Outlaugh Festival on Wisecrack

Meet the Cast:

Margaret Cho started performing stand-up at age 16 in a comedy club called The Rose and Thistle above a bookstore her parents ran. Soon after, she won a comedy contest where first prize was opening for Jerry Seinfeld. In 1999, Margaret chronicled her experience on the sitcom in an Off-Broadway one-woman hit show called "I'm The One That I want." In 2001, Cho launched "Notorious C.H.O.," a smash-hit 37-city national tour that culminated in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. Margaret embarked on her third sold-out tour, "Revolution" in 2003. The tour grossed 4.4 million and was heralded as "Her strongest show yet!" by the Chicago Sun Times. In August of 2005, Margaret completed her "Assassin" tour of the U.S., Canada and Australia. Her most political and topical work to date, Assassin was lauded as "Murderously funny!" by the New York Times. Cho has also completed her first narrative feature, "Bam Bam and Celeste," which she has described as a fag and fag hag "Dumb and Dumber." Margaret recently received a First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California. She has also been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, PFLAG and the National Organization for Women. Margaret's second book, "I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight" was released last year.

Bruce Vilanch

Bruce Vilanch is a two-faced fella: Bearded, he is one of the most sought-after comedy writers in Hollywood, winner of a bunch of Emmys and noted as the "Hollywood Square" just to the left of Whoopi. Shaved, he spent two years as Edna Turnblad, Baltimore housewife and superstar, on tour and on...

Suzanne Westenhoefer

Suzanne Westenhoefer began doing stand-up as one of the first openly gay comedians. Suzanne Westenhoefer starred in her own HBO Special, earning her a Cable ACE Award for Best Comedy Special, and appeared on numerous TV shows including "Politically Incorrect," "Evening at the Improv," "Caroline's...

Jason Stuart

Jason Stuart is best know fro playing shrink "Dr. Thomas" on "MY WIFE AND KIDS". He was recently in the hit romantic comedy "Coffee Date". He has headlined comedy Clubs, colleges, and Gay Events all over the country.

Bob Smith

Bob Smith has appeared on "The Tonight Show" and has his own HBO special. He's the Lambda Award-winning author of "Openly Bob." Next year, look for his first novel, "Selfish and Perverse," a romantic comedy about three gay men set in Los Angeles and Alaska.

Ian Harvie

Ian Harvie, the transgender comic, plays to mainstream comedy establishments around the country, including the Boston Comedy Connection, and the Funny Bone clubs. Ian's well-crafted humor has been seen at the Hollywood Improv, and heard on OutQ (Sirius Satellite Radio in NY) with Frank DeCaro.

Jen Slusser

Jen Slusser is a native Chicagoan. She's been seen on NBC's "Starting Over," "Last Comic Standing," Chicago's "Ben Around Town," Comedy Central's "Upright Citizen's Brigade" and was the vocal producer in LA for 107.9 "The Link." You've heard her on Mancow's Morning Madhouse radio program on...

Marga Gomez

Marga Gomez tours nationally as one of the first openly gay comedians in America. She has appeared on HBO's "Comic Relief," Showtime's "Latino Laugh Festival," Comedy Central's "Out There," and the PBS series "In the Life." Ms. Gomez has been nominated for New York's 2006 Drama Desk award and is...

Erin Foley

Erin Foley, a recent transplant to Los Angeles, spent the last nine years in New York City pursuing a career in stand-up comedy and acting. She has performed at the Toyota Comedy Festival, Marshall's Women in Comedy Festival (NY and LA), and at the prestigious Montreal Comedy Festival (2005, 1999)....

Eddie Sarfaty

Comedian and writer Eddie Sarfaty has appeared on "The Today Show", "Nightline" and on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend". He is a regular at Caroline's and Gotham Comedy Club in New York and has performed at Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, New York's Toyota Comedy Festival and at...

Sandra Valls

Sandra Valls performs all over the country and at local comedy clubs in Los Angeles including the world-famous Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, and The Hollywood Improv. Her television credits include Starz Network, "ComicView," "Que Locos," and HBO.

Jason Dudey

Jason Dudey is that gay boy next door with mid-west values, east coast attitude and a laid back west coast mentality. He's performed on stages throughout the states and on cruise ships throughout the world. You can see him regularly the first Tuesday of every month hosting, "I'm Just Saying..." at...

Michelle Balan

Finalist on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" Season 4 (2006). Her own "Outlaugh" special on LOGO February 2007. She recently appear on Byron Allen's "Comics Unleashed" (2006). Voted one of the top 10 comics in Backstage Magazine in 2004!

Michele Balan is a brash, New York stand-up comedian who...

The Gay Mafia

The Gay Mafia (Starr Ahrens, Alex Garner, Kurt Hall, Nancy Kissam, Mike Player, Mark Rakow, and Diana Yanez) was founded in 2002 and has performed their unusual brand of improv and sketch comedy at clubs and theaters across the country - at Second City, The Ice House, The LA Convention Center, The...

The Nellie Olesons

Named after the blonde bratty rich-bitch on Little House On The Prairie, the Nellie Olesons (Nora Burns, John Cantwell and Terrence Michael) have created nine critically acclaimed sketch comedy shows since 1993 and performed all over the U.S. and Canada. In 1997 their short film titled...

Stephanie Howard

Stephanie Howard began her comedy career in 1999, at the world famous Los Angeles Improv. She can be seen regularly in Los Angeles at the Laugh Factory and the Improv, and she currently tours all over the United States at college campuses and comedy clubs. Stephanie has starred on Comedy...