Evanston Podcaster to Be Featured at Second Annual Chicago Podcast Festival, Oct. 2-8

Tickets are now on sale for the second annual Chicago Podcast Festival, happening at various locations throughout Chicago Oct. 2 to 8. The festival will include a total of 34 podcasts, ranging in topic from movies to food to horror stories, music and more, all recording episodes in front of live audiences.

Evanston resident Tania Richard, who co-hosts the podcast Race Bait with Paul Traynor, of Wilmette, will bring her podcast to the festival. In Race Bait, Richard, who is black, and Traynor, who is white, talk openly about issues of race. Their podcast will be recorded live on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Chicago Theater Works, 1113 W. Belmont. Tickets are $15.

The festival will also feature appearances by several other local and national celebrities, including Conan O’Brien’s sidekick Andy Richter, chef Rick Bayless, actor Tim Meadows, founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Matt Besser, WGN host Nick Digilio, Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke and more.

“Last year was a huge success for the first ever Chicago Podcast Festival, and we are so excited to be able to bring some of the same podcasts back to perform again, as well as introduce a slew of new podcasts to Chicago audiences in a live setting,” said Jonathan Pitts, co-founder and executive producer of the Chicago Podcast Festival.

This year, the festival is making an effort to highlight some of the best podcasts produced in Chicago, with more than 90 percent of the lineup featuring local standouts.

“We hope audiences come to see a podcast that they’ve heard of, but end up finding even more great podcasts they can fall in love with,” Pitts says.

In addition to the Chicago-based shows, the festival will also feature three nationally-known podcasts:

• Crybabies In Crybabies, Sarah Thyre and guest host Andy Richter of the Conan O’Brien Show (who also happens to be her husband), will talk to former Saturday Night Live star Tim Meadows about things that make them cry.
• improv4humans with Matt Besser A podcast hosted by Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder Matt Besser, who performs a live improv show with his guests, Jon Gabrus (Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast on Earwolf) and Jessica McKenna (Off Book, the improvised musical podcast on Earwolf).
• Up and Vanished In this podcast, documentarian Payne Lindsey sets out to is explore the unsolved disappearance of Georgia beauty queen and high school teacher Tara Grinstead, an 11-year-old mystery that is still the largest case file in Georgia’s history. Currently ranked No. 36 of all podcasts on iTunes.

The shows will be taking place at six venues: The Athenaeum Theatre, The Apollo Theater, Beat Kitchen, Chicago Theater Works, Laugh Factory, and Old Town School of Folk Music. In addition, there will be a free festival party at Chicago Theater Works on Thursday and a free town hall for podcasters at 2112 Inc. on Sunday.

For more information on the festival, please visit www.chicagopodcastfestival.org.

FESTIVAL DETAILS

DATES: Oct. 2-8, 2017

TICKETS: Prices range from $10-$40

INFO: http://chicagopodcastfestival....

The 2017 Chicago Podcast Festival is sponsored by WBEZ and 2112, Inc.

About Chicago Unscripted Productions

Chicago Unscripted Productions is a non-profit organization that operates the Chicago Improv Festival, the College Improv Tournament, and the Chicago Podcast Festival. Its mission is Chicago Unscripted Productions’ mission is to develop, support and teach the unscripted creative arts, which include but are not limited to the following artistic disciplines: improvisation, media arts, storytelling, and theatre.

To schedule an interview with the Artistic Director, Executive Director, or one of the podcasters, please contact Lauren Carrane at 954-554-0336 or email Lauren@sharppencilmaketing.com.