Chicago Comedy. Aurora Stage. Big Laughs.
That’s Paramount’s new Copley Comedy Series. On select Saturday nights, now through the fall, extraordinarily talented, Chicago-based stand-up comedians will take the stage, determined to crack audiences up in downtown Aurora’s intimate 165-seat Copley Theatre.
The monthly Copley Comedy Series launched earlier this year and sold-out every performance, so don’t wait to get your tickets to five more Saturday night shows on sale now, starring the biggest names in improv, sketch and stand-up comedy who call Chicagoland home:
Saturday, July 25
Headliner Calvin Evans, featuring Luca Ferro, hosted by Tim Benker
Saturday, August 22
Headliner Larry Reeb (“Uncle Lar”), featuring Laura Hugg, hosted by Tim Benken
Saturday, September 26
Headliner Nick Gaza, featuring Vikram Balaji, hosted by Tim Benker
Saturday, October 24
Headliner Tim Cavanaugh, featuring Michelle Krajecki, hosted by Tim Benker
Saturday, November 7
Headliner Tim Benker, featuring Mike Preston, hosted by Steve Cochran
Lobby doors open at 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Tickets are just $22. Bonus: No drink minimum, so come early to hang out in Paramount’s swanky Copley Lounge before the show and have some fun! Note: Shows may include mature adult content. Must be 18 or older to attend.
The Copley Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 8 E. Galena Blvd., right across the street from Paramount Theatre. 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.
Copley Comedy Series Opening Night Biographies:
Headliner Calvin Evans, featuring Luca Ferro
Saturday, July 25
Chicago native Calvin Evans’ comedy career began during his time at the University Illinois Champaign-Urbana. While obtaining his degree in Sport Management. He brought his talents back home and was quickly named Chicago’s Next Big Comic by WGN. His half hour Unprotected Sets special released in 2020 on EPIX and his debut comedy album B.O.R.N are available on all streaming platforms.
Luca Ferro is an Italian-American comedian that comes from a blue collar, south side Chicago upbringing. Now based in New York City, Ferro has performed at top comedy clubs across the country, and is frequently seen performing on the Las Vegas strip. He has opened for nationally touring headliners such as Steve Byrne, Adam Ray, and Joe Gatto from Impractical Jokers. He was also hand selected to be a featured comedian on Nate Bargatze's NateLand YouTube series.
Headliner Larry Reeb (“Uncle Lar”), featuring Laura Hugg
Saturday, August 22
Known as “Uncle Lar,” Larry Reeb is the wise cracking wacky relative everyone knows. Like any concerned relative, Uncle Lar wants to help, so, in his own way he does, he gives tips on everything from dating, to driving, to children. Uncle Lar has been voted Chicago Comedian of the year, twice. He has won the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, the Dubuque 10K festival, and he was a finalist in the Great American Comedy Festival. Uncle Lar has appeared on Billy Gardell presents Road Dogs, HBO’s Opening Night at Rodney’s, hosted by Rodney Dangerfield, NBC’s Last Comic Standing and has made numerous appearances on The Bob and Tom Radio Show.
Laura Hugg is a nationally touring stand up, improv and sketch comedian based in Chicago. She’s a Midwestern, middle class, Gen X punk rocker with a quick wit, and a darkly optimistic point of view. Hugg is producer and host of Keep Coming Back, the comedy showcase at the Lincoln Lodge Theater in Chicago. She also co-produces the We Are Not A Glum Lot Recovery Comedy Tour and The Laughing Academy Open Mic in Glenview. Hugg has featured for Dwayne Kennedy and Rocky LaPorte. She is currently a cast member of two short form improv troupes, The BABS Babes at BABS Comedy Club in Forest Park, and GreenRoom Improv at the Raue in Crystal Lake. Hugg is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory.
Headliner Nick Gaza, featuring Vikram Balaji
Saturday, September 26
Nick Gaza is a funny, sick and often twisted individual. His act is a mixture of hilarious true stories and things one can only hope aren't true. Gaza makes fun of everyone: the audience, himself, and anyone who gets in his sights. But if you are the kind of person who laughs at things you know you shouldn't, then his comedy show is something you must see. If Gaza looks familiar it may be because of his numerous TV appearances, including The Drew Carey Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Becker, Comedy Central and more.
Vikram Balaji is an international headliner who turns painful life moments into unapologetic laughs. He has opened for Russell Peters, Dave Attell, and Nick Di Paolo, and has been featured on Dry Bar Comedy and the World Series of Comedy.
Headliner Tim Cavanaugh, featuring Michelle Krajecki
Saturday, October 24
Tim Cavanaugh takes audiences on an interactive ride filled with funny songs, stand-up, and over $7 in prizes—every show! While that kind of prize money adds up over time, he loves his audiences so much that he sees it as a “mighty small sacrifice.” On stage, his warm style and quick wit make every performance unique and unforgettable. His guest appearances on Chicago TV and radio over the years have been classic, starting on WLUP on shows hosted by Steve Cochran and Danny Bonaduce. Nationally, Cavanaugh can be heard regularly in over 100 radio markets on The Bob and Tom Show. His monthly segment, “Tim Cavanaugh’s Cavalcade of Celebrity Birthdays” is a B&T favorite. Over the years, 42 of his songs have been played on the legendary “Dr. Demento” radio show, which debuted his hit, “99 Dead Baboons.” He is a veteran of ABC, Comedy Central and Showtime. His special, “The Joys of UncleDumb” can be seen online at “Dry Bar Comedy” and you can find him on Sirius/XM. His career suffered a short setback in 2021, when he was diagnosed with malignant pancreatic cancer. Five years after chemo, radiation, and Whipple surgery, Cavanaugh is cancer free and back doing what he loves: making people laugh!
Michelle Krajecki is a former teacher turned stand up comic, whose sharp, clean and relatable humor has entertained audiences across the country. Born and raised in Chicago, she draws inspiration from the beautiful chaos of her own life - years spent teaching, raising two kids on the spectrum and being married to a very tall husband. Add in middle age misadventures and daily battles with changing technology and Krajecki has no shortage of material. She started out at the Training Center at The Second City in Chicago mid-life and expanded her reach nationally. Her Open Bar Comedy special, Accept No Substitute, earned widespread attention with clips approaching 3 million views. She is currently traveling with Boomer Broads Comedy.
Headliner Tim Benker, featuring Mike Preston, hosted by Steve Cochran
Saturday, November 7
Chicago comedy veteran Tim Benker hosted Paramount’s Copley Comedy Series earlier this spring, 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.
Mike Preston’s 30 years in standup comedy have included appearances on Showtime’s Comedy Club Network and NBC’s Friday Night. He also produced and hosted a cable television comedy talk show in the Chicago suburbs for 15 years. Along the way, Preston has self published several books, including “The Moron Chronicles,” “STOP TALKING NOW!” and “Sway.”
Steve Cochran is a true radio legend with 30 years in Chicago broadcasting from The Loop to WGN and more. Cochran hosted 10,000+ shows on the radio with more than 20,000 guests, and counting. He’s still asking questions today on his LIVE FROM MY OFFICE podcast. He’s thrilled to be back on stage doing stand up as he has for many years. He has worked with Lewis Black, Garry Shandling, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan and many more of the funniest people ever. His three grandkids are 10, 6, and 1 and they all think he’s funny… and funny looking.
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, event and education destinations 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 still running through 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.