Rogue Island Comedy Festival celebrates 10 years of good times

The festival takes place Oct. 9-14 with a robust lineup of comedians to mark milestone

About ten years ago, Doug Key eyed Newport’s robust festival lineup, featuring music ranging from folk to jazz and classical, food events celebrating local seafood, dance performances and film screenings, and thought something was missing: a comedy festival. Key, a stand-up comedian, actor and producer, found Newport to be the perfect market for such an event.

“Comedy is one of those things where you watch it as a kid on Comedy Central,” he says. “People think it’d be cool to be a comedian, but for most people it stays a dream.”

He took a comedy class in Rhode Island to introduce him to the state’s stand-up scene. There Key met other comedians and producers, and he learned how shows work and how to operate one.

Growing up in Portsmouth and Newport, Key knew there were no standup comedy shows for entry-level
comedians in the area. “Back in the day, the Newport Yachting Center had big names under this tent, including Amy Schumer,” remembers Key. “Sadly, it closed down, and there were no more comedy clubs.”

Key’s interest in comedy led him to produce his first show at Empire Tea & Coffee on Broadway in Newport, where the back room boasts a little stage and can host around 50 people. Aiming to grow his show, he reached out to the Firehouse Theater, which hosts improv on the weekends.

“I got the late night time slot at 10 p.m., one Friday a month, for my show: ‘The Wasted Talent Show’,” Key says, laughing.

Katie Latimer, a friend who crossed paths with Key in the comedy world, helped him promote his new show.

“I saw he started a Facebook event for his ‘Wasted Talent Show’ and said, ‘You’re going to need more than a Facebook event. Want some help?’” Latimer recalls.

With the combination of his knowledge of comedy shows and her skills in building an online presence, “The Wasted Talent Show” sold out every month, hosting 90 to 100 audience members each night.

Seeking to advance his career, Key moved to New York City, the mecca of stand-up comedy, and started talking to people about his hometown.

“People know what Newport is all about,” he says. “To do what they love in a beautiful town was appealing to them.”

That got Key thinking about hosting a comedy festival in the City-by-the-Sea. He realized he could draw some talented names and knew restaurant owners with the right spaces to hold performances. He founded the Rogue Island Comedy Festival in the fall of 2015, created a lineup of comedians from his network and joined forces with Latimer to market the event. It remains Rhode Island’s only comedy festival.

“I help with the online presence — everything from the website to posters, social media, print work and online ticketing,” says Latimer. “I’ve been on board since year one, and we’ve grown and grown in marketing with social media as a huge factor.”

The 10th annual Rogue Island Comedy Festival is a multi-day event offering shows packed with a variety of comedy. The fall festival will be held Oct. 9–14 at varying venues. Each show will feature about six performers showcasing a diverse lineup of comedic styles.

Audience members can see both new comics and returning festival performers like comedian and actor Mark Normand, who performed at the debut festival and has appeared on TBS’s CONAN, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Normand has two Netflix specials and will appear at the Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Comedian and filmmaker Ray Harrington is another local favorite who closes out the last show of the festival each year. That performance will be Monday, Oct. 14 at The Wayfinder Hotel in Newport.

“It’s been so wonderful to watch the festival grow, from chatting with Doug in a greenroom before a show about how he was thinking about starting a festival all the way to now, where it’s a twice-a-year event,” says Harrington. “It’s rare when you find a sincere and positive comedy event, and I’m so glad it’s right in Rhode Island with amazing friends.”

Other returning headliners from the past decade include Andy Haynes and Sam Tallent. Ragged Island Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, and Firehouse Theater in Newport, are among the performance venues.

Neither Key nor Latimer anticipated the Rogue Island Comedy Festival would become an annual event, never mind grow to feature a fall fest on Columbus Day weekend and a spring fest on Memorial Day weekend. But thanks to great feedback from the community and comedians, they’re celebrating its 10th anniversary.

“I’m very proud it has had a great reputation, and we kept it going,” says Latimer. “Doug and I are great friends and turned into an even better team, and have grown as people over the years with the festival.”

Both are filled with pride at having brought a wide array of talent to their home state.

“Once the show kicks off and I watch people begin to laugh, I can sit back and enjoy the show,” Key says.

“I’ve seen the names, put them on posters, tickets and lanyards, but I don’t see [performers] till they’re on stage, so it’s a lot of fun for me,” explains Latimer, who doesn’t travel the comedy circuit like Key does.

The performers also get to watch their peers onstage and enjoy the shows.

“[There are] a lot of ‘comics watching from the back of the room’ kinds of shows and those are always the best,” says Harrington. “I always feel the push to be better and rise to the occasion when I do Rogue. I love that.”

After the shows, comedians mingle with one another and meet audience members, creating a sense of community.

“Too many comedy festivals are in name only and can have a pretty soulless feeling,” says Harrington. “What Doug and Katie and everyone involved have created is that beautiful thing that can’t be measured really.”

Key and Latimer enjoy seeing tourists who didn’t know the festival existed Google “things to do in Newport this weekend” and be blown away by the show. “It’s a testament to what we do, and I’m really proud of myself and Katie,” says Key.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of it all and come back for that tradition of closing out the fest,” says Harrington. “It’s very meaningful to me and it always fills my comedy tank. Who knows? Maybe this will be the year I finally crowd surf out of the room at the end of my set. Ambulances will be standing by just in case.”

“I love the blend of our community with these comics from all over the world because that’s the true festival vibe,” says Key. “It’s a celebration of comedy.”

For more information about the Rogue Island Comedy Festival, including the full lineup and how to buy tickets, visit www.rogueislandcomedyfest.com.