Jane Lynch, Joan Rivers Tribute & More Set for Kennedy Center's 2016 Comedy Lineup
By: Tyler Peterson Nov. 18, 2015
The Kennedy Center today announced a robust schedule of 2015-2016 performances as part of Comedy at the Kennedy Center, the largest since the new series was established in the 2014-2015 season. Capital One is the presenting sponsor. Comedy at the Kennedy Center will include three signature events in the Concert Hall, featuring nationally renowned comedic acts, and the Center's first District of Comedy Festival from June 22-25, showcasing an array of celebrated comedians who will be performing on stages across the building. The District of Comedy Festival will also launch a newly-engaged collaboration with Chicago's legendary comedy theater, The Second City, featuring a Kennedy Center commission that focuses on the history of the United States, which will run for six weeks in the Theater Lab. Tickets for these events go on sale to members on Monday, November 23, 2015 and to the general public on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 (unless otherwise noted).
"We are delighted to present our strongest line-up of events yet for the Comedy at the Kennedy Center series," said Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter. "From solo performances by big names in the entertainment industry to our first-ever comedy festival and a new collaboration with The Second City, the series celebrates the art of comedy as a means to explore creative expression and raise awareness about current topics of relevance. We are grateful to our Presenting Sponsor, Capital One, for their generous support of this program, and for sharing our commitment to unite communities and audiences through laughter."
Comedy at the Kennedy Center's signature series continues in 2016 with stand-up appearances by three high profile personalities from the national comedy sphere. The first event welcomes The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour co-founder and best-selling author of I'm Not a Terrorist But I've Played One on TV Maz Jobrani on April 1, 2016. Jobrani will be making his headlining debut at the Kennedy Center, having recently performed at The Kennedy Center/Aspen Institute Arts Summit in May 2015. Following this engagement, raucous sketch and stand-up comedian Tracy Morgan brings his highly anticipated comedy tour, Picking Up the Pieces, to the Concert Hall on April 22, 2016. Morgan participated as a presenter in the 18th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony last October. The third event will see Internet sensation and "Haters, Back Off!" phrase-coiner Miranda Sings in her one-woman show, featuring hilarious skits, off-key singing, and dramatic readings in her delusional style, on April 23, 2016. All signature events will take place in the Concert Hall.
Starting a new tradition this season, the Kennedy Center and Capital One present the first annual District of Comedy Festival. This comes as part of the bank's five-year, $5 million gift to fund Comedy at the Kennedy Center, a signature program focused on elevating comedy as an art form and uniting the local community together through laughter. The festival spans four days in June 2016 and it joins well-known names in the comedy circuit and rising stars who will headline shows in three main spaces: the Concert Hall, the Eisenhower Theater, and the Terrace Theater.
"As Washington's hometown bank, our partnership with the Kennedy Center is an important extension of our engagement within the D.C. community," said Jonathan Witter, President, Retail and Direct Banking, Capital One. "We are delighted to extend our work with the Center with the introduction of the first annual District of Comedy Festival. Our hope is to continue fostering advancement of comedy to spur important conversations and a further understanding of the societal issues that communities across the nation face on a daily basis."
This all-laughs invasion will include performances by: TV host, producer, and New York Times best-selling author Melissa Rivers alongside an all-star cast of comedians and actors in a special tribute to the late comedy icon Joan Rivers; award-winning actress and comedian Jane Lynch, presenting her new musical comedy show See Jane Sing!; Robert Post, who will deliver a one-man variety show for children and families; former Saturday Night Live cast member Norm Macdonald; legendary comedian and social satirist Dick Gregory in an evening that uniquely combines the arts of comedy and jazz; and Adam Carolla with his one-man show, Not Taco Bell Material, based on the 2012 book by the same title. Additional District of Comedy Festival programming will be announced at a later date.
The District of Comedy Festival will also highlight a new Kennedy Center co-commission, The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to U.S. History. In this exclusive collaboration with the Kennedy Center, Chicago's legendary The Second City will put a comic twist on historical figures, events, and inventions that make up the story of America, balancing between the facts and telltales of our nation's past. This new work follows the company's recent collaborations in the performing arts world with funny takes on mainstream knowledge of opera and the symphony, which prove to be just as hilarious as they are eye-opening and educational. The Second City will take over the Theater Lab for six weeks June-July 2016, appearing for the first time at the Center in almost two decades.
Comedy at the Kennedy Center continues to make the art form accessible by presenting monthly comedy nights on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage throughout the winter, spring, and into the summer of 2016. These events are free and open to the general public.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets go on sale to Kennedy Center members on Monday, November 23, 2015 and to the general public on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 (unless otherwise noted). Tickets will be available for purchase at the Kennedy Center Box Office, by calling InstantCharge at (202) 467-4600, or through the Kennedy Center website at www.kennedy-center.org.
Subscriptions go on sale to Kennedy Center patrons on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. To receive subscription information, call the Subscription Office at (202) 416-8500 or visit www.kennedy-center.org/subscribe.
SIGNATURE COMEDY SERIES
Maz Jobrani
Friday, April 1, 2016 at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Tickets $25-$110
Maz Jobrani is a founding member of The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, which premiered on Comedy Central in 2007. He has had two Showtime comedy specials, I Come In Peace and Brown and Friendly, and performs stand-up comedy around the world, including the Middle East where he performed in front of the King of Jordan. Jobrani starred in the films Friday After Next, 13 Going on 30, and The Interpreter. On television, he was a regular on ABC's Knights of Prosperity and FOX's Life on a Stick. He also recurred on ABC's Better Off Ted. Jobrani has guest starred on Curb Your Enthusiasm, 24, ER, NYPD Blue, Traffic Light, Man Up, Men at Work, and most recently, Whitney. He has performed his stand-up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Lopez Tonight. He also co-hosts a popular podcast about fatherhood called Minivan Men, and currently is gearing up to shoot JIMMY VESTVOOD: AMERIKAN HERO, a feature which he co-wrote and in which he will star.
Tracy Morgan: Picking up the Pieces
Friday, April 22, 2016 at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Tickets $35-$75 (currently on sale)
Multi-talented comedian, Tracy Morgan presents Picking up the Pieces, his latest major multi-city standup tour starting in February 2016. After a triumphant return to the Hollywood stage at this year's Emmy Awards, a visit to his old stomping grounds at Saturday Night Live, and an impressive dedication during the 2015 Mark Twain Prize show, audiences can look forward to the entertainer doing what he does best-bringing bag loads of "funny" and making people laugh.
Miranda Sings
Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Tickets $35-$70
International YouTube sensation Miranda Sings is bringing a night of hilarious comedy, hit songs, magic tricks, dramatic readings of hate mail, and never before seen videos. The quirky superstar has over 60 million views on YouTube and has performed her one-woman show to sold-out crowds all over the world. You will not want to miss seeing this lipstick-wearing, epileptic eye-browed, crooked-smiling beauty live and in person!
THE KENNEDY CENTER'S DISTRICT OF COMEDY FESTIVAL*
Celebrating Joan: A Tribute to Joan Rivers
Hosted by Melissa Rivers
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Tickets $55-$125 (on sale to be announced at a later date)
"People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made." - Joan Rivers
No one made audiences happier over the last 50 years than trailblazing comedian Joan Rivers. The opening night of the Kennedy Center's District of Comedy Festival will feature a celebration of the entertainment icon hosted by her daughter-TV host, producer, and New York Times best-selling author Melissa Rivers. The Emmy and Grammy-award winning Rivers changed the way America thinks about women in comedy and paved the way for an entire generation of stand-up comedians, including Ellen Degeneres, Wanda Sykes, Roseanne Barr, Louis CK, and Amy Schumer. The Kennedy Center looks forward to saluting Joan with a spirited and star-studded tribute.
See Jane Sing!
Friday, June 24, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Tickets $70-$125 (currently on sale)
Prepare for an evening of side-splitting laughter as famous actress Jane Lynch brings her musical comedy and dash of wit to the Kennedy Center. Laugh along with Lynch as she explores her love of the beauty and absurdity of the American standard. Fresh from her iconic portrayal of Sue Sylvester on Glee and her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Lynch will bring her comic skills and musical prowess for an evening of musical comedy. In See Jane Sing!, Lynch explores her love of the beauty and absurdity of the American standard and show tune.
Robert Post
Robert Post Comedy Theatre for Kids
Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 2 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Tickets $20
Robert Post's one-man variety show serves up a delightful entertainment feast. Hilarious, poignant, and physically dazzling, his meticulously crafted sketches fill the stage with bumblers, dreamers, and cartoonish heroes of every stripe. Post serves as his own witty master of ceremonies, improvising as he banters with the audience. And when he ducks offstage, video clips chronicle quirky encounters from his travels around the world. You'll roar with laughter and shake your head in amazement! Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Norm Macdonald
Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Tickets $20-$45
Norm Macdonald is best known for his four-year stint on Saturday Night Live, where Chevy Chase noted he was the best anchor to ever grace the chair. He is a favorite guest on Late Night shows, having performed the final stand-up set ever on David Letterman. After leaving SNL, Macdonald starred in two movies, one being the cult classic Dirty Work, and he appeared in many Adam Sandler films, including the first Billy Madison where he played Sandler's best friend. Macdonald also starred in three television series. This year, he became a judge on Last Comic Standing, as well as portrayed Colonel Sanders in an avant-garde series of spots for KFC. His tour-de force anti-comedy roast of Bob Saget became an instant classic and so did the five-minute "Moth Joke" on Conan, which received a full one-minute laugh. These, though, are only experiments that Macdonald tries out on TV appearances-it is still his stand-up which is his pure gift. His 2011 comedy special, Me Doing Stand-Up, was hailed by The Guardian as one of the "Best Stand-Up Specials of All Time" and Comedy Central named him in its top "100 Comedians of All Time."
An Evening of Comedy and Jazz
Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Tickets $45
Comedy legend Dick Gregory headlines the Terrace Theater with a special evening of comedy and jazz. At venues such as New York City's Village Gate in the 1960s, comedians and jazz musicians shared the same stage-Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx routinely opened for MiLes Davis and BetTy Carter. Paying homage to this era, the evening will highlight a common thread shared by both genres: the artist's unique ability as a storyteller. Both comedians and jazz musicians carefully craft their performances, building up to a punchline or the climax of a song to provoke audience reaction. Part of the first annual District of Comedy Festival, participating jazz musicians will be announced at a later date.
An activist, philosopher, anti-drug crusader, comedian, author, actor, recording artist, and nutritionist, Dick Gregory first entered the national comedy scene in 1961, when Chicago's Playboy Club-as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner-booked him as a replacement for white comedian, "Professor" Irwin Corey. His tenure as a replacement for Corey was so successful that the Playboy Club offered him a contract extension from several weeks to three years. By 1962, Gregory had become a nationally known headline performer, selling out nightclubs, making national television appearances, and recording popular comedy albums.
Not Taco Bell Material
Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 9:30 p.m.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Tickets $25-$45
Not Taco Bell Material is a New York Times bestseller and now a one-man show written and performed by Adam Carolla about growing up poor in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. Told as a succession of hilarious stories, Carolla recounts his awkward childhood, teenage, and young adult years through the many absurd family episodes that shaped his extraordinarily dysfunctional upbringing. Pulling no punches, he exposes with pictures and video the ridiculousness of his '60s-era hippy parents raising their kids on top ramen, government cheese, and good vibes.
THE SECOND CITY AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to U.S. History
Sunday, June 19-Sunday, July 31, 2016
Mondays- Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 6 p.m. & 9 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Theater Lab
Tickets $49
What if the history of America was written by comedians? Are you sure it wasn't? The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to U.S. History is a look back at the Founding Fathers, the Industrial Revolution, and the individuals and movements that have defined the way America looks at itself. And some of it will even be true. Join us for the premiere of a new co-commission between the Kennedy Center and The Second City, Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to U.S. History. The Second City is the world's premier club for comedy/theater and school of improvisation, with a unique way of creating and performing comedy. Notably the most influential and prolific comedy theater in the world, The Second City has produced impressive comedic alums including Keegan Michael Key, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Jim Belushi, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Amy Poehler, Joan Rivers, Jane Lynch, and many more.
*Additional District of Comedy events will be announced at a later date.
FREE PERFORMANCES ON THE MILLENNIUM STAGE
Note: for Millennium Stage performances in the Terrace Theater, free general admission tickets will be distributed in the States Gallery (in the Family Theater Lobby for June 9) starting at approximately 5:30 p.m., up to two tickets per person.
Nate Bargatze
Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 6 p.m.
Grand Foyer
Cameron Esposito
Thursday, January 29, 2016 at 6 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Called "the future of comedy" by none other than Jay Leno, Cameron Esposito is a fast-rising Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor, and writer who appears regularly on late night TV and in comedy festivals across the country. Her sophomore album, Same Sex Symbol, was released in fall 2014, debuting at #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Her first book is forthcoming from Hachette/Grand Central Publishing. Rhea Butcher opens.
Ricky Velez
Thursday, February 12, 2016 at 6 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Recently named one of Variety's 2015 "10 Comics To Watch," Ricky Velez is a New York-based stand-up comic and actor who is currently a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. He was also recently selected as one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch and as New York's Funniest by the New York Comedy Festival.
Adam Cayton-Holland
Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 6 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Adam Cayton-Holland is a national touring comic who has appeared on Conan, @midnight, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, The Pete Holmes Show, and Happy Endings. He was named one of Esquire's "25 Comics to Watch," as well as one of "10 Comics to Watch" by Variety. Along with his cohorts in The Grawlix, he is one of the creators and stars of the new TRU TV sitcom, Those Who Can't, airing in 2016. His albums, I Don't Know If I Happy and Backyards, are both available on iTunes. He has been described as "genial" and "with pretty decent teeth."
Brooks Wheelan
Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 6 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
A 29-year old Iowa native, Brooks Wheelan graduated from the University of Iowa with a biomedical engineering degree, but then decided to pursue comedy. He was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2013-2014 and had the #1 comedy album on iTunes with the release of his debut recording, This is Cool, Right? He has appeared on Conan, Late Night with Seth Meyers, HBO's Girls, MTV's Ridiculousness, @Midnight, and Comedy Central's Adam Devine's House Party. Wheelan was voted as one of Comedy Central's "10 Comics to Watch" in 2012 and Rolling Stone named him as one of the top 45 acts from the 2014 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. He performed at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival in 2013 and 2014, as well as in Comedy Central's South Beach Comedy Festival, SXSW, Sasquatch Music and Arts Festival, Moontower Comedy Festival, and Bridgetown Comedy Festival, among many others.
Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 6 p.m.
Kennedy Center Family Theater
John Early is an actor, writer, and comedian who has been described as "endearingly honest and absurdly funny" by The New York Times, "a cross between Dennis the Menace and Christopher Guest" by PAPER Magazine, and most impressively "cute and young and blonde" by The Huffington Post. He was named one of Vulture's "50 Comedians to Watch" in 2015 and one of the Top Ten Downtown Cabaret Performers in New York by Time Out New York. He will be appearing soon in Neighbors 2 opposite Dave Franco, as well as in the upcoming Netflix original series Love. Early created and starred in a comedy special for Netflix playing a variety of original characters and he will be a guest star in season five of HBO's Girls. He is an Artist in Residence and Comedy Curator at Ars Nova, where he hosts the monthly variety show Showgasm.
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