Behind the Scenes of Dave Chappelle’s ‘Summer Camp 2022’ All Star Comedy Show
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The first behind the scenes photos of the filming of Dave Chappelle’s Summer Camp 2022 are here and it promises to be a special once-in-a -life time event.
Featuring Chappelle, transgender comedian Flame Monroe, Katt Williams, Donnell Rawlings, Cordae, Mos Def, and more Camp appears to be a course change for Chappelle who may be pivoting from the controversy of The Closer.
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Chappelle’s summer comedy tradition in Yellow Springs began in 2020 with a series of socially distanced shows. Taking place during the height of the coronavirus pandemic and racial unrest, the live outdoor performances, known as “Chappelle Summer Camp,” also featured other famous comedians. Concerns about a possible COVID-19 exposure shut down the events in late September 2020, however, the shows returned briefly in spring 2021.
This year, planning for the return of Chappelle’s summer performances in the small Ohio town began months ago with the approval of “a temporary conditional use request by property owner Steve Wirrig,” as noted by YSNEWS.com, the online version of “The Yellow Springs News.”
“I’m elated,” Wirrig told the YSNEWS.com after the more than three-hour meeting that ended with “extended applause” at the favorable outcome. “I’m very proud and appreciative of the support.”
The comedian and film producer has encountered a number of recent controversies beginning with his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” in which comments he made about transgender people led to a protest and employee walkout outside the streaming company’s headquarters in Los Angeles. He responded with a roughly 5-minute video posted to his Instagram account where he asked fans the question, “Am I canceled or not?”
n a subsequent October 2021 performance at the Hollywood Bowl Chappelle received a standing ovation and told the audience, “If this is what being canceled is like, I love it,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In February 2022 he refuted reports that he “killed” an affordable housing development plan near his home after a video of him speaking out against the project at a Yellow Springs Village Council meeting was widely circulated online.
“Thank you, sir. It was a … it was a trans man,” Chappelle quipped to the crowd after recovering from the stunning assault.
In addition to his stand-up performances, Chappelle will host a special screening of the documentary, Dave Chappelle Live In Real Life, on Sunday, June 12. The screening will be a fundraiser to benefit Gem City Market, “a community-owned green grocery store that is an integral part of the resurgence of West Dayton.” The film will be shown at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton.
The screening will mark the second time this month Chappelle has pledged to donate money. Previously, at a June 5 performance in Buffalo, New York, the writer and producer reportedly told the audience that all proceeds from his Shea’s Performing Arts Center show would go to the victims and families of the Tops supermarket mass shooting in March, according to Deadline.com.
Kevin Sweeney, Shea’s director of marketing and communications, related what he heard that night to the online news site.
“He [Chappelle] said, and I’m paraphrasing, ‘I came here to Buffalo to recognize the victims and for these families,’” said Sweeney.
Another recent announcement revealed that Chappelle and comedian Chis Rock will pair up for a show in London, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Rock and Chappelle both made headlines after being attacked onstage at the Oscars and the Hollywood Bowl respectively. Rock was present at Chappelle’s Netflix is a Joke comedy festival act, when The Closer star was tackled onstage. Rock famously quipped, “Was that Will Smith?” after the incident in reference to being slapped by Smith at the Academy Awards.
The two will appear at the O2 Arena in London on Sept. 3 and 4, as listed by Live Nation, tickets for both shows are on sale now.
