{"id":238799,"date":"2026-04-07T14:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T14:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/238799\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T14:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T14:21:09","slug":"moontower-comedy-features-household-names-rising-texas-comics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/238799\/","title":{"rendered":"Moontower Comedy features household names, rising Texas comics"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, hundreds of comics from around the country will filter into Austin for the Moontower Comedy Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

First started 15 years ago, the festival has since grown into one of the biggest comedy events in the country, spanning a dozen venues and running from April 7-18.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s festival features nationally known acts like Marc Maron, Kathy Griffin and Roy Wood Jr.<\/p>\n

In addition to headliner standup shows, Moontower has also made an effort to highlight nontraditional acts and Austin comedians.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited. I love Moontower so much,\u201d comedian Angelina Martin<\/a> said. \u201cIt\u2019s always been such a huge part of the Austin comedy scene and the national comedy scene in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Angelina<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Angelina Martin <\/p>\n

Angelina Martin runs several shows around Austin and one of them, Slide in the DMs, was added to this year\u2019s Moontower lineup.<\/p>\n

Martin runs several shows around Austin and one of them, Slide in the DMs, was added to this year\u2019s Moontower lineup.<\/p>\n

For each show, comedians and local celebrities share strange messages they\u2019ve sent or received. Then, a cast of improvisers build a scene based on the messages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not all really dirty stuff. Sometimes it\u2019s weird in a different way,\u201d Martin said. \u201cOne time we had the guy who had sent the comedian messages that we were showing on screen. He was in the audience and he stood up and took credit for his weird messages.\u201d<\/p>\n

She first got the idea for the show as a way of marrying her love of standup and improv. Martin\u2019s work has been featured on Comedy Central and SiriusXM.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of those people who considers comedy art, which I know makes some people groan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

One of Martin\u2019s early memories of wanting to be an entertainer comes from her high school drama class, where she wrote a comedic monologue about how grateful she was to \u201cbe ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marc<\/p>\n

Marc Maron is one of the headliners at this year\u2019s Moontower Comedy Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do remember saying how freeing it was that I didn\u2019t have to worry about going on dates and I could just watch Arrested Development with my parents,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n

Her monologue lit up an auditorium, raised mild concern about her self-image, and gave her a feeling to chase for the rest of her performance career.<\/p>\n

This year, Martin will also be on a series of showcases called The Texans<\/a>, which will feature some of the top comedic talent in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just going to be the best of Texas comedy,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWe have always had lots of talented comedians here, so it\u2019s fun to see my friends get their shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slide in the DMs will make its Moontower debut on April 15 at Rozco\u2019s Comedy Club. The Texans showcase series will be at the Velveeta Room on April 15-18.<\/p>\n

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it\u00a0here<\/a>. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on\u00a0texasstandard.org<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0KUT.org<\/a>. Thanks for donating today.<\/p>\n