General Admission Seated With Limited Standing Room In The Back

COVID-19 Policy

COVID-19 Vaccination (14 days past second shot) OR proof of negative COVID-19 PCR test (received within the past 72 hours) required for entry. If vaccinated, please bring your vaccination card or clearly legible photo of your vaccination card on your phone and a valid photo ID. If unvaccinated please bring printed or digital proof of your recent negative PCR test. Masks are strongly encouraged.

By purchasing tickets to this event, you agree to abide by the State of CT, City of Hamden, Artist, and Space Ballroom's Health and Safety measures in effect at the time of the event.

Guidelines and entry requirements are subject to change. Any changes or updates will be posted on individual event pages and ticket links.

HARI KONDABOLU

Hari Kondabolu is a comedian, writer and podcaster based in Brooklyn. The NY Times called him “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today” and described his 2018 Netflix special Warn Your Relatives as “an incisively funny and formally adventurous hour that reveals a comic in command of his powers.” The special was named on many “Best of” lists, including for Time, Paste Magazine, Cosmopolitan, E! Online, and Mashable. He was also named one of 2018’s “Comics To Watch” by Variety.

In 2017, his truTV documentary The Problem with Apu was released to critical acclaim and spurred a global conversation about race and representation. The Nation called it “a devastating critique of the ultimate comedic sacred cow: The Simpsons.” It is now used in high school, college and grad school curriculums around the US.

Hari has also released two comedy albums, Waiting for 2042 & Mainstream American Comic with legendary indie rock label Kill Rock Stars. Additionally, he has performed on such shows as Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Late Show with David Letterman among many others. He is also a former writer & correspondent on the much loved, Chris Rock produced FX show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.

A regular on the public radio, Hari is a panelist on the NPR game show Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me. As a podcaster, he co-hosted the popular Politically Reactive with dear friend W. Kamau Bell. Additionally, he also co-hosts what he politely describes as a “pop up podcast,” The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Podcast with his younger brother Ashok (“Dap” from HBO’s Chillin’ Island and defunct rap group Das Racist.)

Hari attended both Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University, graduating from the former institution with a B.A. in Comparative Politics. A former immigrant rights organizer in Seattle who worked under the leadership of now-Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Hari also earned a Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Economics in 2008. He was the “Artist In Residence” at NYU’s APA Institute for the 2014-2015 Academic Year and at Shangri La Museum in Honolulu in 2018.

Links: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

NATALY AUKAR

Nataly is a Lebanese born and raised stand up comic based in New York City.

After working as a writer at a production house in Lebanon throughout college, Nataly graduated from the American University of Beirut and immediately moved to NY to pursue stand up comedy.

Links: Official Website | Twitter | Instagram

JESSICA WATKINS (HOST)

Jessica Watkins is a standup comedian, actor, filmmaker, and adventure enthusiast. Jessica grew up in East Nashville, TN, graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts Los Angeles, CA in 2005, and with the exception of 8 months spent walking across North America, has called New York City home for 13 years.

In 2014 Watkins walked from Delaware to California, performing standup comedy, living off the kindness of strangers, and filming the trek for her first comedy special, Jessica Watkins: SPECIALish. Jessica shot, wrote, directed, and produced the award winning feature length docu-comedy.

Jessica Watkins: SPECIALish was released through Random Media and 1091 Pictures May 11th, 2021, is named “exceptional” by The New York Times, “6th best comedy special of 2021” by Paste Magazine, and is available NOW on all streaming and On Demand platforms.

Links: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram