SNL and 30 Rock writer Hannibal Buress, performing with Skrillex at YouTube Comedy Week in Culver City, Calif., in 2013, will take the stage at Northwest Comedy Fest.Mark Davis/Getty Images
He is best known as the host of The Late Late Show, but when Craig Ferguson takes the stage at the Northwest Comedy Fest, the Scottish-born comedian – one of the latest in a recent string of high-profile funnymen to exit late-night TV – is returning to his standup roots.
Currently on his Hot and Grumpy tour, Mr. Ferguson is among the high-profile comedians to appear at the second annual festival, which this year teamed up with Just For Laughs to land bigger-name talent.
Another is comedian, actor and former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock writer Hannibal Buress, who has starred alongside comedy heavyweights from Amy Poehler to Seth Rogen, and more recently gained mainstream fame when a routine he did about Bill Cosby's history of sexual-assault allegations went viral and triggered a flood of fresh accusations.
Also in the lineup are fast-rising comedian and SNL writer John Mulaney, creator and star of the new Fox series Mulaney; writer and comedian Maria Bamford, whom Rolling Stone named one of its 50 funniest people; and L.A.-based funnyman Moshe Kasher, who has gained a faithful following with his podcasts, Netflix special and memoir Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16.
A live taping of the CBC Radio show The Debaters is also on tap for next Saturday. "It's off the cuff and it's happening right in front of you, and there is so much variety because there are all these different acts debating different topics," says festival director Heather Wallace. "It's such a popular show, and it's great to be able to see it in person."
For this year's festival, organizers also teamed up with the Vancouver Film Festival, and in addition to showing comedy shorts by local up-and-comers at Vancity Theatre, they're paying tribute to late comedy legend Robin Williams with a screening of Good Morning, Vietnam and a panel discussion before the film.
According to Ms. Wallace, the fest – which has comedians performing at the Vogue, the Centre, the Rio, the Biltmore and the city's major comedy clubs – may not be the largest, but it's a great place to catch a few big names as well as hot up-and-comers.
"You go to Just For Laughs and it's overwhelming, just so big and amazing, whereas I like to think of us as a boutique version of that," she says. "And fans in Vancouver are smart and enthusiastic and they get comedy, and we are also known for having tougher audiences, so artists love coming and performing here."