2nd Best Fest: Princeton New Money A$$clowns & More!

It’s RVA meets DC meets Chicago with Horse Apples, Christian Escoto, and Princeton New Money A$$clowns lighting up the stage.

The Coalition Theater proudly presents the 8th Annual 2ND BEST FEST—a three-day comedy extravaganza showcasing the best in improv, sketch, and stand-up. Running June 5–7, this year’s festival brings high-caliber acts from LA, Chicago, NYC, Baltimore, Raleigh, DC, and RVA to four incredible venues in Richmond’s Downtown Arts District.

Saturday night at Theatre Gym brings together three comedy forces. Richmond’s own Horse Apples opens the show with fast-paced, character-driven improv and claims of being “the best damn comedy in RVA.” Next up, Christian Escoto brings stand-up from the DC/Baltimore scene. Closing the night is Chicago’s Princeton New Money A$$clowns, a longform team that crafts absurd, hilarious worlds from a single name.

House opens at 6:30PM / Tickets: $15

Limited tickets available at the door!

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Horse Apples often refer to themselves as “the best damn comedy in RVA,” and they’re hoping the tagline will catch on. With 10,000 shows & 120 years combined stage time, these guys have wasted huge chunks of their lives on comedy. You’d be a total jerk to miss it. Credits include: Second City, iO, Annoyance, ComedySportz, WIT.

CAST: Patrick Gantz, Barry Hite, Nick Leveski, Matt Micou, David Pijor

Christian Escoto

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Christian Escoto began performing comedy after his high school graduation. Since then, he regularly performs around the DC area and the Baltimore region. Using his quick wit and stage persona, Christian entertains the audience with jokes and stories about growing up in DC area as a Filipino-American. He is a regular at the DC Improv and Hotbed Comedy Club. Christian has been seen at Skankfest, San Francisco Sketchfest, Asheville Comedy Festival and has showcased at NACA and APCA conferences. He currently tours colleges all across the country.

Princeton New Money A$$clowns (based out of Chicago’s CIC Theater) bring a show driven by characters you know from the world you live in. Our inspiration comes from an interesting name of someone you know and we build the type of world that character lives in. Hopefully that sounds fun to you. It is definitely fun for us.

CAST: Patrick Earls, Jorin Garguilo, Traycie McBee, Linda Orr, Louie Saunders, Farrell Walsh

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Located in Richmond’s Downtown Arts District, the nonprofit Coalition Theater is dedicated to creating an inclusive space where laughter connects people. Through performances, classes, workshops, and community partnerships, we help individuals discover their comedic voice and provide a welcoming platform to share it.

Proceeds from 2ND BEST FEST directly support this mission, funding performances, comedic education, and community outreach initiatives.

Learn more at rvacomedy.com and 2ndBestFest.com