ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Big Pond Improv Festival is produced each year by Vermont Comedy Club, a locally-owned comedy venue in downtown Burlington, Vermont.
Vermont Comedy Club is known primarily as a standup comedy club, attracting such talent as Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Nikki Glaser, and many more. But VCC also has a thriving improv program, and each year they dedicate an entire weekend to bringing teams together — mostly from the Northeastern U.S. — to play with, learn from, and be inspired by one another.
What are the things that make Big Pond unique and special?
It’s all under one roof. All the shows and workshops happen at Vermont Comedy Club, which is conveniently located in downtown Burlington, within walking distance to everything. We have a relatively large showroom (140 seats at cabaret-style tables), a lounge to hang out in, and a full food and drink menu. Plus, there’s a hotel upstairs if you need a place to stay. So there’s no “good stage” and “bad stage,” no fighting traffic to your hotel, no desperate Yelp-ing to find food — it’s all at your fingertips.
Burlington in the fall. Our progressive, walkable little city is located on a beautiful lake, with restaurants and shops nearby, and bike paths, hiking, camping., etc. super close. And you just can’t beat autumn in Vermont — it’s the best time to be here.
We’re here to have fun. Big Pond isn’t trying to be the biggest or most prestigious improv festival in the world. We prioritize the things we enjoy about other improv fests — seeing/being inspired by great teams; meeting and socializing with other improv nerds; exploring a new place you’ve never been, etc. We offer a smattering of workshops, but it’s not a weekend full of brain-busting work. We organize a bunch of fun, non-comedy activities, but they are very much optional and casual. We bring in experienced professionals, but we don’t make the whole festival about the “headliner.” This is about EVERYONE getting to play, have fun, and learn together.
We hope you will join us for the next Big Pond! Stay playful!
