Comedian Mike Birbiglia and poet J. Hope Stein bring their dynamic partnership and unique observations on life to Selected Shorts for an evening of hilarious, big-hearted, poignant short stories, poetry, and, of course, a joke or two! Featuring performances by Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Carmen Lynch (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), Andrea Martin (Evil), and Kaneza Schaal (Cartography).
"Mike Birbiglia and Jen Stein are the best collaborators since Emily Dickinson teamed up with her long-winded comedian friend." ―John Mulaney
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Symphony Space is committed to the health and safety of its artists, staff, and audience. Books will be available for purchase, but there will not be a book signing at this event.
Mike Birbiglia is a comedian, storyteller, director, actor, and author. His shows, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Thank God for Jokes, and The New One, which ran at the Cort Theatre on Broadway, were all filmed for Netflix. In addition to performing live, Birbiglia wrote, directed, and starred in the films Sleepwalk with Me and Don't Think Twice. His first book, Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories, was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. As an actor, he has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, HBO's Girls, and Broad City, as well as in the films Trainwreck, The Fault in Our Stars, and Popstar, among others. He played recurring roles in Orange Is the New Black and Billions. Birbiglia is a frequent contributor to public radio's This American Life and The Moth Radio Hour and was honored in 2017 with the Kurt Vonnegut Award for humor. He is the co-author of the book The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad with his wife, J. Hope Stein.
J. Hope Stein is a poet and the author of Little Astronaut. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Poetry International. She is the co-author of The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad with her husband, Mike Birbiglia.
Selected Shorts is produced by Symphony Space and broadcast on more than 150 stations around the country. The series began in 1985 and enjoys sold-out performances to this day. Selected Shorts was conceived with a simple premise: take great stories by well-known and emerging writers and have them performed by terrific actors of stage and screen. Featuring stories around a lively theme, the favorite works of a guest author, or a special collaboration, each Selected Shorts event is a unique night of literature in performance.
Recent readers include Ellen Burstyn, Kate Walsh, Bebe Neuwirth, Claire Danes, Michael Shannon, Kyle Maclachlan, LeVar Burton, Jane Curtin, Danielle Brooks, Cynthia Nixon, Rainn Wilson, Holly Hunter, Hugh Dancy, Joan Allen, Josh Radnor, Tony Shalhoub, Maggie Gyllenhaal, BD Wong and more.
Actors subject to change. Casting and special guests will be announced on our website so check for up-to-date information.
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