The CROW (Comedy Reflects Our World) in Santa Monica is hosting the Bergamot Comedy Festival next week, beginning Monday, April 1, and running through Saturday, April 6. The Bergamot Comedy Festival looks to provide a much-needed connection and network between up-and-coming and undiscovered comics and industry professionals.

“It’s beautifully, gloriously homegrown,” said Daphne Ruiz, The CROW’s VP of communications.

Local and beloved businesses are also contributing to the festival, with Santa Monica Brew Works and Imprint Revolution as two of its sponsors. The City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, and The Los Angeles Times are additional partners.

The CROW, an establishment fully owned and operated by women, is one of Los Angeles’ newest, buzziest comedy clubs. The CROW aims to provide a platform for comedians of historically underrepresented backgrounds. As such, the comedians featured in the festival lineup are 50 percent female or identify as nonbinary. Further, each of the 56 performers set to star was hand-picked from approximately a thousand submissions across the United States, focusing on highlighting female-identifying, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ talent.

The CROW hopes to furnish a space for diverse perspectives to be seen and heard on stage and to cultivate an empathetic and understanding community through laughter to forge a path toward societal progress.

The festival will host comedian showcases and free educational panels led by industry leaders. Industry speakers set to be included are showrunner Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest), writer Mathew Harawitz (NBC’s Night Court), Andrew Reich (Friends showrunner), Sabina Kashi (CAA), Katie O’Brien (3 Arts Entertainment), Ryan Moran (Comedy Central) and Michael Cox (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon).

“Bergamot Comedy Fest at The CROW is an excellent opportunity for not only comedians but for the industry to scout,” Cox said. “The CROW curates amazing lineups featuring the best comics and I am looking forward to it.”

Bergamot Comedy Festival is able to produce the week-long festival in partnership with MasterClass, The Los Angeles Times, Comedy Gives Back, City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs, and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism. The project was made possible with the support of Art of Recovery, an initiative of the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs.

With this festival, the CROW hopes to explain the tenable ways a comedy festival can create and nurture a community in an industry mostly driven by influencers and metrics. They also aim to discuss how a small mom-and-pop comedy space has managed to partner with MasterClass, Comedy Gives Back, and The Los Angeles Times. Additionally, the CROW will host a day dedicated to mental health in comedy in partnership with Comedy Gives Back.

Featured performers include Ahmed Al-Kadri (Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 p.m.), Kristin Chirico (Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 p.m.), Jules Fernandez (Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 p.m.), Kazu Kusano (Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 p.m.), and Milan Patel (Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 p.m.).

Through Bergamot Station Arts Center the festival offers free parking with a 24/7 on-call security guard. Directions and parking information can be found here: https://www.bergamotcomedyfest.com/about. Alternatively, take the Metro to their front door. The CROW is located directly off the 26th Street/Bergamot stop of the Expo Line.

Secure a $20 ticket for one of the showcases by visiting their ticket site here:  https://www.bergamotcomedyfest.com/tickets. Additionally, for $45 guests can secure VIP tickets to catch a show and receive a one-year subscription to MasterClass (valued at $120).