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SOPAC Hosts Laughs in the Loft on September 1st

originally published: 08/30/2021

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) hosts Laughs in the Loft on the first Wednesday of the month. The new series features stand-up comics from our own backyard, Brooklyn and beyond. The series begins on September 1st at 7:30pm with a lineup that includes Harrison Greenbaum, Usama Siddiquee, Lucas Connolly, Ben Rosenfeld, Michelle Slonim, and Joe Larson, the host of the series.

Each month will feature four comedians in an NYC-style showcase. The talent will be announced approximately two weeks prior to each show. Come be part of something exciting, fun and hilarious. You never know who might drop in! Laughs in the Loft is recommended for ages 18 and up.

Pre-pandemic Joe Larson had one of the hottest shows in Brooklyn. Sold out each time to standing room only, his show “Couleur Comedy” was a huge success. It brought together the hottest up-and-coming comedians with established pros for a dynamic and exciting evening. Now, a South Orange resident, Joe is bringing his show to SOPAC.

Harrison Greenbaum – featured on many shows, including NBC’s America’s Got Talent, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, TBS’s Conan and Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar. 

Usama Siddiquee – recently seen on America’s Got Talent, NYC’s Comedy Cellar, made his TV debut on BET’s 50 Central, has been on Showtime’s Desus and Mero, MTV’s News and Bravo’s Cash Cab. 

 

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Lucas Connolly – seen on Comedy Central’s New York and South Beach Comedy Festivals, a national commercial for Joe’s Crab Shack and on the front page of Reddit countless times. 

Ben Rosenfeld – appeared on FOX’s Laughs, Travel Channel’s Mysteries At The Museum, CBS This Morning, BuzzFeed Video and is slightly “TikTok famous” with over 200k followers

Michelle Slonim – seen on Late Night With Seth Meyers, appeared on web-shows for Comedy Central and HBO and on SiriusXM Radio.

Joe Larson is a comedian, husband and father – the former makes the latter well….interesting.

When Joe met his now wife she loved how much he made her laugh. He warned her that while she finds it cute now, she may feel differently when he is unable to do anything but joke during the heat of an argument. As his wife eventually found out “you’re funny all the time!” can quickly turn into “Does everything have to be a joke?”

Perhaps it’s not his fault, Joe is after all a second generation comedian. Much to his parent’s dismay at the age of twenty, Joe went into the family business. Straight away he was chosen College Comedian of the Year at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and shortly after he made the move to New York City where he paid his dues at any club that would give him the mic.

Joe has been on stage at some of the best rooms in the city including the famed Caroline’s On Broadway and Gotham Comedy Club. He was nominated “Best Up-And-Coming Comedian” at the NYC MAC Awards, was a finalist in both the prestigious Johnny Carson Great American Comedy Festival and Boston Comedy Festival and was part of the feature film Stand Up 360. Joe has also been seen on Gotham Comedy Live, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” “Laughs” on FOX, the Tonight Show’s Laugh Squad and the Speed Channel. On radio he is a repeat guest on Bob and Tom and the Bennington Show.

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is located at One SOPAC Way in South Orange, New Jersey.