Onstage and off, performer/producer/activist Kristen Becker’s role is that of instigator. Raised in conservative Shreveport, Louisiana, the Dykes of Hazard creator has opened for Ani DiFranco, contributed to The Advocate, and – between founding Nietzsche’s legendary Doin’ Time Comedy open mic and serving as first general manager of Helium Comedy Club – been featured on the cover of Buffalo News’ entertainment section as “Buffalo’s Queen of Comedy.”

Becker’s stand-up topics range from fisting to humanitarianism. With Pastor Jay Bakker (son of one Tammy Faye), in 2015 Becker embarked on an ideological exploration of the Deep South. Their Loosen the Bible Belt variety tour emphasized humanity over hypocrisy, offering unifying voices to bridge the gap between religious groups and LGBTQ communities.

2016 saw her founding the Summer of Sass, a nonprofit collective freeing young LGBTQ adults from damaging religious climates to live, work, and personally thrive in the liberal haven of Provincetown, Massachusetts. Vice called the experiment “the kind of formative experience that can change—or save—lives.” The Boston Globe agreed, lauding the environment as one where “gender is not an issue, where the specter of being bullied is not a daily fear.”

2019 included producing the inaugural End of the Earth Comedy Festival. (“The theme is everything’s going to shit. Let’s laugh about it, but also how can we also make it better?”)

The middle ground is where Becker feels most at home… and most useful. Her background, life experiences, and insight into seemingly disparate societies allow her to act as an open-minded translator. If she can identify as a bleeding-heart liberal as readily as she concedes a Right-leaning stance on firearms, then the Women’s Studies majors and rednecks of the world can also find common ground, for the good of the world. If she can help them share a few laughs in the process, even better.

With a last name like that, Cleveland-based comic David Horning learned at a young age to lean into what bothers him using humor, and his comedy is a reflection of this. His optimistic slant on both mundane and heavy topics has gotten him selected to the New York Comedy Festival, Laughing Devil Comedy Festival, the Cleveland Comedy Festival, and on stages around the country. On top of stand-up, David regularly appears on conference stages as keynote speaker, teaching the value of humor in business to managers and executive teams across industries. He also produces Secret Society Comedy, a pop-up comedy club bringing the best up-and-coming comedians from around the country to Northeast Ohio.