Comedians Shannon Battle & Benjamin Warheit to Perform at Final 2023 Collaboration LAB

Part show, part party and part networking opportunity, the final Placer Repertory Theater Collaboration LAB for 2023 features eight comedians and an open stage for all artists & creatives at Cool River Pizza & Taphouse's event room, on the border of Rocklin and Roseville, Sunday, October 22 at 7 p.m. In addition to the family-friendly comedy of dual headliners Shannon Battle and Bejamin Warheit, regional favorites Jordan Quattlebaum, Joe “Phat Joe” Mendonsa, Roberto Rizo, Sinn Rella, Sean Crosco, and the evening's host, Funny Robert, will usher audience members into the holiday season with a bevy of belly-laughs, sure to fortify patrons from the impending holiday pressures.

Comedian Shannon Battle hails from Baltimore and was originally a broadcast journalism student at Humboldt State University, when Shannon's goals changed, and he pivoted to follow his interests and passions. Shannon produces and hosts Did You Laugh Today, currently hosts Kickback Comedy in Citrus Heights, and is the Creator/Producer of the nationally acclaimed “Off the Wall” comedy show.  You may have heard or seen him via iHeartRadio, Big Al Sam's in The Morning, Reality Check TV, Elephant on the Block, Good Morning Sacramento, Grammy Nominated “Comics On Life” with Steffon Braxton, Fox 40, New York Fashion Week, New York Magazine, or UnNew Magazine.

Benjamin Warheit attended the University of Delaware where he majored in neuroscience. After graduating in 2009, he moved to New York and began writing and performing in videos and stage productions around New York City. In 2012, Warheit was drawing cartoons on post-it notes in his lab office, and posting them daily to his Tumblr blog, which led to Above Average Productions ordering an animated web series based on his post-it drawings. The resulting series, Waco Valley, ran 6 episodes online before Comedy Central ordered a half-hour TV pilot of the series. The pilot script that Warheit wrote ended up in the hands of Seth Meyers who was looking for writers for his Hulu series, The Awesomes, and hired Warheit to write and direct for the show. A month later, Meyers was named the new host of Late Night, and brought on Warheit as a staff writer. Warheit regularly performs on the show as characters and as himself, and created some of the show's signature pieces, including Ya Burnt, Back In My Day, and Seth's Nephew Derrick. In 2019, Warheit appeared in the psychological thriller Joker and romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York. In 2020, Warheit recurred on the murder-comedy Mapleworth Murders for Quibi.

“Joining Shannon and Benjamin are a wide variety of comedians I've hand-picked and arm-twisted to create a well-rounded show. Additional comedians, as well as creatives from every discipline are encouraged to come and share their talent during the open stage portion of the lab,” said Funny Robert, Host of the October 22 Collaboration LAB.  From visual and performing artists, crafters, designers, writers, architects, and historians to representatives of civic and cultural organizations, Collaboration LAB has seen a vast variety of creativity shared at its LABs from 2020 to present.

As October's LAB is the final show for 2023, the theme, appropriately, is “This is the End: Each ending is a new beginning; as creatives, where do we go from here?” After the comedians perform for the party-like LAB, and the open stage performances end, there will be a drawing for $100 in prizes. This month, the prize donors are Starbucks Coffee at 3091 Stanford Ranch Road in Rocklin and Starbucks Coffee 9450 Fairway Drive in Roseville. The monthly drawing is an incentive to remind presenters and attendees to register for the LAB as seating is limited.

The LAB is conveniently located on the Roseville/Rocklin border and offers wine, draft microbrew beers, soft drinks, and the full Cool River menu of items available for purchase, as Placer Rep provides a couple free pizzas in the room so everyone can have a slice and enjoy the show. Visit Placer Repertory Theater on Eventbrite.com to register for this FREE live event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collaboration-lab-tickets-515729529907.

Placer Repertory Theater (www.PlacerRep.org) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission to offer educational and quality-of-life enriching professional performing arts and cultural programs relevant to the people of Placer County and surrounding areas, while supporting local organizations and acting as an economic engine for the region. Follow Placer Repertory Theater on Facebook (PlacerRep), Twitter and Instagram: @PlacerRep and subscribe to their YouTube Channel (/@PlacerRep).

COLLABORATION LAB TEAM

Teresa Stirling Forsyth – LAB PRODUCER

With an MFA in Dramatic Arts and an MS in Business Management & Leadership, this former Silicon Valley high-tech VP and critically acclaimed professional director/playwright also plays the role of Producing Artistic Director for Placer Repertory Theater.  Previously, the artistic director for two San Francisco theater companies, and founder/board president of an economic & workforce development nonprofit organization for Santa Cruz County, her performing arts background includes international tours as an actor/singer/dancer, and director/playwright for national and international touring productions with renowned performing artists, such as Brenda Wong Aoki, and companies like Dell'Arte International. She has instructed and directed at numerous educational institutions, including UC Davis, University of San Francisco, and University of Minnesota. Projects on which Forsyth worked performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, Dallas Theatre Center, San Diego Repertory Theater, and other renowned venues, and received Dramalogue Awards and Critics Circle Awards. While with Placer Rep, her projects have won Broadway World Awards, the Gloria Burt Fellowship in Literature and Gold Country Media awards. Her prior works have won numerous grants from the NEA, CAC and corporations. She is a member of the professional organizations: The Dramatists Guild, SDC Stage Directors & Choreographers, and The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).

 

ARIE KNYAZEV – LAB CO-HOST, TECHNICIAN

Haunting History in 2022 was Arie's first opportunity to work with Placer Repertory Theater.  Previously, he starred as the character William Gillette in Ken Ludwig's play The Game's Afoot, produced by the State Theatre Acting Company at the Auburn State Theatre in Auburn and as Max in Lend Me a Tenor for Lincoln Theatre Company.  A software engineer by day, he says he would happily give up his lucrative high-tech career to become a starving professional actor. Currently he studies with Placer Repertory Theater in Studium-Practicum, a professional growth program providing MFA curriculum to Placer Rep company members and affiliates.

 

MATT HEYER – BOOKER, COLOR COMMENTATOR

Graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he received his BFA in Theatre, Matthew won the Irene Ryan award for his ensemble work in 2018 and for his performance as Elliot in Completeness in 2019.His favorite mainstage productions include Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, Charles in As You Like It, Thomas Putnam in The Crucible, and Shakespeare in The Bard on Broadway. Having studied IPA, Matt performs duties as a Dialect Coach for Placer Repertory Theater productions. As an actor, for Placer Rep in 2021, Matthew has played the characters George and Milo in From the Mind of Scott Charles, and the title role in “An Evening with Sherlock Holmes” featuring a new play based on The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In 2022, Matt was part of the ensemble cast for Haunting History, and the ASM and Understudy for two roles in the mainstage world premiere of Ghosts of Placer County.

 

FUNNY ROBERT – TECH DIR., LAB HOST & COMEDIAN

A graduate of the San Francisco Comedy College, Robert has performed throughout California, as well as in Reno, Las Vegas, and Austin, Texas. As an Emcee / comedian, he has hosted comedy shows, as well as open mic nights for professional clubs, and has been seen briefly on TV in Last Comic Standing. Among his favorite performances are his evening at The Improv in San Jose and performing as a featured comedian at Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale. He draws his comedy from his family, work and the tragicomedy that is the human experience.

 

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