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Event Program
WED, JUN 12
FEATURING
Ariel Dumas, Christian Finnegan, Mehran Khaghani,
Clare O'Kane, Bob Powers, & Tami Sagher
HOSTED BY MATT LOVE
Ariel Dumas currently serves as head writer and supervising producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her work for The Late Show has been recognized with a dozen Emmy Award nominations, and she was honored with the WGA Award in 2021 for her contributions to Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020 special. Dumas wrote the screenplay for the Looney Tunes musical Bye Bye Bunny, forthcoming this year.
Ariel Dumas currently serves as head writer and supervising producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her work for The Late Show has been recognized with a dozen Emmy Award nominations, and she was honored with the WGA Award in 2021 for her contributions to Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020 special. Dumas wrote the screenplay for the Looney Tunes musical Bye Bye Bunny, forthcoming this year.
Christian Finnegan is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known as one of the original panelists on VH1's Best Week Ever. He has also been featured on Chapelle's Show, The Good Wife, Are We There Yet?, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and is a regular fixture on Comedy Central across various series and network interstitials. His most recent comedy special, Christian Finnegan: Show Your Work, premiered in 2021.
Christian Finnegan is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known as one of the original panelists on VH1's Best Week Ever. He has also been featured on Chapelle's Show, The Good Wife, Are We There Yet?, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and is a regular fixture on Comedy Central across various series and network interstitials. His most recent comedy special, Christian Finnegan: Show Your Work, premiered in 2021.
Mehran Khaghani is a standup comedian, emcee, actor, event producer, upstart, social advocate, serial yeller, troublemaker, love-spreader, line-pusher, and general intellect of intimidating proportion currently living in New York City. He has been a finalist in multiple comedy festivals, tours nationally, was featured on Season 9 of NBC's Last Comic Standing, has been seen on MTV, Comedy Central, IFC, and TruTV, and is a regular at the world-famous Comedy Cellar in New York City.
Mehran Khaghani is a standup comedian, emcee, actor, event producer, upstart, social advocate, serial yeller, troublemaker, love-spreader, line-pusher, and general intellect of intimidating proportion currently living in New York City. He has been a finalist in multiple comedy festivals, tours nationally, was featured on Season 9 of NBC's Last Comic Standing, has been seen on MTV, Comedy Central, IFC, and TruTV, and is a regular at the world-famous Comedy Cellar in New York City.
Clare O’Kane is an actor, comedian and writer from San Jose, California. She has performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, Outside Lands, and has opened for the band Jawbreaker on their most recent reunion tour. She has written for Spongebob Squarepants, Shrill, Saturday Night Live, appeared on Comedy Central (dot com) and was the pseudo-host of Viceland's Flophouse. In 2022 she was deemed a Comedian You Should Know by Vulture. O’Kane is frequently cast in short films and usually paid in hummus. She has been described as “sarcastic” and “half-Asian”.
Clare O’Kane is an actor, comedian and writer from San Jose, California. She has performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, Outside Lands, and has opened for the band Jawbreaker on their most recent reunion tour. She has written for Spongebob Squarepants, Shrill, Saturday Night Live, appeared on Comedy Central (dot com) and was the pseudo-host of Viceland's Flophouse. In 2022 she was deemed a Comedian You Should Know by Vulture. O’Kane is frequently cast in short films and usually paid in hummus. She has been described as “sarcastic” and “half-Asian”.
Bob Powers is a WGA Award-nominated TV writer, author, and content creator. He is the author of three books, including Happy Cruelty Day!, and has contributed to McSweeney's, The New Yorker, Esquire, and GQ, among other publications. He served as both writer and voice actor on the series Our Cartoon President and Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News, and co-produced the animated series Fairview.
Bob Powers is a WGA Award-nominated TV writer, author, and content creator. He is the author of three books, including Happy Cruelty Day!, and has contributed to McSweeney's, The New Yorker, Esquire, and GQ, among other publications. He served as both writer and voice actor on the series Our Cartoon President and Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News, and co-produced the animated series Fairview.
Tami Sagher is a writer, producer, and actress, whose credits include Mad TV, Psych, 30 Rock, Girls, Orange Is the New Black, Inside Amy Schumer, Don't Think Twice, Shrill, The Great, and Life & Beth, among others. She has also contributed to NPR's This American Life. A veteran performer of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Sagher performs improv live at venues across NYC.
Tami Sagher is a writer, producer, and actress, whose credits include Mad TV, Psych, 30 Rock, Girls, Orange Is the New Black, Inside Amy Schumer, Don't Think Twice, Shrill, The Great, and Life & Beth, among others. She has also contributed to NPR's This American Life. A veteran performer of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Sagher performs improv live at venues across NYC.
Matthew Love is a writer with bylines in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, The Onion, The AV Club, and Time Out New York, where he was formerly the Comedy and Books editor. He's currently a consulting producer for Selected Shorts and its spin-off podcast, Too Hot for Radio. He has interviewed, written for, or shared a stage with the likes of Chris Rock, David Byrne, Roxane Gay, David Sedaris, Jordan Peele, Stephen Colbert, and Aparna Nancherla, to name a few. His “grandma noir,” Tough Old Birds, is currently in development.
Matthew Love is a writer with bylines in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, The Onion, The AV Club, and Time Out New York, where he was formerly the Comedy and Books editor. He's currently a consulting producer for Selected Shorts and its spin-off podcast, Too Hot for Radio. He has interviewed, written for, or shared a stage with the likes of Chris Rock, David Byrne, Roxane Gay, David Sedaris, Jordan Peele, Stephen Colbert, and Aparna Nancherla, to name a few. His “grandma noir,” Tough Old Birds, is currently in development.
Uptown Showdown is made possible thanks to the generous support of Susan Bay Nimoy, Estate of Douglas M. Matheson, Seedlings Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, PECO Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Mustang Foundation, Michael Tuch Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation, The Grodzins Fund, and The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of North America.
This program is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Symphony Space thanks our generous supporters, including our Board of Directors, Producers Circle, and members, who make our programs possible with their annual support.
Kathy Landau Executive Director
Peg Wreen Managing Director
Isaiah Sheffer*
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Artistic Director (1990-2010)
Founding Artistic Director (2010-2012)
Allan Miller
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Jennifer Brennan Director of Literary Programs
Drew Richardson Lead Producer of Literary Programs
Vivienne Woodward Producer of Literary Programs
Mary Shimkin Director of Broadcast & Literary Initiatives
Matthew Love Consultant for Literary Programs
Magdalene Wrobleski Literary Assistant
*in memoriam