Find your next favorite comedy show at the YALL Comedy Fest Table Reads. Here, a selection of writers from the YALL community preview their hilarious and subversive scripted comedy projects and films.

Projects on the Rise will kick off with a screening of the trailer for Street Smart: Lessons from a TV Icon by Ernie Bustamante (PBS' Alma's Way)– A feature documentary about Sonia Manzano, known to millions as “Maria” from Sesame Street. The film follows Sonia’s remarkable journey, from a young girl in the South Bronx finding refuge in television, to becoming the first Latina on American TV in a regular role, through 44 years on screen on Sesame Street, and now as the creator of Alma’s Way.

Table Reads

Wild Turkey (Pilot) by Hakim Hill (Peacock's Hysteria!)
On the surface, this half-hour script is about alcoholism and its direct effects on everyday life. At its core though, it’s about family trauma stemming from addiction. The main character is essentially my avatar and was used to explore the traumas of having had an alcoholic uncle and addiction running in the family.

Ajnabiyeh (Pilot) by Batoul Mourad (Roadmap Writers)
A half-hour, subversive coming-of-age comedy set in 1998 that follows the Saab sisters, Mary Em, Layal, and Sue, as they navigate their teenage years in Southern Lebanon after moving from Australia. They find themselves caught between two worlds: the Western upbringing that shaped them and the deeply rooted cultural expectations of their ancestral homeland. The series captures the absurdities of everyday life against the backdrop of a politically charged Middle East along with an exploration of what it means to feel like a stranger in your own supposed “home.” Ajnabiyeh is the Arabic word for outsider or foreigner and what the girls are teasingly called by their community and we get to see what happens when these teenage girls decide to dig their heels in and embrace the title of “ajnabiyeh.”

T4Teacher (Pilot) by Fifi Dosch (Paramount's Beavis and Butthead)
T4Teacher is a story of the ceaseless clusterfuck that is the American education system. Out trans woman Lily (or as she's known to the students, “Ms. Folger” or “Fuck That Bitch”) must navigate not only her apathetic students, their foaming-at-the-mouth mob of parents, but Principal Diane, the cis white woman who's DYING for a minority teacher to deem her “one of the good ones.” All the while confiding in her co-teacher Martha, the veteran teacher, who wants to slap the sheltered upbringing off of Lily nearly every moment of the day. And somewhere in all that, she's just GOT to teach these high schoolers how to read. Can she? Probably not. But hopefully at least her crust punk trans girlfriend River won't yell “ACAB!” at a PTA meeting again.

Candy Claus, Private Eye (Live Podcast) by Ella Gale (Black List Feature Lab Fellow)
A live comedy show following Candy Claus, a private eye navigating a ridiculous case in a heightened, noir-inspired world. Equal parts absurdist comedy and parody, Candy Claus, Private Eye delivers fast jokes, colorful characters, and a mystery you won’t want to miss.

ABOUT YALL COMEDY FEST

YALL Comedy Fest is the first and only comedy festival that celebrates the power of humor to change the world. Showcasing a diverse community of Yes, And...Laughter Lab creators, YALL Comedy Fest spotlights the best comedy writers and performers who take on social justice issues while making us laugh. From pitches to table reads to stand-up, sketches, and more, YALL Comedy Fest is the place to discover some of the most talented creators in the industry for three days of next-level comedy. YALL Comedy Fest takes place Wednesday, April 8, Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10 at Asylum NYC (123 E 24th Street, NY, NY).

Comedy can change the world… to see how, come grab a drink and see a show with us at YALL Comedy Fest 2026!

Yes, And… Laughter Lab is a competitive incubation lab, pitch program and festival that uplifts the best comedy writers and performers creating new comedy about topics that matter. Follow Yes, And… Laughter Lab on Twitter/X and Instagram at @YALLcomedy.

The Yes, And… Laughter Lab is generously supported by Doris Duke Foundation’s Building Bridges Program, MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Open Society Foundations, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.