(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) — Comedian Phoebe Robinson, of cult-inspiring podcast 2 Dope Queens, headlines the High Mud Comedy Festival, hosted by comic Dave Hill, in the Hunter Center at MASS MoCA on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. In addition to stand-up comedy, the festival includes comedy films; funny museum tours with performers; a joke cam; workshops; and a comedian-led beer-tasting and tour of Bright Ideas Brewery on the MASS MoCA campus. Post-mainstage, late-night gigs at local venues — including Desperados and the Freight Yard Pub — will feature local talent.

Known for her sassy and sweet style, New York City-based Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress whom Essence, Esquire, and Vulture have all named as one of the top up-and-coming comics. Robinson has appeared on Conan, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Last Call with Carson Daly. Her writing has been featured in the Village Voice, New York Magazine, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times. She was also a staff writer on MTV’s hit show, Girl Code, as well as a consultant for Comedy Central’s hilarious Broad City.

A culmination of years of hilarious hard work and comedic tenacity, it is undeniable that Robinson is “having a moment” and her career is shining because of it (Vice). Robinson is the author of “You Can’t Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain,” a New York Times best-selling memoir about gender, race, and popular culture.

Robinson created and starred in Refinery29’s web series Woke Bae, a video series in which she and guests “discuss hot dudes who are woke.” Robinson is the creator and co-star of the chart-topping WNYC podcast 2 Dope Queens, which hit number one on iTunes in its first day available. She also hosts the critically acclaimed WNYC podcast Sooo Many White Guys. Both podcasts mix storytelling, stand-up, and conversational banter, covering everything from societal issues such as diversity in comedy to the gender wage gap to how the hosts lost their virginities.

New York City-based Dave Hill is an absurdist comedian, writer, and musician from Cleveland, Ohio, whose talents run the comedic gamut. He hosts the Goddamn Dave Hill Show on WFMU in Jersey City and frequently appears on This American Life. Hill has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, is often an on-air host for Cinemax, and has been on channels such as MTV, VH1, BBC-America, and the Sundance Channel. As a writer, his work has appeared in The New York Times, GQ, Salon, VICE, McSweeney’s, and The Huffington Post. Hill is the author of two anecdotal essay collections, Tasteful Nudes: …and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation (2012) and Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (2016). Hill performed to a sold-out audience at MASS MoCA in 2010 and with his killer guitar licks and deadpan delivery had 2015’s High Mud crowd in stitches.

Lickety Split, MASS MoCA’s café, serves up a special festival menu of lip-smacking pub fare. A full bar serves Bright Ideas Brewing beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Two-day festival passes are $32 for students, $42 advance, $55 day of, and $75 preferred. High Mud might get dirty; best suited for audiences ages 16 and up. Friday and Saturday admission to MASS MoCA’s galleries is included in the festival pass. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 x1 during box office hours or purchased online at MASS MoCA. All events are held rain or shine.

 

About MASS MoCA

MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making, displaying, and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. MASS MoCA will nearly double its gallery space in spring 2017, with artist partnerships that include Laurie Anderson, the Louise Bourgeois Trust, Jenny Holzer, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and James Turrell.

Gallery admission is $18 for adults, $16 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under through May 21, 2017. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is open seasonally, spring–fall. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit MASS MoCA.

Hours: 11am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays