Lisa Geduldig and Ashkenaz Present…
Valentine’s Day Comedy at Ashkenaz: Love Thy Neighbor
A benefit for Alameda County Community Food Bank
The show features Sampson McCormick, Clara Bijl, Nicole Tran, and Lisa Geduldig.
Doors at 7:30 pm; Show at 8:00 pm
Tickets are $15 - $20 Sliding Scale
The show is a benefit for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. If you'd also like to donate online, you can either go shopping in the virtual store or donate through this link:
Donate to the Alameda County Community Food Bank Here
Bring a food item to donate, if you would like. What foods are most needed? Canned tuna, canned chicken, natural peanut butter, nuts and beans, brown rice, quinoa, canned soup (low-sodium), whole grain cereal, and oatmeal. None of the following can be accepted: food in glass jars, perishable food, frozen food, fresh produce, alcohol, soda, baby food or formula, or non-food items.
Bay Area comedian and comedy producer, Lisa Geduldig (of Kung Pao Kosher Comedy), and Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center joined forces a little over one year ago to bring the East Bay a new monthly (the second Thursday of the month) comedy series, Comedy at Ashkenaz!
Our next monthly show fortuitously falls on February 14th. Yeah, we could have just had a Lonely Hearts or Lovers’ Valentine’s Day show, but in keeping with our sense of social justice and our tradition of raising funds for organizations and causes*, we’re calling the show, Valentine’s Day Comedy at Ashkenaz: Love Thy Neighbor and making it a benefit for Alameda County Community Food Bank. Come laugh for a good cause! And bring a food donation if you’d like. See below.
*Two of our previous shows benefitted: 1) The Redwood Empire Food Bank which provided food to shelters in Sonoma County for residents displaced by the North Bay fires; and 2) RAICES: The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, a non-profit that provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees in Texas.
Sampson McCormick is an experience, a down to earth comedic force of nature and has been one of the most sought after voices of diversity in comedy for close to two decades. He has appeared on BET, VICELAND, TV One, and several highly acclaimed independent films, including 2017’s Oscar nominated I Live Here. His comedy offers riveting and fresh takes on race, religion, politics and sexuality—you know, all those things you aren’t supposed to talk about in polite company. www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3EUB6bm6eQ
Nicole Tran has performed at great comedy venues including The Punchline and Cobbs and was a finalist at the Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Competition last year. She has studied acting and dancing. Nicole is originally from Vietnam and studied Vietnamese opera music at the age of 7. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKQzAHRGS7g
Clara Bijl is an internationally unknown stand up comedian: one of the few humorists to be unknown in the entire world. She was raised in the French Alps and spent some time in Germany before attending college in South Carolina, as you do when you come from France. Her humor is witty and observational and comes with a European twang. She has performed with Richard Lewis, Gad Elmaleh, Robin Williams, Paul Reiser, and has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, SF Sketchfest, the Charleston Comedy Festival, the Montreux Comedy Festival, and the San Diego Comedy Festival. Clara performs regularly in French and in English. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMjnZSd8GLM
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 26th year in 2019); Comedy Returns to El Rio! (now in its 12th year).
Alameda County Community Food Bank, founded in 1985, stands by its unwavering belief that food is a basic human right. The food bank distributes millions of healthy meals every year (serving 1 in 5 residents of Alameda County) supplying food to more than 230 Alameda County agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, child-care and senior centers, and after-school programs. They also provide an emergency food helpline, teach nutrition and hunger education, and conduct outreach about CalFresh, California's food stamp program. Every $1 donated can help provide $7 worth of food with the Food Bank's bulk purchasing power and distribution network. www.accfb.org
Ashkenaz is an all ages venue, but the comedy shows are not recommended for kids under 13. For children 13 and above parental discretion is advised.
