About
The Chicago Women's Funny Festival gathers writers, performers, and comedy lovers together to create and celebrate in the comedy capital of the world.
Chicago Women's Funny Festival was founded in 2012 when producers Jill Valentine and Liz McArthur wanted to build a comedy festival where women could come together and celebrate all forms of comedy under one roof.
The first festival boasted 66 shows and 400 performers in five days. Women's Fest also hosted events throughout the week where women from across the country could come together, network and more importantly, see each other's work. The response from comedians and audience members was overwhelmingly positive – which is why the festival is coming back for a sixth year.
Today the CWFF involves all genders, all forms of comedy (anything from stand-up, sketch, improv, burlesque, musical-comedy, and much much more), all celebrating #WomenInComedy.
LEADERSHIP
JILL VALENTINE
Executive Producer
Jill Valentine is a South Side Chicago native who has worked as an actor, writer, improvisor and sketch comedian all over town. You may have seen Jill with The Cupid Players Chicago's premier musical sketch comedy group, with The Deltones IO’s musical improv group, Feminine Gentlemen a 2 person comedy group with her pal Liz McArthur or with her burlesque parody sketch comedy group Off Off Broadzway. Some other recent credits are Barbra in Musical of the Living Dead (Voted Best Musical by the Chicago Reader). Jill is the Executive Director of The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival and the Executive Producer of the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival. Jill works as the Director of Theater Management for Stage 773 and is a principal founder of the building.
LIZ MCARTHUR
Producer
Liz McArthur was born, raised and then set free from St. Louis to attend Columbia College Chicago. Since graduating a million years ago, Liz has been writing / performing / improving / stand-uping / sketch comedying all over the place. If you have a time machine, you can see Liz hosting SMUSH open mic or performing with OneTwoThree Comedy or Sassafras productions. More recently you may have seen her as Judy/Karen in the new hit musical comedy Musical of the Living Dead or performing with Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play. Liz also performs with her friend Mr. Jill Valentine in the sketch group Feminine Gentlemen.
MANDY WHITENACK
Associate Producer
Mandy Whitenack has lived in Chicago for the last 15 years. She is a massage therapist farm girl from Portland, IN and has been doing sketch comedy for the last 10 years with The Cupid Players. Her most current projects include Helen in Musical of the Living Dead, Salazar/Oatsie in Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and her hot sketch burlesque parody group Off Off Broadzway. When Mandy is not on stage you can find her sashaying in many local karaoke bars with a martini in hand of course! She would like to thank her family and friends for all their support! Rock on!!
MOLLIE REHNER
Associate Producer
Mollie Rehner, known for her big characters and spunky personality, commands the stage with her rapping abilities, physical antics, and theatrical presentation. A producer for The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival and Chicago Women’s Funny Festival, Rehner also co-stars in her comedy duo Rehner & Nixon and makes people laugh all over the internet with her sketch and musical group Hard Candy. A former Late Night intern for Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon, Rehner now performs all over Chicago, and has taken her comedy to festivals all over the US. Mollie is represented by Stewart Talent.
MAYA HAUGHTON
Associate Producer
Maya currently performs in the ensembles of The Second City’s Improv Comedy Hour, After Hours: A Late Night Improv Show and Legendary Laughs. Additionally, Maya understudies the touring company and performs with Second City Works as well. Previous ensembles include Under the Gun Theater, Improv Asylum’s national touring company, M.I. Productions, Second City’s Outreach and Diversity Ensemble and Second City Theatricals on the Norwegian Cruise Line Epic. Maya has also worked with Barrel of Monkeys Productions and PIMPROV.
MOLLY TODD MADISON
Associate Producer
Molly Todd Madison is excited to be a producer for Chicago Women’s Funny Fest. Molly has directed, produced, and performed all over Chicago. She recently finished directing for The Second City National Touring Company. She directs many independent sketch and improv shows around the city. Her work has been seen at The Annoyance, Theater Wit, Stage 773, The Crowd, iO, The Public House, and more. Molly also teaches for the Second City Training Center as well as workshops all over the country. Molly holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Western Kentucky University and is a founding member of many Chicago based sketch and improv groups including Anarchy: an improvised rock opera which will be performing right here at the Festival this year. Molly has performed with and directed many groups who have done the festival since it began in 2012 and is thrilled to finally be able to give back on the producing side. This year is gonna be great!
ANNA ELIZABETH JOHNSON
Associate Producer
HISTORY (HERSTORY)
8th Annual CWFF: August 22-25, 2019
7th Annual CWFF: August 23-26, 2018
6th Annual CWFF: June 15-18, 2017
5th Annual CWFF: June 16-19, 2016
4th Annual CWFF: June 18-21, 2015
From the Executive Producer Jill Valentine:
I am giddy with excitement about this year’s festival. The Chicago Women’s Funny Festival showcases some of the best comedic talent from across the country. Every year we keep getting MORE applications, MORE talent, MORE press and MORE and MORE FUNNY. Want to know what gives me a lady boner? We are training MORE and MORE of us every year. MORE women comedians are taking stages all over the world. MORE women are teaching comedy classes and becoming mentors to young comedians. MORE of us are doing it and doing it better. While we get a week long comedy slumber party, take the time to reflect and to enjoy that. Support each other, mentor the younglings, learn from your peers, thank those that did it before you and do it better. Not looking so male dominated any more, eh?
Year 4 Bitches!!!
3rd Annual CWFF: June 5-8, 2014
From the Executive Producer Jill Valentine:
This year I am extremely proud to share the stage with so many brilliant, brave and hilarious women.
I reflect on what kind of people have empowered, supported and raised such women. I think about how I was raised.This year has been a toughie for me because I lost my dad. I remember growing up he told me I could do anything. I believed him. He told me whatever you do make your own fun. I listened. He encouraged me to take the road less traveled and I did. You’ve taken that road less traveled. So this week let’s celebrate those who have supported our weird little comedy journey. Those people who are consistently in the audience supporting. Those that taught us that we could do anything.
This one’s for you dad.Year 3 Bitches!!!
2nd Annual CWFF: June 6-10, 2013
From the Executive Producer Jill Valentine:
I look at the lineup of talent and I am instantly overwhelmed and proud. This week is about celebration. We do comedy because we have no choice. It’s inside of us. Celebrate that. Look at how many of us there are. Collectively we are so strong and in numbers we look pretty bad ass. Every year there are more and more of us rebels with a cardboard phone and random mustache in your purse. Celebrate that. Apparently, we are not funny. We have been told this over and over by overweight, has been, ignorant Adam Carollas. Celebrate that. See each other’s work this week. Support each other. Learn from each other. Get inspired by your peers. Get drunk and say yes to a project that scares the shit out of you. Collaborate. Celebrate. And laugh together.
Year 2 Bitches!!!
1st Annual CWFF: June 6-10, 2012
From the Executive Producer Jill Valentine:
I am so honored to have this many amazingly talented ladies under one roof this week. The response to this festival was overwhelming and all of us were amazed at the number of applications. I, like so many of you, have been doing this for a long time.
We are all a part of the weird funny girl club.
The class clown in a dress. Funnier than your uncle at the family table. Making friends with facial expression and punch lines. You bring the ridiculous realism to the feminine mystique.
Not only am I honored, I am empowered that I am standing next to hundreds of us's.Let's do this bitches.