WHERE AND WHEN:
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd Street
Presented by Kids 'N Comedy
Tickets $15 plus a one item minimum (food or drink.)
There is a kids' menu for kids under 12.
Reservations: 212-877-6115; online ticketing is available at www.kidsncomedy.com
Kids 'N Comedy websites: www.kidsncomedy.com, www.facebook.com/kidsncomedy, www.myspace.com/kidsncomedy Runs 1:45. Reviewers are invited.
Audience appropriate ages 9-18.

NEW YORK, December 29 -- Kids 'N Comedy, New York's leading presenter of young comic talent, will present "The Philosphy Show," a one-of-a-kind show of original standup material by teenage comedians, January 29 at Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street.

What better way to deal with the confusion of adolescence than by weighing Hegel against Kierkegaard? The teen comics will crack books to prepare for this show. (We hope they applied the same zeal to their midterms.) To prove that nobody's better to ponder life's mysteries than a bunch of puberty-stricken teenagers, Leo Frampton, Val Bodurtha, Lee Wolfowitz, Eric Kurn, Zach Rosenfeld and others will grapple with the meaning of life.

Kids 'N Comedy presents monthly shows at Gotham Comedy Club with a turntable of talented teens and 'tweens from the tri-state area. In the company's shows, each comic performs his/her own material, which is screened to be free of profanity and abrasive or cheap "low" humor (like fart jokes). They do, however, venture into edgy comic terrain: politics, getting old, even death. Laura Weiss wrote in Big Apple Parent, "This kid humor is quirky and often slightly mordant, with a sophistication that belies the comedians' youth. Plus, these kids are hilarious."

The show is at 1:00 PM; the reservations number is 212-877-6115 and online ticketing is available on the Kids 'N Comedy website, www.kidsncomedy.com.

LINEUP FOR "THE PHILOSOPHY SHOW"

Valerie Bodurtha hails from Stamford, CT and is a tenth grader at Horace Mann. Her mom is a reporter and her dad works in finance. She has three siblings and no pets ("Had a toad but he's dead now.") Her hobbies are belly dance, tap, Irish step dance, tuvan throat singing, improv, yoga, playing guitar, banjo, and ukulele, debate, basketball and fencing. She's been in nine plays and four dance concerts and has worked as a camp counselor. She speaks English and Hebrew and is learning Spanish. Her passions include preventing the spread of fast food corporations in other countries.

Leo Frampton, an eleventh grader at Winston Prep in Manhattan, is the son of a teacher and a director of Art Therapy. His hobbies are video games, comedy and school. His siblings are two cats ("Not much words are exchanged, but the peer-pressure is palpable.") He has starred in a few school plays, but mostly it's comedy for him. His passion is comedy. His only sport is comedy.

Eric Kurn, of Jericho, NY, is the only child of a Creative Director and a Kitchen/Bath/Closet Designer. He's a tenth grader at Jericho High School and his hobbies include Xbox and Volunteer Community Service Programs. He has a beagle named Buddy and no allergies. His passions are comedy and hanging out with girls. His only sport is watching the Yankees.

Zach Rosenfeld hails from Brooklyn, where he's a ninth grader at St. Ann's. His mom's a filmmaker and his dad's a businessman. His hobbies are Computer, Trumpet, Comedy, Golf and Tennis. He has a younger brother (Noah, age 8). He did lighting for a school play and a bit part in one of his mother's films. Job experience? "Casting Assistant. Shoveling snow." He owns a Labradoodle and has no allergies. His passions are Comedy and World of Warcraft; his sports are golf and tennis, formerly soccer.

Lee Wolfowitz, of Manhattan, is an eleventh grader at Bronx Science; his parents are an investment banker and a full time Mother. His hobbies are video games, TV and music. He has a younger sister. He makes money by babysitting and giving computer assistance. His passions are material possessions and his adorable dog, Charlie.

ALSO UPCOMING

January 15: "New Year's Resolution Show" -- A new year means it's time for new beginnings and a renewed sense of hope for the future. It also means it's time to start making promises to yourself you'll never, ever keep. Funny, isn't it? With: Conor Williams, Charley Bardey, David Thompson, Jake Sidransky, Daniel Laitman, Andrew Vatier.

SUBSEQUENT SHOWS

February 12: "Comics in Love" -- Love hurts, especially when you have braces.  With: Conor Williams, David Thompson, Jake Sidransky, Eric Kurn, Daniel Laitman, Val Bodurtha.

February 26: "The Did You Know Show" -- Did you know that cat pee glows under a black light? How about that Albert Einstein never wore socks (and probably smelled awful)? Come hear teenagers perform original stand-up about their favorite random facts. With: Charley Bardey, Lee Wolfowitz, Conor Carroll, Dillon Heverin, Zach Rosenfeld, Andrew Vatier.

March 25: "The New York Show" -- Kids who grow up in New York are a wild breed. They eat bagels, catch the subway by themselves, and even write and perform their own stand-up routines. Come listen to them complain about the MTA (among other things). Lineup TBA.
 
April 22: "When We Were Young Show" -- Who said you had to wait till you were old to start complaining about change? Our nostalgic teenagers long for a simpler time. Lineup TBA.
 
May 20: "The Horrible History Show" -- John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the White House. Need we say more? This show is devoted to the lighter side of history. Lineup TBA.

Complete info on all shows (including lineups) will be available on the Kids 'N Comedy website, www.kidsncomedy.com.

Captioned, high-resolution photos of Kids 'N Comedy performers are available for download at: https://picasaweb.google.com/jslaff/KidsNComedy#

For biographies of the young comedians in the Kids 'N Comedy troupe, visit: www.jsnyc.com/season/knc_bios.htm.

ABOUT KIDS 'N COMEDY

Kids 'N Comedy originated in 1996 as a talent show for kids at a The West End Gate restaurant on the Upper West Side that was owned at the time by Associate Director Stu Morden, Art D'Lugoff and Manny Roth (Cafe Wha). The talent of the kids caught the attention of BBC-TV, which filmed a documentary about them, which resulted in more media attention. Demand spiked among kids wishing to perform and this prompted Morden and his wife, Artistic Director Jo Ann Grossman, to establish Kids 'N Comedy to serve these budding comics through classes taught by a rotating staff, an intensive summer comedy camp, and professional gigs. Their performance series started at The Knitting Factory in 1996 and moved to Caroline's in 1998 and to Gotham Comedy Club in 2000. The founders point out that there's a ten year ramp-up to a comedy career and stage time is essential to becoming a good performer. Before there was Kids 'N Comedy, getting that stage time was nearly impossible, since comedy clubs are primarily bars and therefore off-limits to teens.

Parents report that their children's involvement in Kids 'N Comedy yields an increase in self confidence and a better attitude toward school. One parent wrote, "My son (like his father) has always marched to the beat of a different drum. As a result, he has had to take a lot of criticism from his peers and was not always the most secure of children: funny, pleasant to be with, but always uncertain as to who he was. As a result of your efforts my son has found that the road less traveled could possibly be the most rewarding."

Distinguished alumni of Kids 'N Comedy include Josh Peck, star of Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh," and Lucian Maisel, who can be seen in the film "The Ex" with Zack Braff and Amanda Peet. Last Spring, ensemble member David Thompson made his film debut in "WIN WIN" with Paul Giamatti (directed and written by Tom McCarthy).

Beside their regular shows at Gotham Comedy Club, Kids 'N Comedy performers have appeared at a variety of benefits and charity events, including events of the WB11 Care for Kids Fund, a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation (supporting needy families, including teen mothers, homeless families and at-risk youth), Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation (it brightens the lives of seriously ill children and their families) and the Toyota Comedy Festival.

This program has been made possible in part through the sponsorship of The Field, a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization serving the New York City performing arts community.

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