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Traject Haags Comedy Festival 2014

What conditions must my act meet to be eligible for the competition?

If you participate in the competition of the Haags Comedy Festival 2014, you must have an English (General English or General American Civilized English) comedy routine of at least 15 minutes. Please read the conditions carefully before you register.

Competition Haags Comedy Festival 2014

Who can participate?

The Haags Comedy Festival 2014 is open to all forms of stand-up comedy. For the beginners we have an open mic. For the competitive comedians we organize a competition in comedy. The essence of Stand-up comedy is narration and improvisation. Other theatrical devices, such as costumes, and make-up, are considered less important. Finalists from the Haags Comedy Festival 2013 are excluded from participation from the competition. If you take part in other comedy competitions you are free to take part in the open mic’s but you can’t take part in the competition. The open mic is in Dutch.

Is there an age limit to participate in the Haags Comedy Festival 2014?

There is no age limit in the regulations, everyone is welcome. We particularly encourage expatriates, ethnic minorities and women to participate.

How do I register for the Haags Comedy Festival?

To sign up for the festival you do the following:

  • Go to www.haagscomedyfestival.com/register.
  • Check your availability before you sign up, all semifinalists need to attend the try-out. All finalists the tour.
  • Subscribe to The Hague Comedy Festival 2014, from September 15th until September 21st Complete the application before 6th September 23.59.00. From 23.59.00 the registration is closed.
  • Add a biography and a short piece about your comedy routine.
  • Deposite 50 euros contribution to our account number 0006094165 NL58 INGB of Haags Comedy Festival. This payment has to be done at September 21st If you are not selected, It will be refunded in 4 weeks.
  • You can submit your video with a youtube link or a vimeo link. If your video is given to us any other way, it will not be reviewed. You will be able to paste your video link into the registration form. Please make sure your video link works and it goes to the video you want us to watch. Make sure it is not unlisted. There are several of us watching your video.

How important is my video?

We can’t stress the importance of your video! Everyone gets picked from the video they submit. Make sure the video you give us is a good video. The better the video, the better your chances. We would like your video to be at least 12 minutes long. The video can be longer, but we will only be watching the first 12 minutes and no more than 12 minutes. If you have a 2 minute interview or intro or something that is not your standup, that means that less of your standup will be reviewed and that will hurt your chances of getting selected. It is okay to send a video that has been edited. The video doesn’t have to be edited, but it is okay to do so.

How is my video submission judged?

Each video will be watched and judged by a jury. All judging ballots will be added together for each comic and a point total will be given. On 24th of September a list of the 8 semifinalists will be posted on facebook and on our website.

Judges will be looking at least at these key categories:

Originality: Have we heard these jokes before from another comic? An email? On the street? Did you use “easy” jokes such as sex, bowel movements, or the objects inside your nose? Were you able to be funny without being too dirty?

Stage Presence an Improvisation: Did you seem comfortable on stage? Did you shake, stutter, or just blank out? Did you talk to the entire room? Did you look down or look up too much?

Overall: Your entire performance as a whole.

The video is part of your registration form, which has to be submitted before September 21st at 23:59.

The jury looks at your material and selects the semifinalists which will be posted on facebook and the website on 8th of September.

Why should I join?

This is the second edition of the Haags Comedy Festival 2014. Along with many organizations in the sector, we want English comedy talent to grow. The price for the finalists is to take part in a tour. The Jury Award winner will attend an international tour and wins the jackpot. The finalists Daveson Ignatia and Fabian Francis of the first edition had gigs in New York. Also, all finalists appeared on Regio TV, a broadcasting network with 236.000 viewers.

What are the key dates?

• Registration from 15th of September until 21st of September

• September 24th announced 8 Semi finalists and judges on facebook

• Try-out Kroepoekfabriek or Uitfestival

October 2nd @ Kroepoekfabriek Vlaardingen, four semi-finalists 10 minutes

• Festival of the Paard Café

October 15th 1st Semi-final, four semi-finalists 15 minutes

October 29th 2nd Semi-final, four semi-finalists 15 minutes

• November 5th announced four finalists and judges on facebook

• November 19th Finale, four finalists 15 minutes

• Finalists Tour in 2015 at various locations in the Netherlands. At the end we are planning a surprise tour abroad. Check our playlist when you submit, all finalist have to attend to whole tour. If the dates change though time and the comedian will be informed in advance.

Yes I am selected!

In September we will contact all comedians for a briefing. Here we give you all the details. Semi-finals and the final are in a good comedy-setting. The venue you will be playing at the finals is the Paard Café. It’s a very nice location in the city center of The Hague. We host 50-100 visitors an evening.

What follows after the video submission?

The semi-finalists will be scheduled for the try-out in the Kroepoekfabriek on 2nd of October. From here you go directly to the semifinals. During the try-out, you have 12 tight minutes to play to an audience in Vlaardingen.

The semifinals of the Hague Comedy Festival 2014 will take place on Wednesday 15th and 29th of October. The final of the Hague Comedy Festival 2014 will take place on Wednesday, November 19th 2014. Check your availability on these dates and keep them free in your diary!

Yes I am selected!

In September we will contact all comedians for a briefing. Here we give you all the details. Semi-finals and the final are in a good comedy-setting. The venue you will be playing at the finals is the Paard Café. It’s a very nice location in the city center of The Hague. We host 50-100 visitors an evening.

What follows after the video submission?

The semi-finalists will be scheduled for the try-out in the Kroepoekfabriek on 2nd of October. From here you go directly to the semifinals. During the try-out, you have 12 tight minutes to play to an audience in Vlaardingen.

The semifinals of the Hague Comedy Festival 2014 will take place on Wednesday 15th and 29th of October. The final of the Hague Comedy Festival 2014 will take place on Wednesday, November 19th 2014. Check your availability on these dates and keep them free in your diary!

So how do the Semifinals work?

The semifinals will take place on Wednesday, October 15th and Wednesday, October 29th, 2014. The semifinal is spread over two evenings, on both nights there will be four semifinalists. At the end of the evenings there will also be guest appearances of famous comedians. Every night there is at least one juror physically in the room that will address all semifinalists. Recordings will be made from all acts so the other jurors will be able to judge them. On Wednesday, November 5th the four finalists will be announced via Facebook. Both the jury reports and the acts themselves will be published on facebook. Those comedians will appear on the final on Wednesday, November 19th in the Paard Café.

So how does the Finale work?

As said, he grand finale will take place at the Paard Café on Wednesday, November 19th 2013. This is the most important night of the festival. Then we will know who wins the the Jury Award, the Audience Award and Personality of the the Haags Comedy Festifal 2014 (The latter only if the jury decides to award that prize). The jury this year consists of big names in comedy like Roel C. Verburg and Bob Maclaren (The Comedy Café Amsterdam.)

Finalists Tour.

The finalists tour takes place in 2015, check your availability before you sign up. The playlist will appear at registration online. All the finalists will play their comedy routine and will be MC. With the proceeds from the tour we will be funding the international tour. If you live abroad, we will provide accommodation in The Hague. The comedians themselves are responsible for their transfer, unless stated different. The destination of the international tour remains a surprise.The destination remains a surprise until we book the tickets. The destination of the international tour of the Hague Comedy Festival in 2013 was New York. To take part in the international tour the Jury Award winner must have a valid passport for 6 months or more from May 2015. You will need to arrange a travel insurance yoursef. We will apply for your visa. It will be a rocking experience!

Coaching?

If you want coaching, we know enhough comedians who can give excellent coaching, please contact us so we can hook you up. In the future editions we want to fix the comedians comedy coaching.

Who organizes the Haags Comedy Festival 2014 and how we can reach the organizer?

Correspondence Address: Haags Comedy Festival 2014 Harderwijkstraat 153 2573 ZD The Hague, 06-46208047, voorzitter@haagscomedyfestival.com, www.haagscomedyfestival.com.

Note: Acquisition for the selection of the finals or the jury composition is not appreciated.

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