Submitted by Washington Center for the Performing Arts
May at the Washington Center has lots of laughter in store with “Ladies of Laughter” and “Comedy Underground” featuring Drew Dunn. We’ll also be celebrating “The Aunties” who shape, heal, and uphold Indigenous communities. Join us for these unforgettable performances.
May 3 at 7:30 p.m. ‘Ladies of Laughter‘
This fest of funny femmes returns to the Center as the Ladies of Laughter comedy event has been a patron favorite with rave reviews! Expect big laughs, big fun, and a memorable night out. This year we welcome Alycia Cooper back to the Washington Center stage! A Comedian, actress, singer, dancer, and DGA Emmy-nominated Director, Alycia is also the 2014 Ladies of Laughter Professional winner. She has entertained the troops in Japan, Korea, Guam, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti Africa. She was featured in Essence Magazine as “One To Watch” and that title still holds true today with her 5th comedy album “Let Alycia Be Alycia,” having cracked the Billboard Top 10 to rave reviews on iTunes, and recently having been the “Featured Comic of the Month” on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Laugh 98.
We also welcome Liz Glazer, an award-winning standup comedian, actor, and writer. Liz was the 2021 Newcomer winner in the Ladies of Laughter Competition and won first place in the Boston Comedy Festival. This former law professor has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and has been the opening act for Myq Kaplan and Maria Bamford. As an actor, Liz has appeared on ABC Television’s For Life and CBS’s Bull. She is on the faculty at Lesly Kahn & Co., the Los Angeles acting studio and is writing a television pilot about her life, a draft of which was a semifinalist in the Stage 32 writing competition.
Our third featured comedian is Maureen Langan, an award-winning broadcaster, international standup comedian, TEDx Talk speaker and corporate & event host. She has performed on Broadway with Rosie O’Donnell and has shared the stage with Robin Williams, Steven Wright, Joy Behar, Gladys Knight and Jordin Sparks… just to name a few. Maureen’s critically acclaimed solo show, Daughter of a Garbageman, was hailed as a “one woman tour-de-force” when it made its U.S. debut in San Francisco. Maureen has been a Ladies of Laughter finalist and is a regular performer in the Ladies of Laughter national tour.
May 6 at 7:30 p.m ‘Comedy Underground’ featuring Drew Dunn
Comedy Underground is back to make you laugh. This month we welcome Drew Dunn to the stage! Drew has won Boston Comedy Festival, Seattle International Comedy Competition and was selected as a “New Face of Comedy” at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Drew headlines clubs across the US and Canada and recently opened for Dane Cook’s 2023 tour. Recommended for ages 18+.
May 16 at 7:30 p.m. ‘The Aunties, Women of the Salish Sea‘
The Aunties is an invitation to come together to honor the women that shape, heal, and uphold Indigenous communities—the aunties—through an evening of contemporary storytelling, shared stories live from the stage alongside familial and archival photographs, and works of legacy. This second installment in the world premiere, The Aunties: Women of The Salish Sea, features stories by aunties who call our local region home. Storytelling from the live performance will be preserved on film to become the heart of a narrative-driven documentary series featuring stories by local aunties across Turtle Island (North America). The documentary series is intended to create a cultural resource for future generations through films that capture the artistic, cultural, and visual integrity of the places and people from which auntie stories emerge. The Aunties live performance and film series creates a dedicated space for Indigenous storytelling tradition. Indigenous storytelling spans purpose, complexity and tradition. In Olympia, storytelling is honored as a living art form that continuously shapes identity, facilitates healing, and builds solidarity across and within communities. We gather to honor the contributions and enduring legacy of our aunties, whose stories inspire new narratives and guide new generations of leaders. In Olympia, we come together in community to reflect on our collective history to nurture hope for a brighter future.
To purchase tickets, visit the Washington Center for the Performing Arts website.
Box Office Information
- Box Office hours are Tuesday through Friday 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- For ticketing questions or more information about upcoming events please visit the Washington Center for the Performing Arts website or call the Box Office at 360.753.8586.
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performance venue with a mission to inspire audiences and artists of all ages through live performances, enriching the vibrancy of our community.
