TBS Just For Laughs Chicago to Break Boundaries With All-Access Pass to the Digital Comedy Hub at Stage 773

 image001TBS Just For Laughs Chicago presented by State Farm, America’s largest comedy festival, will break new boundaries by providing comedy fans around the country with an all-access pass to a digital comedy hub “@ Stage 773”. Throughout the festival – which takes place Tuesday, June 11 to Sunday, June 16 – performances “@ Stage 773”” will be presented across multiple platforms through such high-profile digital outlets as Team Coco, Dailymotion, Yahoo!, Twitter,YouTube, Google+, The Nerdist, Broadway Video’s Above Average, Instagram, Pandora, SiriusXM, Chill.com, Set List as well as the festival’s website: www.justforlaughschicago.com. A digital comedy hub “@ Stage 773” will play host to solo shows by some of the hottest names in comedy, plus breakthrough performances by emerging talent. In addition, Stage 773 will feature exclusive live presentations from today’s most popular podcasts, including You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, Doug Loves Movies, Ari Shaffir’s Skeptic Tank, and The Team Coco Podcast. Comedy fans will be able to enjoy a selection of the performances online for free around the clock.
“Through live streaming ‘@ Stage 773’ comedy fans around the country will be able to enjoy some of the amazing comedy from TBS Just For Laughs Chicago,” said Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president of digital, affiliate, lifestyle and enterprise commerce for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “This is a great opportunity to expand TBS Just For Laughs Chicago from a single-city event into a multi-platform comedy experience that can be enjoyed just about anywhere.”

 

“By making many of the shows performed at Stage 773 accessible to comedy fans around the country, TBS Just For Laughs Chicago is revolutionizing the manner in which comedy festivals are experienced,” said Bruce Hills, COO of Just For Laughs. “To that end, TBS Just For Laughs Chicago is proud to team up with of some of the biggest names in comedy to bring our vision to fruition.”

In addition, Stage 773 will feature performances from today’s hottest emerging stars including Chelsea Peretti, Kumail Nanjiani, Moshe Kasher, Todd Barry, @DadBoner and more.

Based out of Chicago’s multi-theater complex Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Avenue,  the digital comedy hub “@ Stage 773”boasts a robust programming schedule that comprises some of comedy’s hottest podcasts, biggest stars, and brightest emerging talent, performing across each of the venue’s four unique stages: The Thrust, The Pro, The Box and The Cabaret.  Tickets for all performances @ Stage 773 are $15 (+ service fees).   Ticket packages will also be available.

The following are some of the exciting digital elements that will take place throughout the week:

  • ·         Conan O’Brien’s TeamCoco.com will curate three slots per night at The Digital Hub’s Cabaret space from June 13-15 with podcasts, solo shows and multi-comic shows featuring some of their favorite performers. Comics will also participate in the Team Coco ‘confessional’ booth installed in the Stage 773 lobby.
  • ·         Paul Provenza’s wildly popular improvised stand-up show Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net, will be streamed live on the Just For Laughs YouTube channel (youtube.com/justforlaughs), which will also be embedded on the Nerdist YouTubepage (youtube.com/Nerdist) and Nerdist.com. The Festival will also host Google+ ‘hangouts’ with comedians throughout the week.
  • ·         Video hosting site Dailymotion.com will film and live stream four 60-minute performances by some of the industry’s hottest emerging talent, which will subsequently be edited into 24 individual modules available for viewing at any time.
  • ·         The digital arm of Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, Above Average, will present two special live performances featuring its YouTube channel partners, sketch sensations Tripp & Tyler, and comedy troupe The Katydids. The company will also film additional digital content throughout the Festival for subsequent viewing on its YouTube channel.
  • ·         TBS Just For Laughs Chicago will also use Twitter and Vine to promote the festival’s #OneVineDay initiative, which will see 100 comedians create and post Vines in a single day using the #JFLChicago hashtag.
  • ·         Los Angeles’s The Super Serious Show will bring their trademark ultra-stylized photography to TBS Just For Laughs Chicago’s Instagram page from June 13-15, when they post photos from their three Super Serious mash-up shows presented at The Digital Hub’s Thrust venue under the hashtag #JFLChicago.
  • ·         Yahoo!, meanwhile, will be on hand at the Festival to film Primetime In No Time, hosted by Theo Von, and to screen premiere episodes of various Yahoo! original comedy series.
  • ·         Fans looking to get an advance taste of this year’s Festival need look no further than leading internet radio service Pandora, where listeners can enjoy a TBS Just For Laughs Chicago 2013 mixtape of performance clips by artists appearing at this year’s festival.
  • ·         SiriusXM’s Raw Dog Comedy Channel 99 will broadcast daily interview shows with comedians from the festival.
  • ·         Chill.com will film Dancing Around The Sh*t Fire with Kyle Kinane, a variety show composed of comedy and musical acts, which will be available for download on its site.

A complete slate of shows taking place at Stage 773 is included below.

 

About TBS Just For Laughs Chicago

In 2009, Just For Laughs, the world’s biggest comedy brand, partnered with TBS, television’s #1 comedy network, to produce a comedy festival in Chicago, the nation’s cradle of comedy. Five years later, TBS Just For Laughs Chicago is America’s single largest comedy festival, showcasing the industry’s biggest stars and brightest emerging talent at some of the city’s most iconic venues.

Presented in collaboration with two of the nation’s largest independent promoters, Chicago-based JAM Productions and Outback Concerts, TBS Just For Laughs Chicago has established itself as an integral component of Chicago’s rich cultural heritage and a must-see for thousands of comedy fans and industry executives alike. This year, State Farm will serve as the presenting sponsor of TBS Just For Laughs Chicago.

The 2013 edition of TBS Just For Laughs Chicago presented by State Farm® will take place Tuesday, June 11 – Sunday, June 16across 8 locations, including such high-profile Chicago venues as The Chicago Theatre, Park West, The Vic, to name a few. This year’s festival will feature performances by Bill Maher, Seth Meyers, Bob Newhart, Russell Brand, Pete Holmes, David Cross,Nick Swardson, John Hodgman, Artie Lange, Hannibal Buress, Paul F. Tompkins, Al Madrigal, Maria Bamford, Dylan Moran and Anjelah Johnson, plus the stars of TBS’s Sullivan & Son, truTV’s Impractical Jokers and IFC’s The Whitest Kids U’ Know, plus many, many more. Additional shows and venues will be announced soon.

Ticket Information

  • ·         Tickets for The Chicago Theatre will be available at The Chicago Theatre box office and all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (312) 902-1500 or (800) 745-3000.
  • ·         Tickets for The Vic Theatre and Park West will be available at etix.com or by phone at
    (800) 514-ETIX.
  • ·         Tickets for shows “@ Stage 773” will be available at Stage 773 box office, by phone at
    (773) 327-5252 or online at www.stage773.com.
  • ·         Tickets for Constellation shows are available by phone at (877) 987-6487 and online at www.constellation-chicago.com orwww.ticketfly.com
  • ·         Tickets for Jokes and Notes shows are available at the Jokes and Notes Box Office (Wednesday to Sunday as of 6:00 p.m.) or by phone at (773) 373-3390
  • ·         Tickets for most festival events will also be available at respective venue box offices.

Connect with TBS Just For Laughs Chicago:

Website: http://www.justforlaughschicago.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TBSveryfunny

Twitter: http://twitter.com/tbsveryfunny | #JFLChicago

About Just For Laughs

Founded in 1983, the Just For Laughs Group’s growth is concentrated on four major focal points: Festivals (in Montreal, Toronto and Chicago); television production (most notably Gags seen in 135 countries and on 95 airlines); live shows (Canadian tour dates for Jerry Seinfeld, Jeremy Hotz, John Pinette, Louis C.K., the Capital One Just For Laughs Comedy Tour, North American dates for Family Guy Live!); and talent management. Its inaugural Montreal Festival 31 years ago is now the world’s largest and most prestigious comedy event welcoming 2 million people each summer. The Group has offices in Montreal, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto, and London, as well as a small apartment on the Internet.

About TBS

TBS is basic cable’s reigning champion among young adults in primetime. Available in 100 million households, TBS features original primetime comedy series like Cougar Town, Men at Work, Sullivan & Son, King of the Nerds and Who Gets the Last Laugh?, as well as the upcoming Ground Floor, The CeeLo Life (working title), Deon Cole’s Black Box and Deal With It, as well as the EmmyÒ-winning late-night series CONAN, starring Conan O’Brien. TBS also features an outstanding slate of contemporary comedies, such as The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy, along with blockbuster movies and championship sports. In addition, TBS produces special live comedy events, like the star-studded comedy festival held each year in Chicago.

TBS is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Turner Broadcasting creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

About State Farm®:

State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canadahttp://www.statefarm.ca.

Tuesday, June 11 to Sunday, June 16, 2013

 

The following is a complete slate of shows taking place “@ Stage 773” (1225 West Belmont Avenue) and additional venues during TBS Just For Laughs Chicago ‘13.

The Thrust

Double Threat: Kellye Howard & Friend – Tuesday, June 11 at 8:30 p.m.

Double the pleasure, double the fun! Two comics with complementing styles team up and perform extended sets for a super-sized stand-up bill. Kellye Howard has appeared on Comedy Central, OWN’s My Life is a Joke, and Nickelodeon.

The Sh*t Show – Tuesday, June 11 at 10:00 p.m.

The Sh*t Show is produced/ hosted by Ever Mainard and Rasa Gierstikas and showcases the best variety of comedic performers in Chicago. This interactive show is most fun you will have at a comedy show. Prizes are given to audience members, as well as, performers with the night’s “Best Joke!” by The Sh*t Show’s very own Hotdog Man (Keith Paesel) – as determined by the audience.

The Dailymotion Comedy Showcases – Wednesday, June 12, to Saturday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.

The Dailymotion Comedy Showcases hosted by Andy Daly (Eastbound & Down, Delocated, MADtv)… Now with 100% more Daly! Featuring a different selection of the best comedians from across the country, these shows will be streamed for broadcast daily from “@ Stage 773”. Not able to see the show in person? No problem! Live streams and clips from the shows will be available on Dailymotion.com. Line-up includes Adam Burke, Ben Kronberg, Ben Roy, Brendon Walsh, Bridget Everett, Cameron Esposito, Drew Frees, Emily Heller, Johnny Pemberton, Jermaine Fowler, Julian McCullough, Liza Treyger, Michelle Buteau, Ron Funches, Sam Simmons, Sean Patton and more.

@DadBoner And Friends, You Guys – Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday June 13 at 10:00 p.m.

Hosted by @DadBoner twitter creator, Mike Burns, @DadBoner And Friends, You Guys is a special night of stand-up from Burns and guests, also featuring exclusive live readings from his alter-ego Karl Welzein’s upcoming book, Power Moves: Livin’ The American Dream, USA Style, available from IT Books in July 2013 (karlwelzein.com).

 

Dancing Around The Sh*t Fire with Kyle Kinane – Thursday, June 13, to Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 p.m.

Kyle Kinane does some comedy, and some other comedians do some comedy, and some musicians do some music. Hopefully.

The Super Serious Show – Thursday, June 13, to Saturday, June 15 at 11:30 p.m.

Super Serious is a Los Angeles based mash-up show, presenting an immersive experience exposing audiences to emerging and experimental performers alongside well-known hosts and headliners. Each show has a new special guest headliner/host and features stand-up and sketch comedy, videos and much more.

Todd Barry – Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15 at 10:00 p.m.

New York City-based comedian and actor Todd Barry is widely recognized for his roles as the bongo-playing “Third Conchord” on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Mickey Rourke’s deli boss in 2009 Oscar winner The Wrestler, and renowned throughout the entertainment industry for his nuanced, measured, and thoroughly original approach to stand-up. Boasting multiple stand-up appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and two Comedy Central Presents specials, Todd’s resume also includes such hit TV shows as Louie, Delocated, Bored to Death, Tim and Eric, Chappelle’s Show, Sex and the City, and even Sesame Street. Among his additional feature-film highlights are Todd Phillips’sRoad Trip, Louis CK’s Pootie Tang, and Mitch Hedberg’s Los Enchiladas. You can see him soon as Sigourney Weaver’s right-hand man in Amy Heckerling’s Vamps, and as Paul Rudd’s co-worker in David Wain’s Wanderlust. Internationally, he has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival, the Vancouver International Comedy Festival, and Kilkenny, Ireland’s Cat Laughs Festival. Todd has been heard on both The Howard Stern Showand The Bob & Tom Show, and has released three stand-up albums, Medium Energy (named one of the best comedy albums of the 2000s by The AV Club), Falling Off the Bone and From Heaven.

The Pro

Double Threat: Junior Stopka & Mike Lebovitz – Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Double the pleasure, double the fun! Two comics with complementing styles team up and perform extended sets for a super-sized stand-up bill. Junior Stopka was voted The Chicago Reader’s Best Stand-Up Comedian and named one of the Top Four Comics to Watch by The Chicago Tribune. He is the co-host of the popular Senorita Weiner’s Top Secret Humor and Ice Cream Social Clubshow and his new podcast, Eat Sh*t and Die, debuts this July. Mike Lebovitz trained in improvisation at both The Annoyance and iO Theater, where he was member of the house teams Ned Beatty, Roadster and Sidewalk Eight. If you look really closely, you may be able to catch a glimpse of Mike on television, selling little bits of his integrity in order to help sell various products. He is currently a member of Comedians You Should Know, Chicago’s premier stand-up comedy collective.

Double Threat: Mike Stanley & Sean Flannery – Tuesday, June 11 at 8:30 p.m.

Double the pleasure, double the fun! Two comics with complementing styles team up and perform extended sets for a super-sized stand-up bill. Mike Stanley’s penchant for brutal honesty spiced with a healthy dose of wit have earned him a bevy of awards at comedy festivals across the country, and invitations to perform alongside some of the biggest names in comedy, including Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr and Dave Attell, to name a few. On stage, Sean Flannery recounts wild, hilarious stories of his misadventures enhanced by multimedia from each of them: photos, videos, voicemails and more. He recently combined many of these stories into a sold-out, critically acclaimed one-man show, called Never Been to Paris, chronicling the last 10 times he nearly killed himself by accident. Sean is also the creator and host of The Blackout Diaries – a show where comics plus ‘real’ people (like cops, priests, teachers, etc.) share true drinking stories and answer questions from the audience. He has been named the best comic in Chicago by several publications and his live multimedia shows routinely sell out. He made his television debut this year, on Comedy Central’s Mash Up with TJ Miller.

Moshe Kasher – Wednesday, June 12, to Friday, 14 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 p.m.

Moshe Kasher. Comedian. Child Genius. Jew. Jew Comedian. OBGYN. Pleasure center. Good tipper. Guiding light. Beefcake. He lives alone in LA, where he worked as a writer on NBC’s The New Normal, and co-hosts The Champs podcast alongside Neal Brennan and DJ Douggpound. Kasher has performed on Chelsea Lately, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, CONAN, Last Call with Carson Daly, guest starred on Showtime’s Shameless, NBC’s Whitney, the upcoming movie Spy with Ken Jeong and Rob Corddry, and starred in his own Netflix comedy special, Moshe Kasher: Live In Oakland. Named one of Variety magazine’s Ten Comics To Watch, and hailed as “one of the most important comics to watch out for” by Punchline Magazine, Kasher has also written a critically-acclaimed memoir, Kasher In The Rye, chronicling his struggles with mental illness, drug addiction, and incarceration that’s even funnier than it sounds.

Ari Shaffir: This Is Not Happening – Wednesday, June 12 at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14 at 11:30 p.m.

This Is Not Happening is a storyteller series presented and hosted by Ari Shaffir. Each show has a different topic that all the guest comics tell stories about. Subjects range from psychedelic drug use, to losing your virginity, to family, to near-death experiences. Its unapologetic atmosphere makes This Is Not Happening a great show to watch.

Chelsea Peretti – Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14 at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.

Chelsea Peretti tours her stand-up at comedy clubs, theaters, and festivals across the country. She performs a monthly sold-out show at UCB Los Angeles entitled How to Live with Chelsea Peretti and nightly at venues including The Comedy Store, Largo and The Improv. Chelsea has recently appeared opposite Louis CK on his hit FX show Louie, Nick Kroll on Kroll Show, as well as onTosh.0, Kathy, Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings and The Burn. She plays multiple characters on Adult Swim’s China, ILand is a regular on TruTV’s World’s Dumbest. Her half-hour Comedy Central Presents special aired in 2011. Chelsea has written for NBC’s Emmy®-nominated Parks and Recreation, IFC’s Portlandia, and Comedy Central’s Sarah Silverman Program and Kroll Show. Her weekly call-in podcast Call Chelsea Peretti debuted at #1 on the iTunes comedy podcasts. Original comedic web projects include the highly trafficked website BlackPeopleLoveUs.com, the New York City Rejection Line, and her web seriesMaking Friends and All My Exes. She is actively followed on Twitter as @chelseavperetti.

Double Threat: Kumail Nanjiani & Friend – June 13-15 at 10:00 p.m.

Named one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch,” the Hollywood Reporter’s “10 Rising Comedy Talents” and New York Magazine’s “10 Comedians that Funny People Find Funny,” Kumail Nanjiani is a tireless writer/performer whose extensive TV credits include stand-up performances on Conan, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and most recently, John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show. In Double Threat, Kumail teams with a special guest comedian to deliver two extended stand-up sets for the price of one. Talk about value!

Ari Shaffir’s The Skeptic Tank – Saturday, June 15 at 11:30 p.m.

Hosted by Ari Shaffir, The Skeptic Tank is a comedy podcast to help better understand humanity and also to make fart jokes

iO Theater Presents TJ & Dave – Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m.

One of the most critically acclaimed improv shows in the world, TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi promise “this is all made up” as they create a showcase for elaborately imagined characters whose relationships reveal the wildly funny quirks of human nature. At this point, you’re probably asking yourself, “Exactly how critically acclaimed a show are we talking here?” Well, the New York Times calls the show “an impressive feat of mental athletics,” that’s ‘observant, complex, and frequently enormously funny,’” while Time Out New York calls it “the best 50 minutes of improv comedy that we’ve ever seen,” and Time Out Chicago calls TJ & Dave “two of the world’s finest practitioners of long-form improv.” Don’t you feel silly for asking now?

Chicago Underground Comedy presents Secret Big-Time Local Comedy Showcase – Tuesday, June 11 at 9:30 p.m.

This annual tradition kicks off the Festival with high-energy sets from some of Chicago’s best stand-ups. It’s always a dazzling show, and almost certainly a list of future who’s whos. Hosted by Bryan Bowden, and featuring Adam Burke, Bill Cruz, Candy Lawrence, Chad Briggs, Katie McVay, Matt Riggs, Peter-john Byrnes and The Puterbaugh Sisters.

The Comedy Bar Kickass Showcase ­– Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m.

In partnership with the 2013 TBS Just For Laughs Chicago Festival, The Comedy Bar presents A Kickass Showcase. Come check out some of Chicago’s most awesome talent at Stage 773, including Russ Williamson along with Ali Clayton, Ralphie Roberts,Joe Kilgallon and Matty Ryan.

The Annoyance Theatre presents Messing With A Friend – Wednesday, June 12 at 9:30 p.m.

Venerable Chicago improv staple Susan Messing takes a special guest on a special journey for a night of uncomfortable, weird, filthy off-the-cuff comedy. Sometimes, the most fun stuff is the stuff that feels so… wrong.

The Lincoln Lodge – Thursday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m.

Now in its thirteenth season, The Lincoln Lodge comedy showcase features a rotating cast of emcees, a fresh line-up of comedians and weird and wacky variety acts each week. The show’s mission is to showcase Chicago’s finest up-and-coming comedic talent. Because the show blends together a mix of stand-up, sketch, improv, music and film, it is truly one of Chicago’s most unique comedy experiences! Featuring Caitlin Bergh, Charlie Bury, Derek Smith, Martin Morrow, Ricky Gonzalez andSaurin Choksi.

Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net – Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14 at 8:30 & 11:59 p.m.

The second they walk on stage, some of the world’s top comedians are given a never-before-seen “set list” with original, deranged topics and literally ZERO seconds to prepare – and they have to perform seamlessly, as if it’s the act they normally do. Pure comedy in the moment. In addition to the 14-episode TV series, Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net is currently online at Nerdist.com and touring festivals worldwide, bringing a completely new experience of your favorite comics, seen as they have never been seen before. Hosted by Paul Provenza.

Jokes and Notes presents The Urban Comedy Hour – Thursday, June 13 at 10:00 p.m.

Chicago’s urban comedy at its best! Hosted by Brian Babylon, this line-up features some of the South Side’s funniest comics showcasing their unique style in stand-up and sketch. Featuring Jay Deep, Erika Edwards, Kevin Williams, Brian (DaWildcat) Smith, Chastity Washington, Cody Wilkins, Kellye Howard and Frank Townsend.

The Playground presents Alone: Chicago’s Best Solo Acts –Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.

For the fifth year running, Alone unites the city’s best solo artists and puts them up in one place. Their rich character work and silly sensibilities unite for one hilarious evening, a run-down of the great solo work happening all over the Windy City. Hosted by Gary Richardson and featuring Asher Perlman, Chris Redd, Claire Mulaney, John Reynolds, Matt Barats, Micah Sterenberg,Patrick Rowland, Sarah Shook and Ted Tremper.

Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction with Bryan Cook – Friday, June 14 at 10:00 p.m.

Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction is a comedy show (and soon-to-be podcast) held every month at the Nerdist Theater in Los Angeles, created & hosted by Bryan Cook. Each show features comics, writing and performing Erotic Fan Fiction pieces, based on their whims or audience suggestions. It’s really stupid.

Kill All Comedy – Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 p.m

Kill All Comedy is a comedy collective and showcase displaying Chicago’s best and strangest minds in the scene. Kill All Comedy is also a record label, a website and a video production company. Featuring Sarah Ashley, Lee Barats, Matt Barats, Devin Bockrath, Christina Boucher, Michael Brunlieb, Steph Cook, Annie Donley, Joey Dundale, Jared Jeffries, Mike Klasek,Morgan Lord, Brian McGovern, Zephian Michaels, Jeff Murdoch, Scott Nelson, Anthony Oberbeck, Drennen Quinn, John Reynolds, Gary Richardson, Jo Scott and Andrew Tisher.

The Playground presents The TomKat Project – Saturday, June 15 at 10:30 p.m.

The critically acclaimed supercouple chronicle about the threesome marriage of Cruise-Holmes and Scientology is coming to Just For Laughs! Seven actors brilliantly portray over 50 celebrity characters in this mind-altering juggernaut of tabloid storytelling hailed “Genius!” by the Chicago Tribune and “The funniest thing happening in Chicago right now!” by Timeout. The Tomkat Project recently won a place in the NY Fringe Festival, so don’t miss your chance to see this groundbreaking show while you still have a shot at a ticket.

The Cabaret

Naked Sports Live Podcast – Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Naked Sports Live is a sports/comedy podcast hosted by comedians Joe Kilgallon and Megan Gailey. The show covers all things sports from players tweeting nude pics, coaches getting fired, and of course insane fans! NakedSportsLive.com – Where comedians strip down sports!

Wrestling with Depression Podcast – Tuesday, June 11 at 8:30 p.m.

Wrestling with Depression is an internet radio program hosted by comedian Marty DeRosa. The show brings on other comedians, wrestlers and performers to talk about some of the unseen sides of entertainment: how they deal with their own sadness, depression or other emotions that you might not expect to hear from stage and screen personalities. Don’t worry though, it’s not all sad, some parts are pretty funny! This is no clinical advice, and we’re no doctors! What you will get are stories from real people, who have had to face depression in their own lives.

The Todd Barry Podcast – Wednesday, June 12 at 8:30 p.m.

Highly regarded and amazing comedian Todd Barry talks to friends – and maybe people he doesn’t know – about their careers, travel, food, and various other topics.

Above Average Presents Tripp & Tyler and The Katydids – Wednesday June 12 at 10:00 p.m. and Thursday, June 13 at 11:30 p.m.

Proud member of the Broadway Video family, the people who brought you Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,Portlandia and 30 Rock, Above Average is an online comedy network that brings different voices together with the same mission: to make high-quality stuff that makes you laugh. What kind of stuff, exactly? Well, Tripp & Tyler are a sketch comedy duo best known for their hilarious and viral YouTube videos, like Sh*t Nobody Says, and Things You CAN’T Do When You’re Not A Dog. They’ve been writing, directing, and performing their original material since 2006, amassing over 20 million YouTube viewers and over 60 thousand subscribers in the process. The Katydids, meanwhile, are a six-member ensemble of some of Chicago’s hottest up-and-coming performers, whose digital shorts have been showcased on The Huffington Post, MTV, Perez Hilton, Smosh, Cosmopolitan, Italy’s Vanity Fair, College Humor and The Chicago Sun Times. They currently write, produce and star in the hit web series Teachers. Oh, and every member of the troupe’s first name just so happens derived from Katherine. It’s weird.

Team Coco Podcast – Thursday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m.

Every week, Team Coco wunderkind Aaron Bleyaert hunts down and hog-ties a new celebrity or CONAN staffer to interrogate them about their jobs, what’s in their pockets, and everything in between. It’s the ultimate glimpse behind the scenes – except, you know, you take it with your ears.

Doug Loves Movies Podcast – Friday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Join Doug Benson (Super High Me, Last Comic Standing) and his special surprise guests as they record a podcast featuring conversations and games about… movies!

You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes Podcast – Saturday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.

Everybody has secret weirdness – Pete Holmes gets comedians to share theirs. You Made It Weird is a weekly podcast by comedian Pete Holmes where he interviews other comedians and actors and makes it weird.

A Tight 60 With… – Thursday, June 13, to Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 p.m.

On CONAN, you get to see stand-up comedians do a tight 5 minutes of TV-clean material. Come see what happens when some of our favorite comics are unshackled from time constraints and network legal departments. Curated by Team Coco.

The Combo – Thursday, June 13, to Saturday, June 15 at 10:00 p.m.

Isn’t deciding between comedians the worst thing in the world? Well, we solved that for you with The Combo, a show that features two or three of our favorite comedians, so that you don’t have to decide. Sophie would have preferred it this way. Curated by Team Coco.

The Blackout Diaries – Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15 at 11:30 p.m.

The Blackout Diaries is a comedy show where stand-up comedians, plus “regular” people (cops, firefighters, teachers, etc.) tell true drinking stories and then you, the audience, can ask questions. Usually every Saturday in Chicago, an odd mix of storytellers, ranging from comics to CEOs to circus clowns, tell a packed audience some of their funniest drinking stories – complete with photos and voicemails from the events. It’s a bit like the Socratic Method, but with tequila. The routinely sold-out show was created in 2011 by its host Sean Flannery and was launched as a podcast earlier this year.

Tickets for Stage 773 shows are available:

  • ·                     At the Stage 773 Box Office
  • ·                     Online at www.stage773.com
  • ·                     By phone at 773-327-5252

 

The Constellation (3111 N. Western Avenue)

[REDACTED] – Wednesday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m.

Constellation & The A.V. Club present [REDACTED] on Wednesday, June 12. This stand-up showcase will feature [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and a special appearance by [REDACTED]. So that should be pretty awesome, right? All proceeds will benefit 826Chicago. Tickets are probably gone already.

Tickets for [REDACTED] at Constellation are available:

 

Jokes And Notes (4641 South King Drive)

 

Stage Time – Thursday, June 13 at 8:30 p.m.

New faces bringing the laughter in a wildcard mix of clean and edgy comedy. Host: Damon Williams. Lineup: David Helem, EM Brown, Khaleel, Marc Henderson, Mike Bober and Schmitty B.

 

Comics To Watch – Friday, June 14 at 8:30 p.m.

Get acquainted with this fresh, new talent on the rise! These comics have an approach to comedy that appeals to all walks of life. Host: Clark Jones. Lineup: Ben Bergman, Brandi Denise, Bryan Christopher, Cody Wilkins, Gia Claire, Lem Slaughter, Mark Gregory and Meechie Hall.

 

Bad Boys Of Comedy – Friday, June 14 at 10:30 p.m.

Urban comedy gets real with this hilariously hardcore, uncensored show. Host: Marlon Mitchell. Lineup: Kendall Ferguson, M. Dubs, Mike Samp, Sean Monroe, Shawn Morgan and Roy.

 

5-Star Leading Ladies – Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 p.m.

Funny, sassy girls with similar paths in life will take the stage and show you the funny from a woman’s perspective. Host: Vanessa Fraction. Lineup: Ali Clayton, Chastity Washington, Jesnaira Baez (Jari), Kellye Howard, Lindsay Adams, Reena Calm and Tara Terry.

 

Best Of Chicago – Saturday, June 15 at 10:30 p.m.

Some of Chi-Town’s best urban talent – this show cray! Host: B. Cole. Lineup: B. Phillips (Baldhead), Brandon (Hotsauce) Glover, Brian (Da Wildcat) Smith, Calvin Evans, Kevin (Dam Fool) Simpson, Vince Acevedo and Willie Lynch, Jr.

 

The Lil Rel Show – Sunday, June 16 at 8:00 p.m.

Lil Rel performs.

Tickets for Jokes and Notes shows are available:

  • ·                     At the Jokes and Notes Box Office (Wednesday to Sunday as of 6:00 p.m.)
  • ·                     By phone at 773-373-3390