Midwestern, national acts shine at festival founded by Hooper native, WSC grad

OMAHA, Neb. -- In what is becoming a comedy tradition in the Metro, the Omaha Comedy Festival made its yearly return over the weekend.

In 2013, Dylan Rohde, founder and owner of The Backline Comedy Theater, started the Omaha Improv Fest. After 2019 it was rebranded as the Omaha Comedy Fest as more and more types of talent, from standup to improv to sketch, found its way to the festival. 

Rohde, a Hooper native and Wayne State graduate, opened The Backline in 2011 after training and performing at Upright Citizens Brigade and iO West in Los Angeles. After training and cultivating talent, Rohde began the festival in an effort to attract nationwide talent to Omaha and showcase the city's talent to outsiders.

This year's festival showcased over 70 acts in numerous locations across Omaha.

Among the headliners this year were Emmy-nominated Omaha native Amber Ruffin, known for her work on The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock and A Black Lady Sketch Show on HBO, and the duo of Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley, who recorded a live episode of their popular podcast #IMOMSOHARD.

In addition to showcasing her improv skills, Ruffin also performed her musical parody, King of Kong, with co-star Lauren Van Kurin.

Some of the top-billed performers, including Ruffin taught various workshops and classes on comedy skills. Ruffin taught about writing for late-night television, while two of the writers for her show, Patrick Rowland Nnamdi Ngwe, were also among the workshop teachers. Various improv, sketch and standup professionals also offered classes.

Sketch, improv and standup performers came from Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Seattle, Colorado Springs, New York, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Raleigh, New Orleans, Austin, Des Moines, Italy, Omaha, South Dakota and various Midwestern locations in between.

The festival took place over four nights in four different venues.