Laugh Out Loud With APA Comedians
May 23, 2008
Standing room-only crowds and tons of laughter have become a staple of AsianWeek’s popular free comedy night, which salutes May’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
The sixth annual comedy night, sponsored by Bud Light, will be no different, as seven talented comedians will be sure to have audiences rolling in the aisles as they humorously share their APA experiences.
“Bud Light is proud to sponsor this event for the fifth year in a row,” said Jason Pak, senior director, Asian marketing, Anheuser-Busch Inc. “This is a great way for us to partner with AsianWeek, as well as support and encourage up- and-coming Asian American comedians.”
Here is a look at this year’s featured artists.
Name: Tessie Chua
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Bio: Chua was born and raised in San Francisco, and graduated from San Francisco State with a BA in art. After moving to Manhattan, she took classes at Parsons School for Visual Arts. She worked briefly in graphics to discover that she couldn’t stand it. She also studied acting at HB Studio with character actor William Hickey, then performed in Off-Off-Broadway and underground clubs. Then she started writing and performing comedy sketches. You can see Chua featured in a PBS documentary this fall titled, Multiracial Comics: Crossing the Line.
tessiechua.com
Name: Leah Eva
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Bio: Eva is a stand-up comedienne, writer and producer. She’s a graduate of Second City’s improv and writing program, a finalist of the Sacramento Black Comedy Competition, was seen on MTV’s Yo Momma, was a cast member of The Vagina Monologues S.F., and has appeared in documentary films such as Comic Calling and Sexuality: A Sensory Experience. Eva is currently working on a pilot for a television show, and she’s single and ready to mingle. Her mother doesn’t approve of her comedy career because she thinks porn stars make more money.
The thing about Asian American audiences is … : “They are unpredictable! I love it!”
myspace.com/leaheva
Name: Joe Nguyen
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Bio: With a likeable stage presence and a smattering of joke topics, Nguyen appeals to a broad range of audiences.
The thing about Asian American audiences is … : “They respond well to all types of jokes and usually don’t heckle. They also tend to find the discount tickets that I put online for my weekly showcase.”
vietjew.com
Name: Nitin Kant
Hometown: Born in India, but years of residence in San Francisco make it his hometown
Bio: Kant started his career onstage way back in India, and then continued with acting and writing gigs in America. In 2004, he decided to switch to comedy. He was runner-up in the comedy competition in Palo Alto in 2005, and a finalist at the “Rooster T Feathers” comedy competition in Sunnyvale in 2006. Kant has also delivered several perspectives on KQED radio.
The thing about Asian American audiences is … : “They come into the show having already done the advanced mathematics on the number of times they need to laugh to make up for the money they paid for the ticket.”
nitincomedy.com
Name: Dhaya Lakshminarayanan
Hometown: Nomad, but graduated from high school in Birmingham, Ala.
Bio: Pronounced “Dye-yah,” she is fiery yet enjoyable (much like masala). She combines her commanding 5-foot-tall stage presence with material and characters from her traditional Indian upbringing, nerd pride, Alabama roots and political activism. She won third place in the 2008 Harvey’s Political Comedy Competition and first place in the 2007 “Battle of the Bay” competition.
myspace.com/dhayacomedy
Name: Edwin Li
Hometown: Boston, MA
Bio: Li has been a working comedian since the age of 16. Performing, producing and hosting various comedy shows in the Bay Area, Li’s comedy addresses issues ranging from dating to race, education and finance.
myspace.com/edwinli130
Name: Duat Mai
Bio: Mai is a 27-year-old Vietnamese male. He graduated from UCLA in 2004 and is now working as a substitute teacher at the San Francisco Unified School District. He was born in Vietnam as one of five boys and came to the U.S. at the age of 2. Mai has been doing comedy for three years.
What:
AsianWeek’s sixth annual
comedy night
Where:
The Purple Onion
140 Columbus Ave., San Francisco
Cost:
Free
When:
Two shows:
Friday, May 30, 7-9 p.m. and
10 p.m.-midnight
R.S.V.P.:
Space limited, R.S.V.P. at
comedynight@asianweek.com
Comments
4 Responses to “Laugh Out Loud With APA Comedians”
Got something to say?
i’d like to rsvp the next show on May 30, in fact, I TRIED TO RSVP but the link dont work, whassamatta?
can I rsvp here???
i’d like to go see dem perform… pleeze?
got 3 others wid me..
would like 6 tixs for asian wk comedy nite fri, 5/30th, either performance, but couldn’t get in link (comedynight@asian week.com)…thx
any pics from this event?
No one responded to my rsvp but i got in. variety of comics and saw a few people i’ve seen in the past like edwin li, leah eva, tessie cua have grown from the last years show. joe “nuggin” and princess leah eva are my top 2 favorite. it was also good to see our brothers from east asia. this years show phenomenal. thank you.