FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Award-Winning Comedian Steven

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Media Contact: Ashlee Hurley Director of Marketing and Sales 717-724-3879 [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Award-Winning Comedian Steven Wright Comes to Whitaker Center this fall Deadpan Comic Brings his Signature Style to Harrisburg’s Sunoco Performance Theater Harrisburg, PA- Whitaker Center, in association with SLP Concerts, welcomes comedian Steven Wright to the Sunoco Performance Theater stage on Saturday, November 5 at 8:00pm. Academy Award winning, Emmy- and Grammy-nominated comedian Steven Wright continually sells out theaters internationally with his skewed comedic view of the world. Since his “Tonight Show” debut, which caused such a stir that Johnny Carson invited him back to perform again within a week, the deadpan surrealist master has pushed the comedic boundaries in film, television and the live stage. With an Oscar-winning short film, a 2014 Emmy nomination as a Producer on the hit FX series Louie, two Grammy-nominated CD’s, three critically acclaimed hour specials and countless appearances on TV and in film Wright is a prototype comedian that others continually try to follow. Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 19 at 10:00am at whitakercenter.org, ticketmaster.com, and the Whitaker Center Box Office. Tickets range from $39.60-$64.50. For tickets and more information, please visit whitakercenter.org or call the Whitaker Center Box Office at 717-214-ARTS. Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is a non-profit center for the arts, education, entertainment and cultural enrichment located in the heart of Harrisburg’s vibrant downtown. Whitaker Center is home to Sunoco Performance Theater, Harsco Science Center and Select Medical Digital Cinema featuring a four story premium large format theater with a recently upgraded 4K digital projection system. Visit whitakercenter.org for a full list of events, shows, hours of operation, and ticket rates. ### .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

How Does Context Shape Comedy As a Successful Social Criticism As Demonstrated by Eddie Murphy’S SNL Sketch “White Like Me?”
The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Honors College 5-2012 How Does Context Shape Comedy as a Successful Social Criticism as Demonstrated by Eddie Murphy’s SNL Sketch “White Like Me?” Abigail Jones Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors Part of the Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Abigail, "How Does Context Shape Comedy as a Successful Social Criticism as Demonstrated by Eddie Murphy’s SNL Sketch “White Like Me?”" (2012). Honors College. 58. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/58 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOW DOES CONTEXT SHAPE COMEDY AS A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL CRITICISM AS DEMONSTRATED BY EDDIE MURPHY’S SNL SKETCH “WHITE LIKE ME?” by Abigail Jones A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Degree with Honors (Communications) The Honors College University of Maine May 2012 Advisory Committee: Nathan E. Stormer, Professor of Communication, Advisor Kristin M. Langellier, Professor of Communication Sandra Hardy, Associate Professor of Theater Mimi Killinger, Honors College Rezendes Preceptor for the Arts Adam Kuykendall, Marketing Manager for the School of Performing Arts Abstract This thesis explores the theory of comedy as social criticism through an interpretive investigation. For comedy to be a potent criticism it is important for the audience to understand the context surrounding the sketch. Without understanding the context the sketch still has the ability to be humorous, but the critique is harder to acknowledge.
[Show full text]
“TERRIFICALLY ENGAGING.” – Variety
“TERRIFICALLY ENGAGING.” – Variety “BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT’S MASTERPIECE. A TRULY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN DOCUMENT.” – Drew McWeeny, Hitfix 2015 CALL ME LUCKY a film by Bobcat Goldthwait CALL ME LUCKY is an inspiring, triumphant and wickedly funny documentary with a compelling and controversial hero at its heart. Barry Crimmins, best known as a comedian and political satirist, bravely tells his incredible story of transformation with intimate interviews from comedians such as David Cross, Margaret Cho and Patton Oswalt, activists such as Billy Bragg and Cindy Sheehan and directed in inimitable style by Bobcat Goldthwait (World’s Greatest Dad/God Bless America/Willow Creek). As a young and hungry comic in the early 80’s Barry Crimmins founded his own comedy club in Boston, in a Chinese restaurant called the Ding Ho. Here he fostered the careers of new talent who we now know as Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Denis Leary, Lenny Clarke, Kevin Meaney, Bobcat Goldthwait, Tom Kenny and many others. These comics were grateful for Barry’s fair pay and passionate support and respected him as a whip-smart comic himself but, as becomes clear in their interviews, they also knew he was tortured by his past. As archive footage of Barry shows, he was thickly mustachioed, thick set and thinly disguising an undercurrent of rage beneath his beer swilling onstage act. It seemed Barry was the fierce defender of the little guy but also an angry force when confronted. As one of the top new comedians in the country he appeared on The HBO Young Comedians Special, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Evening at the Improv and many other television shows in the 80’s.
[Show full text]
THIS ISSUE: Comedy
2014-2015 September ISSUE 1 scene. THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS THEATRE ASSOCIATION THIS ISSUE: Comedy www.ista.co.uk WHO’S WHO @ ISTA… CONTENTS Patron 2 Connections Professor Jonothan Neelands, by Rebecca Kohler National Teaching Fellow, Chair of Drama and Theatre Education in the Institute of Education 3 Comedy d’un jour and Chair of Creative Education in the Warwick Business School (WBS) at the University of by Francois Zanini Warwick. 4 Learning through humour Board of trustees by Mike Pasternak Iain Stirling (chair), Scotland Formerly Superintendent, Advanced Learning Schools, Riyadh. Recently retired. 8 Desperately seeking the laughs Jen Tickle (vice chair), Jamaica by Peter Michael Marino Head of Visual & Performing Arts and Theory of Knowledge at The Hillel Academy, Jamaica. 9 “Chou” – the comic actor in Chinese opera Dinos Aristidou, UK by Chris Ng Freelance writer, director, consultant. 11 Directing comedy Alan Hayes, Belgium by Sacha Kyle Theatre teacher International School Brussels. Sherri Sutton, Switzerland 12 Videotape everything, change and be Comic, director and chief examiner for IB DP Theatre. Theatre teacher at La Chataigneraie. grateful Jess Thorpe, Scotland by Dorothy Bishop Co Artistic Director of Glas(s) Performance and award winning young people’s company 13 Seriously funny Junction 25. Visiting. Lecturer in the Arts in Social Justice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. by Stephen Finegold Honorary life members 15 How I got the best job in the world! Dinos Aristidou, UK Being a clown, being a
[Show full text]
Humor in Language
Humor in Language Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics Humor in Language Salvatore Attardo Subject: Applied Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Pragmatics, Semantics, Sociolinguistics Online Publication Date: Mar 2017 DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.342 Summary and Keywords Interest in the linguistics of humor is widespread and dates since classical times. Several theoretical models have been proposed to describe and explain the function of humor in language. The most widely adopted one, the semantic-script theory of humor, was presented by Victor Raskin, in 1985. Its expansion, to incorporate a broader gamut of information, is known as the General Theory of Verbal Humor. Other approaches are emerging, especially in cognitive and corpus linguistics. Within applied linguistics, the predominant approach is analysis of conversation and discourse, with a focus on the disparate functions of humor in conversation. Speakers may use humor pro-socially, to build in-group solidarity, or anti-socially, to exclude and denigrate the targets of the humor. Most of the research has focused on how humor is co-constructed and used among friends, and how speakers support it. Increasingly, corpus-supported research is beginning to reshape the field, introducing quantitative concerns, as well as multimodal data and analyses. Overall, the linguistics of humor is a dynamic and rapidly changing field. Keywords: humor, smiling, laughter, irony, sarcasm, GTVH, joke, jab-line, punch line 1. Humor in Language Scholarly research on humor goes back to Plato and Aristotle and extends to practically all fields of inquiry, including mathematics and medicine. There exist several scholarly societies for the study of humor, and numerous journals and book series are dedicated entirely to humor research.
[Show full text]
Print Profile
Tom Ryan has been a full time standup comedian for over fifteen years. He will soon make his third appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman Tom Ryan (tentatively scheduled for July 16, 2004). Since he was about 10 years old, Tom wanted to be a standup comedian. The first standup comedy he ever heard was Bill Cosby's debut album that contained the Speech Topics famous Noah routine. Over the next few years, he also became a fan of David Brenner, Woody Allen and George Carlin. He listened to Carlin's FM and AM album over and over again until he had it completely memorized. He used to recite the Keynote entire album to whoever would listen. Humor At 26, he left an insurance job in his hometown of Philadelphia to move to Florida Entertainment where he got a job at a local golf course. The job lasted only 3 weeks. Ryan says, Comedian Losing that job was the best thing that ever happened to me because it forced me to confront exactly what I wanted to do with my life. He took a job as a doorman at the newly opened Comedy Corner in West Palm Beach. It was the lowest paying but most valuable job he ever had. It provided him with a complete comedy education watching acts such as Jerry Seinfeld, Dennis Miller and Bill Hicks. It was not long before Tom made his stage debut. Within two years he was working full time as a comedian. Since then Tom Ryan has worked steadily at comedy clubs, concert venues, corporate functions and colleges across the U.S.
[Show full text]
From “Discourses of Sobriety” to Deadpan Comedy: Christopher Guest’S Musical Trilogy
Angles New Perspectives on the Anglophone World 9 | 2019 Reinventing the Sea From “Discourses of Sobriety” to Deadpan Comedy: Christopher Guest’s Musical Trilogy Charles Holdefer Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/angles/2216 DOI: 10.4000/angles.2216 ISSN: 2274-2042 Publisher Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur Electronic reference Charles Holdefer, « From “Discourses of Sobriety” to Deadpan Comedy: Christopher Guest’s Musical Trilogy », Angles [Online], 9 | 2019, Online since 01 November 2019, connection on 06 September 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/angles/2216 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.2216 This text was automatically generated on 6 September 2020. Angles est mise à disposition selon les termes de la Licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. From “Discourses of Sobriety” to Deadpan Comedy: Christopher Guest’s Musical ... 1 From “Discourses of Sobriety” to Deadpan Comedy: Christopher Guest’s Musical Trilogy Charles Holdefer The idea was, “Wouldn’t it be fun to do a movie where people got this right for a change?” Harry Shearer, aka bass player “Derek Smalls” of Spinal Tap (Muir 2004: 25) 1 The entertainment industry has long been fascinated by the “truth” behind popular music. Indeed, the first feature length talking film, The Jazz Singer (Crosland 1927), starred Al Jolson as Jakie Rabinowitz, a young man struggling to reconcile his Jewish identity to his success at performing in blackface to white audiences. Since then, there has been an endless stream of movies about music. Some are explicitly biographical, with actors cast as iconic musicians: e.g., The Glenn Miller Story (Mann 1954), The Buddy Holly Story (Rash 1978), Ray (Hackford 2004), Walk the Line (Mangold 2005) and Bohemian Rhapsody (Singer 2018).
[Show full text]
George Carlin 1 George Carlin
George Carlin 1 George Carlin George Carlin Carlin in Trenton, New Jersey on April 4, 2008 Birth name George Denis Patrick Carlin Born May 12, 1937Manhattan, New York, U.S. Died June 22, 2008 (aged 71)Santa Monica, California, U.S. Medium Stand-up, television, film, books, radio Nationality American Years active 1956–2008 Genres Character comedy, observational comedy, Insult comedy, wit/word play, satire/political satire, black comedy, surreal humor, sarcasm, blue comedy Subject(s) American culture, American English, everyday life, atheism, recreational drug use, death, philosophy, human behavior, American politics, parenting, children, religion, profanity, psychology, Anarchism, race relations, old age, pop culture, self-deprecation, childhood, family [1] [2] [2] [3] [4] [5] [2] [5] [2] [5] Influences Danny Kaye, Jonathan Winters, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Jerry Lewis, Marx Brothers, Mort [4] [5] [5] [2] [5] Sahl, Spike Jones, Ernie Kovacs, Ritz Brothers Monty Python [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Influenced Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Hicks, Jim Norton, Sam Kinison, Louis C.K., Bill Cosby, Lewis Black, Jon [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Denis Leary, Patrice O'Neal, Adam Carolla, Colin Quinn, Steven [17] [18] [19] [19] [20] Wright, Russell Peters, Jay Leno, Ben Stiller, Kevin Smith Spouse Brenda Hosbrook (August 5, 1961 — May 11, 1997) (her death) 1 child [21] Sally Wade (June 24, 1998 — June 22, 2008) (his death) Notable works Class Clown and roles "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" Mr. Conductor
[Show full text]
Absurd Black Humour As Social Criticism in Contemporary European Cinema
This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Absurd Black Humour as Social Criticism in Contemporary European Cinema Eszter Simor Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh 2019 Submitted in satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (PhD) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non- commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author.
[Show full text]
In My Essay I Will Be Exploring the Reasons As to Why British Comedy Is Characterized the Way It Is
What are the British Actually Laughing At? An attempt to understand British comedy In my essay I will be exploring the reasons as to why British comedy is characterized the way it is. This will be done by taking into account the ways in which the British and American comedy industries contrast. I will evaluate the opposing commercial devices employed, the cultural differences, and the few similarities that these industries share. The British techniques, such as “sarcasm and irony”1 are vastly different to those used by the Americans who offer a more slapstick approach. This has resulted in both industries producing films and television programs that actually share little in common with each other, despite their popularity on both sides of the Atlantic. The British tend to approach situations with a mindset that comes across as significantly crude, cold and dismissive when juxtaposed with the classic American sunny disposition. I will explore this by comparing the UK and US versions of The Office. The general British national denial of emotions has moulded the route that comedy has taken, pushing comedy to become a way to stifle sentiment and a crutch for the population to lean on when feeling vulnerable. Yet interestingly, amongst both British and American audiences, an expectation appears concerning body image and weight, raising the question “are 2 comedians funnier when they are fat?”1F This has created a stereotype that links to the root of the need for comedy. The fact that both countries share this harsh stereotype lends something to the fact that all humans crave the desire to take pity upon or diminish the confidence of another through laughter, in order to feel better about oneself.
[Show full text]
Steven Wright COLIN
TO THE GREEN: TOAST ST. PATRICK WITH THESE IRISH WHISKEYS Get Out & Do What You Like to do MARCH 2020 Steven Wright Still amused to make his living just kidding around COLIN HAY Men At Work and beyond SAVORY STEAKHOUSE Latest incarnation of WI Rapids’ Supper Club UPCOMING EVENTS: Fox Cities | Green Bay Marshfield | Oshkosh Stevens Point | Waupaca Wausau | Wisconsin Rapids Join us for an evening of hope to raise money benefiting missions at Foundations For Living on April 23, 2020. Enjoy dinner and the sounds of Singer Songwriter Heather Ruesch, as well as silent auction, live auction, cash raffle, and a cash bar. Let’s make a difference in the lives of those in need in Waupaca County and surrounding areas. The money raised at this event will help to ensure Foundations For Living, Waupaca will continue to help residents in our community transition from homelessness to homes, addiction to recovery and joblessness to gainful employment. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you there. 201 FOXFIRE DR, WAUPACA WI (715) 942-2424 • WWW.PAR4RESORT.COM Get Out & Do What You Like to Do MARCH 2020 p.8 STEVEN WRIGHT STILL SHARPENING THE SKILLS OF HIS AUDIENCE WITH MENTAL GYMNASTICS P. 4 P. 14 P. 18 IRISH WHISKEY SAVORY COLIN HAY DEPARTMENTS It is a big month for STEAKHOUSE Front man for PUBLISHER’S NOTE p. 2 St. Patrick and WI Rapids Supper Club Men At Work solo EVENTS CALENDAR p. 22 Irish whiskey gets another new start and still going strong PUBLISHER’S NOTE Family Fun Edition March 2020, Vol.
[Show full text]
Knockabout and Slapstick: Violence and Laughter in Nineteenth-Century Popular Theatre and Early Film
Knockabout and Slapstick: Violence and Laughter in Nineteenth-Century Popular Theatre and Early Film by Paul Michael Walter Babiak A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies University of Toronto ©Copyright by Paul Michael Walter Babiak, 2015 Knockabout and Slapstick: Violence and Laughter in Nineteenth-Century Popular Theatre and Early Film Paul Michael Walter Babiak Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies University of Toronto 2015 Abstract This thesis examines laughter that attends violent physical comedy: the knockabout acts of the nineteenth-century variety theatres, and their putative descendants, the slapstick films of the early twentieth-century cinema. It attempts a comparative functional analysis of knockabout acts and their counterparts in slapstick film. In Chapter 1 of this thesis I outline the obstacles to this inquiry and the means I took to overcome them; in Chapter 2, I distinguish the periods when knockabout and slapstick each formed the dominant paradigm for physical comedy, and give an overview of the critical changes in the social context that separate them. In Chapter 3, I trace the gradual development of comedy films throughout the early cinema period, from the “comics” of 1900 to 1907, through the “rough house” films of the transitional era, to the emergence of the new genre in 1911-1914. ii Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 present my comparative analyses of the workings of four representative
[Show full text]
Buster Keaton Compilation: One Week (1920), the Scarecrow (1920), the ‘High Sign’ (1921) and Cops (1922) (Keaton, US)
A Level Film Studies - Focus Film Factsheet Buster Keaton compilation: One Week (1920), The Scarecrow (1920), The ‘High Sign’ (1921) and Cops (1922) (Keaton, US) an appreciation of the gag, while close ups Component 2: Global Filmmaking allow us to focus on characters’ emotions. Perspectives (AL) • In the horse-drawn procession scene in Cops, Keaton is depicted in the foreground trying Core Study Areas: to take a nap – deep-focus is used to show Key Elements of Film Form us the city unfurling in the background. In Meaning & Response these two-reelers, Keaton’s character is often The Contexts of Film placed at the centre of the frame to allow the audience to focus on how he interacts with a chaotic and mechanical world. Specialist Study Area: • Keaton employs natural lighting and reflectors Critical Debates (AL) to create an even and bright look. These two- reelers are mainly shot outdoors in daylight hours Rationale for study (e.g. Cops and One Week). This even lighting • This collection of Buster Keaton ‘two- enables the audience to look around the frame reelers’ epitomises the peak of sophisticated and watch Keaton interact with his environment. visual comedy of the early 1920s. Here Mise-en-Scène we see the essence of Buster Keaton’s star • The sets in Buster Keaton’ shorts can function persona – the deadpan expression and a as characters. The house in One Week seems to simple man dealing with a chaotic world. take a life of its own. On Wednesday, the house These shorts provide a comedy that is takes on a cubist appearance, a visual gag that surreal, funny, creative, and stylish.
[Show full text]