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Any stand-up comedian will tell you they have a tight five minutes, but who has The Tightest Five? Twenty-four of New England’s rising comedy stars will give it their best shot in Maine Event Comedy’s fifth annual Tightest Five contest. The first preliminary round will take place at 7 p.m. on  Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston.

Dawn Hartill Submitted photo

Dawn Hartill will host six contestants performing their best five minutes of original material with three advancing to the semifinals. The first prelim will include Julie Nye, Nic Dufault, Brendan Williams, Mike from Dexter, Gabe Beury-Moore, and Cari Keniston.

An opening and closing comedian will bookend each show. Additional preliminary rounds will take place Sep. 23, Sep. 30, and Oct. 7.

Along with bragging rights, the grand prize includes a televised appearance on The Nite Show with Danny Cashman, a weekly half-hour late night talk show that airs Saturday nights throughout Maine.

The show is for ages 18-and-older. Tickets at $10 and may be purchased at FrancoCenter.org. The Franco Center is located at 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. For more information, call (207) 513-0742 or e-mail maineeventcomedy@gmail.com.