Calendar of Events

These two one act plays, twinned in theme, display the struggles of sexual abuse, and the aftermath; which is healing. The stories of two different persons are speaking the truth – or a truth – their truths – about going through this harsh and mind blowing journey. This powerful show has a bold message with a light at the end of the tunnel. Truth Be Told is written and directed by Monica McDaniel.

Truth Be Told will open the 2019-20 35below season and is also the inaugural play in Asheville Community Theatre’s Artistic Horizons program, a program that gives local artists the opportunity to pursue new creative paths in the theatre.

Jake Marshall Head is a southern stand-up comedian living in New York City. Jake made his television debut on Fox’s “Laughs.” He has been a regular guest on SiriusXM, and he’s appeared at numerous festivals around the country, including Comedy Central’s South Beach Festival, Laughing Skull Fest, & Seattle International Comedy Competition.

Featuring Mimi J Benfield

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-jake-head-tickets-67294889827

Thursday night 9/19
Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic!
Hosted by Morgan Bost
Featuring Cody Hughes
Doors 8:30p/9:00p show
$5 members/$2 for year membership
Professional and Newbi comics
Comics get in free (+free membership)
Free snacks/drink specials

[Comics sign up at door or email [email protected]
New comics to venue get 3-5m
Regular comics get as much time as available. Look for light]

Contact Michele at [email protected] for more info/sign up early or request a feature (paid 20m)

https://www.facebook.com/events/359308851432937/?active_tab=about

These two one act plays, twinned in theme, display the struggles of sexual abuse, and the aftermath; which is healing. The stories of two different persons are speaking the truth – or a truth – their truths – about going through this harsh and mind blowing journey. This powerful show has a bold message with a light at the end of the tunnel. Truth Be Told is written and directed by Monica McDaniel.

Truth Be Told will open the 2019-20 35below season and is also the inaugural play in Asheville Community Theatre’s Artistic Horizons program, a program that gives local artists the opportunity to pursue new creative paths in the theatre.

Cinematastic: The Music of the Movies promises to capture the emotional and cultural impact of films that have defined multiple generations. Movies like The Jazz Singer, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Top Gun, inspired millions with their relevance and innovation, so much so that these films have been preserved in the National Film Registry for cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. While these films set milestones, their true success came from the ability to create iconic moments that struck a profound chord in the hearts of audiences.

Valerie Tosi is a comedian, actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include guest stars on IFC’s Stan Against Evil, Netflix’s The Joel McHale Show, and the lead in the feature film The Sex Addict. She features for Dana Gould on the road, and has featured at several comedy festivals including Limestone, Laughing Skull, Out of Bounds, All Jane, etc. Valerie also hosts The Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest running all female show at The Hollywood Improv. An alumni of both The Second City & iO West, her improv background led to several Buzzfeed videos garnering millions of views including a video with Kevin Hart & Ice Cube. You may have heard her voice literally everywhere as the voice of the Google Home Mini campaign​.

Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-friday-tickets-67297507657

Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-saturday-tickets-67299282967

These two one act plays, twinned in theme, display the struggles of sexual abuse, and the aftermath; which is healing. The stories of two different persons are speaking the truth – or a truth – their truths – about going through this harsh and mind blowing journey. This powerful show has a bold message with a light at the end of the tunnel. Truth Be Told is written and directed by Monica McDaniel.

Truth Be Told will open the 2019-20 35below season and is also the inaugural play in Asheville Community Theatre’s Artistic Horizons program, a program that gives local artists the opportunity to pursue new creative paths in the theatre.

Valerie Tosi is a comedian, actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include guest stars on IFC’s Stan Against Evil, Netflix’s The Joel McHale Show, and the lead in the feature film The Sex Addict. She features for Dana Gould on the road, and has featured at several comedy festivals including Limestone, Laughing Skull, Out of Bounds, All Jane, etc. Valerie also hosts The Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest running all female show at The Hollywood Improv. An alumni of both The Second City & iO West, her improv background led to several Buzzfeed videos garnering millions of views including a video with Kevin Hart & Ice Cube. You may have heard her voice literally everywhere as the voice of the Google Home Mini campaign​.

Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-friday-tickets-67297507657

Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-saturday-tickets-67299282967

Sam Evans is a comic originally from Cincinnati, OH. After relocating to New York, he was selected as one of the New Faces of the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in 2014. He has been featured on the Audible comedy podcast “Sounds Like America” and SiriusXM. He likes cats but not as much as dogs, and he would like you to teach him how to rollerblade.

Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-sam-evans-tickets-70085787477

Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge is the longest running comedy open mic in Asheville happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 9:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform needs to sign up by 9pm, and will get five minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.

About the show: A renowned writer has it all, fortune, fame, women and adoration, when one excruciating miscalculation causes him to lose everything. As penance he hides away in a small New England town where he runs a bookstore in a shambling farmhouse. Then comes a knock on his door. Can the lost be found? Can the sinner gain redemption?

Cinematastic: The Music of the Movies promises to capture the emotional and cultural impact of films that have defined multiple generations. Movies like The Jazz Singer, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Top Gun, inspired millions with their relevance and innovation, so much so that these films have been preserved in the National Film Registry for cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. While these films set milestones, their true success came from the ability to create iconic moments that struck a profound chord in the hearts of audiences.

Mike Lebovitz began his comedy career at the age of six with clowning classes at the local JCC. He’s been delighting crowds with his intoxicating brand of wild-eyed humor ever since. Mike’s irreverent bar-stool philosophy careens from topic to topic like a runaway freight train with some dubious couplings. Audiences have described the experience as “spontaneous,” “joyful’ and “slightly terrifying.”
Mike cut his teeth in Chicago (not as painful as it sounds), where he was a regular at Zanies Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory and Comedy Bar Chicago. He co-founded the popular showcase, Comedians You Should Know, which he brought to New York City in 2016. It has since become the weekly go-to spot to see comedy legends and up-and-comers rock the same mic.
Internationally, Mike has offended nostrils in Montreal as a “New Face” of the 2013 Just For Laughs, and he won The Montreux Comedy Festival competition in Switzerland. He’s been featured on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, and HBO’s The Deuce. Look for his debut album, LEBO, in early 2019 on Stand Up Records.

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mike-lebovitz-friday-tickets-67301682143

Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mike-lebovitz-saturday-tickets-67303940899

About the show: A renowned writer has it all, fortune, fame, women and adoration, when one excruciating miscalculation causes him to lose everything. As penance he hides away in a small New England town where he runs a bookstore in a shambling farmhouse. Then comes a knock on his door. Can the lost be found? Can the sinner gain redemption?

Mike Lebovitz began his comedy career at the age of six with clowning classes at the local JCC. He’s been delighting crowds with his intoxicating brand of wild-eyed humor ever since. Mike’s irreverent bar-stool philosophy careens from topic to topic like a runaway freight train with some dubious couplings. Audiences have described the experience as “spontaneous,” “joyful’ and “slightly terrifying.”
Mike cut his teeth in Chicago (not as painful as it sounds), where he was a regular at Zanies Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory and Comedy Bar Chicago. He co-founded the popular showcase, Comedians You Should Know, which he brought to New York City in 2016. It has since become the weekly go-to spot to see comedy legends and up-and-comers rock the same mic.
Internationally, Mike has offended nostrils in Montreal as a “New Face” of the 2013 Just For Laughs, and he won The Montreux Comedy Festival competition in Switzerland. He’s been featured on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, and HBO’s The Deuce. Look for his debut album, LEBO, in early 2019 on Stand Up Records.

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mike-lebovitz-friday-tickets-67301682143

Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mike-lebovitz-saturday-tickets-67303940899

About the show: A renowned writer has it all, fortune, fame, women and adoration, when one excruciating miscalculation causes him to lose everything. As penance he hides away in a small New England town where he runs a bookstore in a shambling farmhouse. Then comes a knock on his door. Can the lost be found? Can the sinner gain redemption?

Asheville’s monthly all Queer Comedy Show!
All of the comedians are members of the LGBTQ community but the audience just has to be cool. This month’s headliner is Hayley Ellman from Atlanta!!!

Hayley Ellman is a comedian out of Atlanta, GA. She was inspired to start writing and performing after watching the likes of Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, and Louis CK other talented perverts; she still hasn’t figured out how to tell people who her biggest influences are anymore. The Atlanta Journal Constitution referred to her comedy as “cerebral and sardonic.” She charms audiences with her balance of sincere and silly.

Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-comedy-party-ft-hayley-ellman-tickets-70192223831

Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge is the longest running comedy open mic in Asheville happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 9:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform needs to sign up by 9pm, and will get five minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

Underwear Comedy Party is a night of nearly nude laughs. All the comedians will be performing in their underwear and we encourage the audience to strip down too!

doors at 8pm, show at 9pm

Tickets $10
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/underwear-comedy-party-avl-tickets-70332354967

Underwear Comedy Party is a night of nearly nude laughs. All the comedians will be performing in their underwear and we encourage the audience to strip down too! doors at 8pm, show at 9pm.

 
Asheville Improv Collective presents
AICFest 2019
October 4, 2019 • 5 PM, 7 PM & 9 PM
Tina McGuire Theatre
Asheville Improv Collective Website

This event takes place in the Tina McGuire Theatre at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.

5 PM Block
The lineup, in order of appearance: Harriet (Lexington, KY), Mabel’s Baby (Asheville), Syndication (Greenville, SC)
Seated show, 18+
Price: $15

7 PM Block
Headliner: Messing With A Friend
Opening (in order of appearance): Hardy Boys + Sichuan Pepper Daddies + Abraham
Seated show, 18+
Price: $25
Show info:

AIC is very proud to present, and Western North Carolina is very lucky to host, the legendary Susan Messing as she, plus a special guest, perform the critically-acclaimed Messing with a Friend. See below for more background info on Susan Messing.

Susan Messing wrote and performed in two mainstage revues at the legendary Second City, and directed their National Touring Company. Messing is a founding member of the infamous Annoyance Theatre where she has created roles in over thirty original productions, including “Co-Ed Prison Sluts”, “The Miss Vagina Pageant”, and “Your Butt”. In addition, she conceived, co-adapted (with Mary Scruggs) and directed the critically acclaimed “What Every Girl Should Know…An Ode to Judy Blume” for the Annoyance stage, where she also continues to teach.

You can see Messing’s critically-acclaimed show, “Messing with a Friend” every Thursday night at The Annoyance. Messing has been an adjunct professor for Loyola University, DePaul University’s Theatre School, and The University of Chicago, and The School of Steppenwolf. Her standup act with her puppet, Jolly, has been featured at the HBO/US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend and NBC’s Late Fridays. You can hear her voice on radio and tv ads. Susan has been cut from several blockbuster films, but her recent movie role in “Let’s Go to Prison!” as a bad stripper in a halo brace, made her very happy. Her daughter, Sofia Mia, is very twelve, very ridiculous, and very awesome.

Opening will be San Diego’s Hardy Boys, Washington, DC’s Sichuan Pepper Daddies and Greenville, SC’s Abraham!

9 PM Block
Headliner: Mamas Boy
Opening (in order of appearance): Soggy Naan + Co-Workers + Aftermath
Seated show, 18+
Price: $25
Show info:

AIC is very proud to present Mama’s Boy, the all-female improv super-group featuring the overwhelmingly talented Maribeth Monroe, Jaime Moyer, Stephanie Courtney and Celeste Pechous! Here’s some more background info on each performer:

Jaime Moyer is an alum of the University of Detroit-Mercy, The Second City-Detroit, and is a current member of the acting unions SAG-AFTRA and AEA. She is also a former Artistic Director of Planet Ant and current Home Team member. Jaime was awarded the sole prize of Maestro at The Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas in 2011. She has appeared on Parks and Recreation, 2 Broke Girls, Jennifer Falls, and has a recurring role on Disney’s KC Undercover. Jaime is the creator of the viral hit “Fancy Catz” which can be seen on YouTube at the Second City Network, and has appeared in several short and feature length films. She can be seen performing weekly at The Second City Hollywood and iO WEST in Los Angeles, California.

Stephanie Courtney is an actress and improviser and a long time performer at The Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. Her TV credits include recurring roles on The Goldbergs, Nobodies, You’re The Worst, Mad Men, and The Comeback. On the film side she can be seen opposite Bob Odenkirk in the Netflix feature Girlfriend’s Day, and other credits include The Heartbreak Kid, Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration, and Melvin Goes to Dinner directed by Bob Odenkirk. She also appeared opposite Nathan Fillion and Adam Tudyk on the popular web-series Con Man. Stephanie is well known for playing “Flo” in the Progressive Insurance commercials. Ad Age recently named her one of the top female ad icons of all time, on a list that included Rosie the Riveter and Betty Crocker.

Celeste Pechous (SAG/AFTRA) has improvised around the world with some of the most distinguished improv theaters. An alumna of the Second City Chicago, Pechous has trained and performed at the Second City Chicago/LA, iO Chicago/LA, and The Annoyance Theater. She was honored Best Actress for her work in The Clan at the Midwest Film Festival and received a Best Actress nominee from the Downtown LA Film Festival and was awarded the Outstanding Performance from The SNAFF Film Festival for her work in the dark-comedy short, Past Due, based on her short story. TV credits include HBO’s Sharp Objects, NBC’s The Kenan Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, USA’s Pearsons, Amazon’s Upload, Showtime’s Masters of Sex, Netflix’s One Day at a Time, Epix’s Get Shorty, Comedy Central’s Workaholics,Review and TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland. She appeared in Work in Progress, which debuted to accolades at Sundance 2019. See her next in the feature film Against All Enemies. You can also see her improvise at Second City LA and on tv in one of her many national commercial spots. Pechous teaches Improv at Second City Hollywood and for UCLA’s Extension Studies. She is the founder of Dosage Improv Workshops in Los Angeles.

Opening will be Charlotte’s Soggy Naan, Dallas’s Co-Workers and Asheville’s very own, Aftermath!

Please join us on October 4, from 5 to 8 pm for the opening party. Performance of “Nona’s Cooking Show” marionette show is at 6:30.

Exhibit open 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, at 207 Coxe Ave, downtown Asheville, through October 25.

“Street Creatures and Dancing Beasts” will celebrate Asheville’s vibrant puppetry scene as an Asheville Area Arts Council exhibit. It will display puppets made by local artists showing diverse styles and forms in a range of sizes and materials. A menagerie of animals, both real and imaginary, will  dance around the gallery. Puppetry is often relegated to the world of children’s entertainment, but this art form is ancient, multi faceted and almost limitless in scope. It requires the skills of an artist, tinkerer and performer, writer, musician and dancer.

Curator and artist Jennifer Murphy is one of the founders of Street Creature Puppet Collective, and “den mother” of the Puppet Clubhouse, a bright and lively community art space in North Asheville. Her work brings nature and myth together in ecological pageants. The other artists included use diverse visual styles and approaches.

Represented are long time puppetry master Hobey Ford, winner of puppetry’s highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence; Luce Romaldini, who’s rough charming cardboard figures tell uncomfortable truths; Edwin Salas, international puppeteer and dancer who conjures strange creatures of the dark side; Jim Julien, graphic designer and co-director of the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival; Chris Eizember, creative tinkerer and bamboo sculptor; Geneva Bierce-Wilson, fiber artist, inventor and maker of small dragons and large worms; and Street Creature Puppet Collective, a community of collaborative parade puppet makers.

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

The parents are out of town and the kids (local comedians) are running the show!
Come out to LaZoom for a night of comedy from Asheville’s best comics.

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/moms-out-tonight-local-comedy-showcase-tickets-71017628639

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!