Chicago Comedy. Aurora Stage. Big Laughs.
Welcome to the Copley Comedy Series. On select Saturday nights, February 28th through May 2nd, amazingly talented, nationally acclaimed, Chicago-based, professional stand-ups are now booked to take the stage and cause uproarious laughter in Paramount’s intimate 165-seat Copley Theatre.
Chicago has produced some of the biggest names in improv, sketch and stand-up comedy in the country. So why not tap into the talent pool of professional stand-up comedians that call Chicagoland home? From Zanies, the Improv and Chicago Theatre to the Fillmore, Symphony Hall, HBO and Netflix, a short list of seasoned Chicago stand ups are coming to Aurora intent on showing Copley audiences a good time.
Interpret that as you will.
Paramount’s new Copley Comedy Series kicks off Saturday, February 28 with headliner Tim Walkoe, featuring Paul Farahvar, hosted by Tim Benker. Lobby doors open at 7 p.m. Show time is 8 p.m. So come early, hang out in the cool Copley Bar and have some fun!
The Copley Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 8 E. Galena Blvd., right across the street from Paramount Theatre. Tickets are just $21 (when purchased in-person; additional fees apply for phone and online orders.) No drink minimum.
For tickets and information, visit ParamountAurora.com call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and until show time on show days.
When they’re not touring the nation doing what they do best – making people laugh – these hilarious stand-ups are also heading west to play downtown Aurora’s new favorite Saturday night comedy series:
Saturday, March 14
Headliner Jeanie Doogan, featuring Katie Meiners
Saturday, March 28
Headliner Dwayne Kennedy, featuring Mike Preston
Saturday, April 18
Headliner Vince Maranto, featuring Jim McHugh
Saturday, May 2
Headliner Brian Hicks featuring Des Mulrooney
Stay tuned for more information and on-sale date.
Copley Comedy Series Opening Night Biographies:
“Nonstop laughter from start to finish” is what the Chicago Tribune had to say about the Tim Walkoe, adding “Walkoe’s rapid-fire delivery and shoot-from-the-hip style leaves audiences laughing so hard it’s hard to catch-up to the next joke.” A Grand Prize winner on ABC TV’s America’s Funniest People, Walkoe has appeared in a recurring role on Fox TV’s Murder In Small Town X as Mayor Emerson Bowden. Other TV credits include A&E, HBO, ESPN, Comedy Central and Laugh Tracks with Mike Toomey on WGN TV. He has headlined at over 100 comedy clubs nationwide and been a featured performer at the Chicago Comedy Festival and The Sundance Film Festival. A musician and actor, Walkoe uses these talents throughout all of his performances. He has appeared in concert with Kenny Loggins, Whitney Houston, Elvis Costello and Emmy Lou Harris and appeared at numerous Army, Navy and Air Force bases as part of Miller Lite’s Comics on Duty.
Chicago’s Paul Farahvar delights audiences with his unique, quick witted dry humor, centered on being an aging bachelor and former litigator. After becoming a staple on the Chicago comedy scene for a few years at his home club Laugh Factory, he began touring in 2016, first as a feature for headliners like Jen Kirkman, Demetri Martin and Gary Gulman, later as a headliner. With no manager or agent, he managed to build a following in multiple cities, selling out rooms in Chicago, Rockford, Denver, Milwaukee, Scottsdale, Sarasota and Tampa. He was runner up in the Chicago Reader for Best Stand up Comedian in 2021 and was voted “Top 40 Up and Coming Comedians” in 2017. Prior to being a comedian, Farahvar was a trial litigator, earning the “Top 40 under 40” honor among judges and peers in Illinois. His podcast SINGLES ONLY! was voted Best Podcast in 2021 (Chicago Reader) and he was a regular guest host on WGN Radio. He played Karam Haddad on NBC’s Chicago Med. His Dry Bar special and his special with Helium Records both dropped in 2023. As a touring comedian, he utilizes his platform to raise awareness for the Parkinson’s Foundation, a cause very close to his heart. He raised over $10,000 for Parkinson's Foundation in 2022 and thousands of dollars for Autism and Suicide Prevention. In 2024, he began the Why Are You Awake podcast to bring attention to creatives and night owls like himself.
Chicago comedy veteran Tim Benker has performed stand-up from New York to Las Vegas, and co-hosted morning radio shows in Las Vegas and Houston along the way. Benker recently performed the multimedia comedy shows Men of a Certain Rage, The Four Fathers and The Idiot’s Guide to Fixing Stooopid. Benker occasionally appears on the musical comedy stage as his alter-ego, “The Very Famous Lance Vegas.” Credits include Zanies Chicago, The Improv Chicago, LA and Las Vegas, The Funny Bones Chicago, St. Louis and Dayton, and Catch a Rising Star in Chicago, New York and Las Vegas.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.
Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount has amassed more than 40,000 subscribers, making it the largest subscription house in the U.S.
Paramount Theatre is one of five live performance venues overseen by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) in downtown Aurora. ACCA also programs and manages Stolp Island Theatre, 5 E. Downer Place, Suite G, where its wildly acclaimed immersive production of Million Dollar Quartet is returning March 4-May 31; the 165-seat Copley Theatre, at 8 E. Galena in the North Island Center; the Paramount School of the Arts; and RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, downtown Aurora’s outdoor summer concert venue and home to Christkindlmarket Aurora.
Paramount Theatre is overseen by Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.
For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.