Chelsea Peretti, Nico Torterella Join Josh Charles, Ana Gasteyer & More in Ars Nova's SHOWGASM XXL

Ars Nova, New York's incubator for boundary-pushing theater, expands its monthly variety Showgasm. series with first-ever Showgasm XXL on April 21 at Marquee NY. Hosted by John Early, "one of the Ten Best Comedians of 2015" (Time Out New York), with DJ Hamm Samwich, this raucous variety-show-meets-party will supersize its showcase of fresh comedy, music, burlesque, vaudeville and everything-in-between for a one-night only blow-out event. All proceeds will benefit Ars Nova and its work to discover, develop and launch the next generation of talent.

Scheduled to appear at Showgasm XXL are comedian Kate Berlant (The Meltdown), actor/comedian Bruce Bundy (Hunger Games), actor Josh Charles (The Good Wife), choreographed comedy act Cocoon Central Dance Team, writer/actor Cole Escola (Difficult People), performer/comedian Ana Gasteyer (Saturday Night Live) author/performer Isaac Oliver (Intimacy Idiot), comedian and actress Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), actor Cory Michael Smith (Gotham), drag star Sweetie, actor and model Nico Tortorella (Younger), and breakout star and Ars Nova alum Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham).

Ars Nova's Showgasm XXL will take place on Thursday, April 21 at Marquee NY (289 10th Avenue) in Manhattan and will begin at 8:00pm. Doors will open at 7:00pm. Tickets, starting at $50, and seats starting at $125, include an open bar all night long and can be purchased online at ARSNOVANYC.COM or 212.352.3101.

Showgasm XXL is sponsored by TBS, home of the upcoming series Search Party co-starring host John Early.

John Early is an actor, writer and comedian who has been described as "endearingly honest and absurdly funny" by The New York Times; "A cross between Dennis the Menace and Christopher Guest" by PAPER Magazine; and most impressively, "cute and young and blonde" by The Huffington Post. Early co-stars in Search Party, a new, dark comedy series on TBS. He'll be appearing soon in Neighbors 2 opposite Dave Franco and The Disaster Artist opposite Sharon Stone, as well as the upcoming Netflix original series Love executive produced by Judd Apatow. Early recently created and starred in Netflix's The Characters, and was a guest star in season five of HBO's Girls. His previous credits include Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Broad City, High Maintenance, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, 30 Rock, and the indie features Fort Tilden (SXSW Grand Jury Prize) and Other People (selected to premiere as a Day One Film at Sundance in 2016). He also lent his voice to the HBO animated series Animals and was a writer on season 4 of truTV's Billy on the Street.

Early is an Artist in Residence and Comedy Curator at Ars Nova, where he hosts the monthly variety show Showgasm. He was named one of the Ten Best Comedians of 2015 by Time Out NY, 50 Comedians to Watch in 2015 by Vulture, and one of the Top Ten Downtown Cabaret Performers in New York by Time Out New York. John performs his solo show Literally Me (New York Times Critics' Pick) at Joe's Pub, a live sketch show Hey with frequent collaborator Kate Berlant, co-hosts a weekly stand up show at Cake Shop, and has been a part numerous comedy festivals including Just For Laughs, South by Southwest, Riot LA, Treasure Island Music Festival and Festival Supreme. John is from Nashville, Tennessee and a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, where he studied at the Atlantic Acting School.

Ars Novais committed to developing and producing theater, comedy and music artists in the early stages of their professional careers. Our unique development programs are designed to support outside-the-box thinking and cross-pollination to encourage innovative work. Dubbed by the New York Times as a "fertile incubator of offbeat theater," Ars Nova blurs genres and subverts the status quo. With our feverish bounty of programming, we are the stomping ground and launching pad for visionary, adventurous artists of all stripes. By providing a safe environment where risk-taking and collaboration are paramount, Ars Nova gives voice to a new generation of artists and audiences, pushing the boundaries of live entertainment by nurturing creative ideas into smart, surprising new work.

Ars Nova was honored with a 2015 OBIE Award and a 2015 Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics' Circle for our sustained quality and commitment to the development and production of new work. Notable past productions include: New York Times Critics' Pick Futurity, by César Alvarez with The Lisps; the critically-acclaimed world premiere of Small Mouth Sounds by Bess Wohl; Time Out NY's "Best of 2014,"Jacuzzi by The Debate Society; Drama Desk nominated Charlatan by Vinny DePonto and Josh Koenigsberg; the award-winning smash-hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 by Dave Malloy (Lortel, Obie, and Richard Rodgers Awards; Off-Broadway transfer production; Broadway 2016); Jollyship the Whiz-Bang by Nick Jones and Raja Azar; the world premiere of the 2009 season's most-produced play boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle nominated From Up Here by Liz Flahive; audience favorite Dixie's Tupperware Party by Kris Andersson; and star-makers At Least It's Pink by Bridget Everett and Kenny Mellman; and Freestyle Love Supreme by Anthony Veneziale and Lin-Manuel Miranda.