Ana Belaval to Bring Stand-Up Show to the MAC

Emmy Award-winning WGN Morning News “Around Town” reporter Ana Belaval will bring her special brand of stand-up comedy to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19.

Belaval has spent more than a decade building a following on the Chicago comedy circuit, drawing on her broadcasting career, family life and proud Puerto Rican heritage as she performs stand-up that is as heartfelt as it is funny. Her ability to find humor in navigating a bilingual, bicultural life first sparked her passion for the stage, and she has since become a regular headliner at Zanies and other top Chicago clubs, as well as a fixture of local shows including the Mikey O Comedy Show, "Girl, Let Me Tell You," "La Sala" and "Las Boricuas of Comedy." She has also taken her material further afield, touring a Spanish-language one-woman show to Chicago, New York and Puerto Rico. Whether in English, Spanish or her signature "Spanglish," Belaval connects with audiences through laughter and her belief that “sometimes your Plan B is the ticket to living the American Dream.”

A graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., Belaval began her journalism career at Univision Chicago, where her Spanish fluency helped launch her rise from reporter and weekend anchor to network correspondent and substitute host of Univision's national morning show, Despierta América. In 2005, she joined WGN-TV, becoming one of the few Spanish-language journalists to successfully transition to the English-language broadcast market.

A four-time Emmy Award winner and six-time nominee, Belaval has been recognized for Living Green, One Tank Trips, Adelante Chicago, and her impactful reporting on Hurricane Maria's aftermath in Puerto Rico. She also hosted WTTW's Chicago Stand-Up Project. Off stage and off camera, she enjoys time with her husband, Steve, and their children, Amelia and Alexander.