Doors at 7:30 pm; Show at 8:00 pm
Tickets are $15 - $25 Sliding Scale
Buy Tickets here
Comedy at Ashkenaz One-Year Anniversary All-Star Show!
Bay Area comedian and comedy producer, Lisa Geduldig (of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy), and Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center joined forces one year ago to bring the East Bay a new monthly comedy series, Comedy at Ashkenaz!
On Thursday, October 11, Comedy at Ashkenaz celebrates its 1st Anniversary with an ALL-STAR comedy line up and a party with food after the show!
Together, we’ve celebrated Black History Month, International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month, and Gay Pride, we’ve raised money for two organizations and causes (the Redwood Empire Food Bank which provided food to shelters in Sonoma County for residents displaced by the North Bay fires and RAICES: The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services).
The 1 st Anniversary show features a line-up of Bay Area hard-hitting comedians: Diane Amos, Marga Gomez, Karen Ripley, Ngaio Bealum, Carla Clayy, and Lisa Geduldig.
Diane Amos is a San Francisco-based actress, improv artist, and comedian who is known as The Pine Sol Lady for having starred in their national commercials for over 20 years. She has appeared in numerous films including Nine Months, Copycat, Angels in the Outfield, EDTV, Twisted, and Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.
Diane was a semi-finalist in Star Search, has been on A&E’s Evening at The Improv, Lifetime’s Girls’ Night Out, and Comedy Central’s Women Aloud. She has also been a winner on the game shows: Wheel of Fortune, $25,000 Pyramid, and Super Password. She was raised in SF by two lesbian mothers and attended Washington High School in the Richmond District, where took an improvisational comedy class…and the rest is history.
Marga Gomez is currently appearing in her critically acclaimed show Latin Standards at the Marsh in Berkeley. She is a GLAAD Award winner and was named “Best Bay Area Comedian” by the SF Weekly, Bay Area Reporter and The SF Bay Guardian. Robin Williams called her “Amazing…a lesbian Lenny Bruce.”
Armistead Maupin called her “astonishing.” Gomez’s comedy has been featured on HBO, LOGO, Showtime, Comedy Central and PBS. She has been a guest on leading comedy podcasts Marc Maron’s “WTF: The Keith and The Girl Show,” and Kevin Allison’s “Risk”. Her comic style has been described as “deliciously cheeky and incendiary” by the New York Times and “salaciously surreal” by the San Francisco Chronicle. She is a regular performer on Olivia Cruises and has been featured at numerous comedy festivals including SF Sketchfest, Montreal’s Just For Laughs, South Beach Comedy Festival, Vancouver Comedy Festival, and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is also the author/performer of twelve solo plays, which have been presented Off-Broadway, nationally and internationally. Gomez can be seen in season two of the Netflix series “Sense8“ Her website is margagomez.com
Karen Ripley, a queer comic and improv master and has been featured on LOGO TV. She is a veteran of LGBT comedy and began her comedy career in 1977 (41 years ago!) in the heyday of the LGBT comedy movement in San Francisco. She has performed at hundreds of Pride events as well as The Fringe and Diva Festivals. Ripley recently premiered her one-woman show, Oh No, There’s Men On The Land to rave reviews at The Marsh Berkeley. She is currently working on her next show, Memories of Resistance. www.karenripley.com
Ngaio Bealum uses his great storytelling ability, razor sharp wit, and engaging stage presence to leave audiences howling with laughter. He has earned a 5-star rating on Ticketmaster.com and has appeared on ABC, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, and many other TV programs. He has opened for Dave Chappelle and Weird Al (but not at the same time) and is also a regular guest on The Doug Benson Podcasts. Ngaio is constantly on the road and has headlined comedy clubs and performed at music and arts festivals all over the country.
Carla Clayy is a native San Franciscan who has spent the last several years making people laugh all over the country. She has shared the stage with Paula Poundstone, Joy Behar, and Robin Williams. Carla is a regular at The Punchline, Cobb’s, and comedy clubs in such hotspots as Modesto and Chico.
Lisa Geduldig is a local comedian and comedy producer who’s the creator, producer, and MC of a variety of comedy shows including Kung Pao Kosher Comedy™ - Jewish comedy on Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant (which celebrates its 25th Anniversary last December); Comedy Returns to El Rio! (which just celebrated its 10 th Anniversary in May). She moonlights as a bilingual (Spanish- English) publicist.
