New York, NY - In response to the President-elect’s repeated threats on human rights, comedians in over 20 cities are coordinating shows to raise money for the ACLU on Inauguration Day Weekend for the WHAT A JOKE Comedy Fest, organized and produced by New York comedians Jenn Welch (The New York Comedy Festival) and Emily Winter (Writer for TV Land, Fusion TV). From Thursday, January 19th, through Saturday, January 21st, benefit comedy shows under the name WHAT A JOKE will take place simultaneously around the country and in the UK. Because seriously, what a joke.
NYC shows are Thursday, January 19 at The Stand, Friday, January 20th at The Annoyance Theater and Saturday, January 21st at Rough Trade.
1/19 lineup at The Stand:
Janeane Garofalo (Wet Hot American Summer, 24) Subhah Agarwal (Comedy Central) Kerry Coddett (MTV2's Joking Off) Martin Urbano (Bridgetown Comedy Festival) Jenn Welch (New York Comedy Festival) Emily Winter (Writer at TV Land, Fusion TV) Petey DeAbreu (New York Comedy Festival)
1/20 lineup at The Annoyance Theater:
Josh Gondelman (Last Week Tonight writer, Conan)
Jo Firestone (Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon writer) and Brett Davis (The Special Without Brett Davis)
Langston Kerman (Comedy Central, Insecure)
Mike Recine (Conan)
Rob Haze (Adam Devine's House Party on Comedy Central)
Maria Wojciechowski (Seeso's Schtick or Treat)
Carmen Lagala (Bridgetown Comedy Festival)
Hosted by Jenn Welch (New York Comedy Festival) and Emily Winter (Writer at TV Land, Fusion TV)
1/21 lineup at Rough Trade:
Laurie Kilmartin (Last Comic Standing, Conan, Best-Selling Author of Shitty Mom)
Dave Hill (@midnight, Inside Amy Schumer, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)
Jordan Temple (MTV’s Decoded, Brooklyn Magazine’s 50 Funniest)
Rae Sanni (Comedy Central)
Jenn Welch (New York Comedy Festival)
Emily Winter (Writer for TV Land, Fusion TV)
hosted by Fusion TV’s Chris Calogero
WHAT A JOKE is not an affiliated with the ACLU, but exists as an independent effort donating its proceeds.
List of participating cities:
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Knoxville
Los Angeles
Madison
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
New Orleans
New York
Oxford, UK
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland, ME
Portland, OR
Salt Lake City
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
For interview requests, please contact Heidi Vanderlee - hv@sharkpartymedia.com
About Emily Winter and Jenn Welch
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Emily Winter is a comedian and writer in Brooklyn, NY. She writes for TV Land, was a staff writer for Come Here And Say That on the Fusion network, and is an NBC Late Night Writers Workshop script judge. Her parody twitter accounts @Feminist_Bro and @TrumpFeminist have been written about on Someecards, Bustle, Hello Giggles, and The Frisky. Emily's standup has been profiled in The Miami New Times, and she's performed in The Cape Fear Comedy Festival, The Brooklyn Comedy Festival, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, and others. She runs two long-standing, popular comedy shows in Brooklyn, BackFat Variety and Side Ponytail, and is thrilled to be co-producing WHAT A JOKE: A National Comedy Fest Supporting the ACLU, taking place in over 25 cities on Inauguration Day Weekend.
www.emilymckennawinter.com
@EmilyMcWinter
Jenn Welch is a comedian / writer / improvisor based in Brooklyn, NY. She’s the host of The Half-Hour Hour at The Creek and the Cave, and the co-creator of The Stand-Up Showdown, a bracket-style stand-up tournament that’s taken place in Manhattan, Queens, Boston, and Memphis. Her sketches have been performed at Second City LA, the iO West, and The People’s Improv Theater. She is a veteran improv house team member at The PIT and works as an improv instructor at The PIT Comedy School. Her stand-up has been featured in the Memphis Comedy Fest, the Cinder Block Comedy Fest, and the New York Comedy Fest. She is proud to be the co-founder and co-producer of WHAT A JOKE: A National Comedy Fest Supporting the ACLU, taking place in over 25 cities on Inauguration Day Weekend.
www.jennwelchcomedy.com
@jennwelchnow on Twitter
www.whatajokefest.com
@WhatAJokeFest on Twitter
What a Joke Fest on Facebook