Help is on the way for NOLA

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on September 6th, 2005

Pat Wilson, of Odyssey Entertainment in Washington, sent out a memo on the fifth. It’s making the rounds. Here’s the money quote:

On September 28, 2005, I am asking comedy clubs all over the country to produce a benefit with all the proceeds going to the people of New Orleans. We already have about 10 clubs that have volunteered their services on that date.

So far, the Improv (NYC), Helium here in PHL, the Acme in Minneapolis, the Bone in St. Louis, the Tempe Improv, the Punchline in Atlanta and the Theater in Bend, OR, have signed on. Contact Pat at (360) 221-8161 to lend assistance. She has a part time residence in NOLA, and a connection to the folks down there, so she’s eager help. She’s asked for suggestions for a suitable charity. We earlier recommended the ClintonBushKatrinaFund.org. (We caution that folks get the order of the names right. Some cab driver from Buffalo has purchased the URL with the names reversed. When you goof it up, it brings you to his website. Classy or what?)

Also pitching in to help is Dan Rosenberg, proprietor of The Comedy District in Culver City.

We are doing a monthlong charity event for the N’Awlins peeps. Since the first Comedy District was in New Orleans and I used to live there, as did Burt (Teplitzky, District partner), and a lot of our regulars (Pat Mellon, Carroll Sevin and Tommy James) we decided that instead of one show, we would do a month of shows. We are doing no cover, cash donation only at the door and 20 per cent of all sales. Our first weekend we had 2-1/2 packed shows out of three and we will be continuing this until the Oct 1st show (which ends our first anniversary weekend.)