg   Dominik Heřman Lev   Ester Kočičková
  Jakub Žáček   Jiří Harnach   Karel Hynek   Lucie Macháčková
  Martin Vasquez   Ondřej "En.Dru" Havlík   Pavel Tomeš   Petr "Nasty" Cerha
  Petr Vydra   Radek Petráš   Vojta Záveský

German Shows

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  Alfred Dorfer   Caroline Ebner   Lars Reichow   Christian Schulte-Loh
  Frank Smilgies   Norbert Bürger   Sebastian Rüger   Urban Priol

English Shows

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  Adrián Minkowicz   Yianni Agisilaou   Ivan Kirkov   David Tsonos
  Mark Palmer   Sophie Hagen   Andrew Maxwell   Ryan McDonnell
  Marcel Lucont   Zoe Lyons   Becky Brunning   Carly Smallmann
  Charmaine Davies   Dave Thompson   Gareth Berliner   Geoff Whiting
  Jason Patterson   John Gordillo   Joseph Wilson   Mark Meier
  Matt Price   Matthew Bayliss   Maureen Younger   Nathan Caton
  Simon Feilder   Tamar Broadbent   Tom Toal   Johnny Kats
  Péter Felméri   Kris Szumowski   Marcin Stempień   Peter Szumowski
  Isac Radu   Anastasia Goncharuk

2018 Edition

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The Festival is currently being planned. More updates will be available very soon.

Awards

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As of 2018, the PIFCO ends its run by recognizing the most outstanding show and performer with an award for his or her outstanding lifetime achievement to comedy. The award is presented to the best act as selected by a special committee and festival sponsors

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Czech Press Agency (4 October 2016). "Festival stand-up comedy bude začátkem listopadu v Praze". Deník.
  2. ^ Filip Nachtmann (4 October 2016). "Komici z celého světa míří do Česka. Na festival PRAHAha". Týden.
  3. ^ Jana Orzan (5 November 2016). "Festival stand-up komedie". Czech TV.
  4. ^ Jan Velinger (29 October 2016). "Stand-up comedy takes centre stage in Prague". Czech Radio.
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