Judy Gold and Christine O'Leary Bring Great Nights of Comedy to The Ridgefield Playhouse in November!

One of comedian Christine O'Leary's first gigs in Ridgefield was when Adam Broderick hired her to perform at his staff holiday party. To get material, she went undercover at both of his salons, posing as a new employee who was sent to "shadow the staff to gain experience." Weeks later, she shocked everyone when she took center stage at their holiday party, grabbed the microphone, and began a litany of dead-on impressions and inside jokes that made everyone howl with laughter.

Although she teased Adam mercilessly, he was so impressed with her talent that he recommended her to perform at The Ridgefield Playhouse, where she was quickly booked to open for veteran comedian Gilbert Gottfried. "The first time I performed at The Ridgefield Playhouse I was hooked" says Christine. She went on to open at The Playhouse for some of the biggest names in comedy today, including Joy Beyhar, Chevy Chase, Sinbad, Tracy Morgan, and Janeane Garafolo.

"I feel honored and privileged to consider The Ridgefield Playhouse my home base," says Christine, now in her fourth year with The Playhouse. "It's not just that it's a nice place," she explains, "It's who comes here. It's a different audience; they're smarter and ready. The Ridgefield Playhouse draws an audience that rewards strong, clean, sassy, progressive ideas. Stand-Up comedy has a home here, and I am so grateful to be a part of that reputation."

On Friday, November 4th at 8:00 pm, Christine will open for Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian Judy Gold. Judy is well known for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and as the star of two Off-Broadway shows. "I've admired Judy's work for a long time," says Christine. "She is a legend to me. It's a huge deal to be chosen by her to host her show and to share a stage with her and Liz Barrett and Karen Bergreen. I'm excited for my community and everyone who loves Stand Up to see this show." Judy's most recent show, The Judy Show - My Life as A Sitcom ran to sold-out audiences. Judy was nominated for the 2012 Outer Critics Circle Award for The Judy Show, as well as a 2006 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance for her previous show, 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. In addition, the show won the 2007 GLAAD award for "Outstanding New York Theater." The New York Times called her one-woman show "fiercely funny, honest and moving." Performing with Judy that night are two hysterical comics. Liz Barrett's one-liners come fast and furious and she is often called a female Steven Wright and a thinking man's Roseanne. Karen Bergreen is a nationally recognized stand-up comic, making appearances in both seasons of The Jim Gaffigan Show. She has appeared on The View, Comedy Central and has been invited twice to perform at HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen Colorado and The Great American Comedy Festival.

In addition to performing at The Playhouse and serving as emcee and host at various private and nonprofit events, Christine also teaches a very popular Stand-Up comedy class. With sixteen sold-out classes under her belt, Christine has had students from all walks of life, including doctors, writers, puppeteers, stay-at-home moms, attorneys-and people going through divorce, chemo, and hip replacements. She even had a couple of empty nesters who dropped their last child off at college and enrolled in the class together. She and her students will perform in their "Graduation Show" on Wednesday, November 9 at 7 p.m.

"Anyone who has ever thought about doing Stand-Up comedy, even for ten seconds, can do my Stand-Up Comedy Workshop," says Christine. The classes are limited to fifteen students per eight-week session so that Christine has time to work with each student individually. Students are encouraged to write from their experiences, read their work out loud, listen to where they get laughs from the group, and eventually prepare a five-minute set that they perform at a "Graduation Showcase" event. "Let's face it, it's cheaper than therapy," says Laura Isler, who has taken Christine's class five times. "I just love it. Christine has an incredible energy; we're a community," she grins.

Why would anyone put themselves out there like that? "The high you get from standing up in front of an audience surpasses the anxiety of doing it," says Christine. "It's a liberation that stays with you a very long time. It's like jumping out of a plane. Nothing prepares you to do this, except everything."

Christine is committed to mentoring her 100+ past and present students, whom she affectionately refers to as "my chickens." She regularly puts together casts of comics to perform at nonprofit events and produces shows to give her students, past and present, more opportunities to perform. She is also the founding visionary and CEO behind her "Team Green Light Comedy"-a group whose mission is to spread joy and bring Stand-Up to places where comedy has not been invited before. Recently, Christine performed with six of her former students to the delight of 100 residents at a nursing home. "The thing that I'm the most proud of is that the work I've done has provided opportunities for more than just me. I'm grateful to share and to help others become part of something bigger than themselves," she beams.

For tickets ($15 for Comedy Workshop Graduation Show, $35 for Judy Gold), call the box office at 203-438-5795, or visitridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.

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