For the first time in comedy history, a virtual line-up of all female performers with disabilities will command the standup stage. The event will be hosted by actor and comic Selene Luna (“Coco” and Margaret Cho’s “The Cho Show”) followed by a conversation with the performers co-moderated by Luna journalist Cara Reedy.
Tickets are $10 and upgrades will be available ranging from $25 to $35 for tickets to the event plus Passionistas Project merchandise. Donations to DESI are encouraged.
To purchase tickets visit http://bit.ly/ChronicallyFunnyPassionistas.
For the first time in comedy history, a virtual line-up of all female performers with disabilities will command the standup stage. The event will be followed by a conversation with the performers co-moderated by Luna alongside storyteller and journalist Cara Reedy.
“We met Selene when she did a storyteller event for our Passionistas Project Women’s Equality Summit in August. We were energized by her incredible talent and powerful story that we wanted to reach out to her about collaborating on an event to shine a light on the issues related to women with disabilities. We were thrilled when she suggested a night of standup comedy featuring women with disabilities,” explained Amy Harrington, Co-Founder of The Passionistas Project.
The voice of Tía Rosita in Disney-Pixar’s Academy Award & Golden Globe Awards’ Winner “Coco,” Luna is also producing the event along with Passionistas Project. An established presence in Hollywood, Luna has had multiple roles in movies and TV shows such as “Celebrity Wife Swap,” “Lionsgate’s My Bloody Valentine 3D” and Margaret Cho’s “The Cho Show,” the Mexican-American actress who lives with a physical disability, has also broken ground as a featured burlesque dancer in five national tours of the undisputed “Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese.”
“Disabled rights are civil rights,” said Luna. “The disabled community shouldn’t be made to feel like a burden. We are not asking for favors, we demand equal access to the same quality of life as abled individuals.”
Luna’s co-moderator Reedy is a journalist, an actor, a director and a photographer. Her journey in media has taken several twists and turns. She worked at CNN for ten years, produced docs, did some food writing and, yes, reported on disability. Cara freelanced
at NPR on “Weekend All Things Considered.” In 2019 she co-produced a short doc for The Guardian “Dwarfism and Me.”
Rounding out the list of performers is:
Christie Buchele — Christie Buchele is an up-and-coming standup comic from Denver, Colorado. Christie has made a name for herself by sharing the heart-wrenching and hilarious realities of being a woman with a disability.
Jade Theriault — Jade Theriault is a cyborg who combines provocative thought with moving furniture. Jade was manufactured in the California Bay and has performed at many showcases including “Tourette’s Without Regrets” and “Critical Hit.” They perform at The Punchline, Cobbs Comedy Club, Tommy T’s and Delirium’s weekly show “#triviaLOL.”
Nina G — Nina G is a comedian, professional speaker and author of “Stutterer Interrupted.” She has been featured in/on everything from NPR’s “51%,” BBC’s “Ouch,” Psychology Today, Tedx, multiple daytime talk shows, “Howard (Stern) 100 News” and even the Stuttering John Podcast.
Santina Muha — You may know Santina Muha from her role as Beth on the Netflix comedy “One Day at a Time” or Santina the PA on IFC’s “Comedy Bang! Bang!” She can also be seen in the Gus Van Sant film “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” opposite Joaquin Phoenix and in the popular indie film “Greener Grass.”