Corkscrew Comedy, the brainchild of six local creative and comedic minds, will return June 18-20 for the second annual festival with a flock of new comedians.
The three-day festival will kick off Thursday, June 18, at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, continue Friday, June 19, at the Buellhouse at Zaca Creek Tavern in Buellton, and wrap up Saturday, June 20, at Brander Winery in Los Olivos. The doors will open at 6 p.m., and all three shows will start at 7 p.m. Click here for more information.
The three couples behind Corkscrew — all residents of the Santa Ynez Valley — sifted through “three times the number of submissions” since the festival’s sold-out debut in April 2025. The result: a brand-new lineup this year.
“We needed hours to go through all the demos,” said co-founder Anna Vocino, who along with her husband, Loren Tarquinio, pens jokes for a living. The duo, billed as the producers of Corkscrew Comedy, will perform Saturday evening at Brander Winery.
Just a few of those standing up for laughs this month will be Luke Null of “Saturday Night Live” and Hollywood Improv fame, as well as Jasmyn W., Cat Alvarado, Mattio Martinez, Auggie Smith, Heather Pasternak and Alan Weiss.
For the complete list of performers, and for tickets, which start at $30, visit https://corkscrewcomedy.com/ But don’t dilly dally! Tickets are selling quickly.
“We’ve got VIP passes for the ultra-turbo-serious comedy fans, and regular tickets for everyone else who just wants a great night out in the Santa Ynez Valley,” the founders noted.
The minds behind Corkscrew are keen to grow their festival and establish a brand.
“Our goal is to treat all of our performers very well,” Vocino said. After last year’s debut festival, comedians got a meal and merchandise, but this year’s crew will receive stipends, she noted.
In addition to Vocino and Tarquinio, the two other couples, who met after relocating to the Santa Ynez Valley, are winemaker Sunshine “Sunny” Doench Stricker of Future Perfect Wine; her husband, Nate Stricker; and Dianne and Dan Dominguez, owners of the Santa Ynez vineyard and event venue 27 Vines.
Dianne Dominguez is an alumni of The Second City Hollywood, and Dan Dominguez spent 30 years in the tech industry.
Vocino is a comedian, voice-over artist, cook and author who has three “Eat Happy Kitchen” cookbooks — “Eat Happy,” “Eat Happy Two” and “Eat Happy Italian,” and a fourth near publication — and crafts a line of products such as cheese bites, sauces, dressing and spice mixes, all of which are sugar, carb and gluten free.
Vocino has voiced thousands of cartoons, video games, commercials, murder shows and promos for ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS. Her latest role? Mrs. Potato Head for “Toy Story 5.”
Tarquinio is an Emmy Award-winning writer whose credits include “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Free Radio,” from Comedy Central.
Last year, all three couples noted that their “epic strengths and specific talents” made planning the festival relatively straightforward. Stricker enjoyed three decades in Hollywood acting and producing before opening her Future Perfect Wine tasting room in Los Olivos in 2021.
A portion of the proceeds from the upcoming Corkscrew Comedy Festival will benefit Solvang’s Atterdag At-Home Meals on Wheels program; last year’s festival raised $3,000 for the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society, according to Dianne Dominguez.