Land and Sea Dept. and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are excited to partner on their annual Earth Day celebration— LOL: A Comedy Benefit for our planet.
Last year when the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that we only have a dozen years to keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5C, the NRDC doubled-down on their work to battle our planet’s urgent threats.
The party is a call to action and a fundraiser, seeking to raise awareness about climate change while demanding that lawmakers recognize global warming as a serious, and real, problem. Proceeds from tickets and a portion of food sales will benefit the NRDC.
Parlour Car Comedy has curated a lineup of comedians to help us laugh through the very harsh realization that our planet is in an urgent crisis and serious action is required to protect it. Matty Ryan will host the evening featuring some of Chicago’s top performers including: Alex Kumin, Erica Nicole Clark, Azhar Usman, Adam Burke, and Chastity Washington. Land and Sea Dept. will be providing food from Lonesome Rose. After the comedy, stick around for a dance party and boogie down for a good cause.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Matty Ryan—An alumnus of the Second City, Matty has appeared at The Hollywood Laugh Factory, The Hollywood Comedy Store, The Hollywood Improv, Laugh Factory Chicago, UCB LA, UCB East, The Knitting Factory Brooklyn, iO Theater, Zanies, The Chicago Improv, and UP Comedy Club. In 2013 he was invited to perform at the TBS Just for Laughs Festival in Chicago; in 2016 he made his feature film debut with a role in “Who Gets the Dog” (nominated for ‘Best Actor’ in the 2016 Midwest Independent Film Festival); also in 2016, recorded a standup set for MTV’s “Acting Out.” In 2017 he made his network television debut with a guest star role on NBC’s “Chicago Justice”; performed at NBC Universal/Second City’s “Breakout Fest” and appeared on WCIU’s “Chicago One Night Stand Up.”
Alex Kumin—Alex Kumin's bold and socially conscious standup delights crowds across the city of Chicago and around the US. She is an alumnus of the nation's longest running independent standup comedy showcase, The Lincoln Lodge, through which she also teaches Chicago's favorite all-female standup class, Feminine Comique. Her monthly showcase, Diamond Comedy Hour, takes place at the Chicago Laugh Factory on the first Friday of the month, featuring the premiere female comedians in the city and beyond.
Erica Nicole Clark—Erica Nicole Clark is a Chicago native who studied at the famed Improv Olympic before deciding to venture out into Stand up. Her unique upbringing and her day job make for a style all her own in comedy. She has performed at Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, the Improv and TBS Just For Laughs Festival.
Azhar Usman—Azhar Usman is an outspoken American-Muslim standup comedian of Indian descent, widely regarded among the top comedians in Chicago, where he was born and raised. An attorney turned actor, he has toured with several of today’s top comics, including Dave Chappelle, Hannibal Buress, and Hasan Minhaj. As a consultant and producer, Azhar’s credits include: The Boundary (HBO); Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (Netflix); Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado (Netflix); Mo Amer: The Vagabond (Netflix); andRamy (Hulu—2019). He is a paid regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City and continues to tour globally.
Adam Burke—Originally from the UK (by way of Australia), Adam Burke has been performing comedy in Chicago and throughout the U.S. for almost ten years. He is a regular panelist on NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, and has appeared at numerous festivals including Bridgetown Comedy Portland OR, Just for Laughs Chicago, and the local stage of Funny Or Die's Oddball Comedy Festival. He has opened for a wide variety of comedians including Marc Maron, Jeff Ross, Hannibal Burress, John Mulaney, Hari Kondabolu, Maria Bamford, Michael Ian Black, Kumail Nanjiani, John Oliver, Tracy Morgan, and more. Burke released his debut album Universal Squirrel Theory on A Special Thing Records in 2012.
Chastity Washington—Comedian Chastity Washington has a performance history of nearly twenty years. In that time, she has performed in clubs and colleges across the nation and has appeared on BET ComicView, Coming to the Stage, and HBO Def Jam. Chastity has also been featured at the TBS Just For Laughs festival from 2009 to 2012 and was the only female finalist of the 2011 Bay Area Comedy competition. She has recently been featured at Jokes & Notes in Chicago, Milwaukee’s Comedy Cafe’, the LaffHouse in Philadelphia and the Milwaukee date of the Shaq Comedy All-Stars tour.
