Comedy Show at Gotham Benefits TADA! Youth Theater Tonight

Carla Johnston, Ensemble Parent, TADA! supporter and hilarious comedian, will host this special evening of laughs, A Good Laugh, tonight, May 8 2015 at Gotham Comedy Club. Join Johnston ("Orange is the New Black") and top comics Andy Pitz ("The Tonight Show"), Nancy Witter (Nick at Nite's "Funniest Mom"), Dave Konig (3-time Emmy Award-winner) and Ryan Hamilton (winner of Great Americam Comedy Festival) for a night of laughter, door prizes and fund-raising for TADA! Your entire date night is planned for you: drop your kids off at TADA!, eat dinner at Bastardo Restaurant (10% of your bill is donated to TADA!) and then see a hilarious comedy show at one of NYC's oldest comedy venues!

Carla Johnston is a professional comic/actor living in on the Lower East Side of New York City. She co-starred in the second season of "Orange is the New Black" and other TV credits include "What Would You Do?," "America's Most Wanted" and "SNL," as well as numerous national commercials for Lowe's, National Grid and Ocean Spray. Carla performs at comedy clubs throughout NYC and started "A Good Laugh with Carla Johnston," a great way to fundraise through laughter. Like every mother, she was approached by her PTA to support fundraising efforts and it was suggested that she use her skills as a comic to bring a unique approach to fundraising. Carla took the challenge and developed a show that could help raise funds for programs in the NYC schools as well as give parents an opportunity to take some time for themselves and share a laugh. "Our parents do so much to support their kids," says Johnston. "I wanted to find a way to help them continue that support and have some fun in the process. I mean, who really WANTS to sell candy and wrapping paper?" Carla has gained support from her comic-colleagues and friends and has built a lineup for these shows that includes comics who have appeared on major networks and shows including: "Late Night with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show," MTV, BET, Comedy Central, ABC and the Golden Globe nominated "Orange is the new Black" (Netflix). What started as one show for her daughter's PTA has now grown to a series of events to support PTA Organizations, libraries, arts organizations and other charities including The Lily Fund, which provides support to improve the quality of life for the families of children with brain tumors.

Andy Pitz is a standup comedian based in New York City and has been doing standup for over 20 years. He was born and raised in Buffalo NY, and he and his wife live in Rockland County, NY, with a cat, a dog and a baby girl. Not to mention his wife's mom and her boyfriend, who also live with them. Yes, pretty brutal. His material is mostly clean, which leads him to a lot of corporate gigs and private shows where no profanity is allowed. He also headlines comedy clubs all over the world where anything goes. He's been on TV a number of times, highlighted by appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." He was also on "Star Search," but that was pretty lame. The other two shows were really fun and awesome experiences.

Nancy Witter grew up in a very large Irish "Cathaholic" family, giving her all the comedic material she needed to sustain her throughout her comedy career. It helped her to win three New York City MAC Awards for "Outstanding Female Comedian" and a MAC Award for my one woman show "Dignity Check... Please." One of her big breaks was being one of five finalists on Nick at Nite's "Search for the Funniest Mom in America" in 2005. Soon after, she joined two other finalists and for five years, toured in sold-out theatres across the country in the hit comedy show Mama's Night Out. The New York Times has described her as having "a razor sharp wit" and Back Stage Magazine named her to their list of "Comedy Best Bets."

Dave Konig is a three-time Emmy Award-winning TV host and headlining comedian. Dave plays 'Matchie' in Season 5 of the hit series "Louie" on FX. On TV, Dave Konig hosted HBO's infamous late night comedy series "Hardcore TV," the cult hit talk show parody "The Dave Konig Show" for USA Network and won three Emmy Awards as host of NY Metro TV's reality/comedy series "Subway Q&A!" You've also seen Dave Konig on NBC's "Law And Order: Criminal Intent," HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," NBC's "Celebrity" Apprentice and as a regular featured comic on NBC's "All Night With Joey Reynolds." A national headlining comedian, Dave Konig is in demand from casinos (Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, The Borgata) to country clubs to cruise ships (Holland America, NCL, Royal Caribbean). With his strong energy and classic delivery, the New York Times called Konig "laugh out loud funny and lightning fast." A favorite comic at the legendary Friars Club, Konig performed on the Friars Club Roasts of "Star Trek's" George Takei, comic legends Stewie Stone and Freddie Roman, New York Yankees Jim Bouton and Goose Gossage, New York Mets John Franco and Rusty Staub and many others. Konig regularly produces and performs in benefits to raise funds for the Friars' Sunshine Committee (providing entertainment for children's hospitals and senior citizen homes) and The Gift of Laughter program for the Wounded Warriors. Dave Konig is also a sought after opening act, having opened for musical acts Robert Davi (Davi Sings Sinatra), The Duprees, The Coasters, Bill Haley's Comets and more. He's starred in his own hit Off-Broadway solo shows - the comedy tour-de-force Addicted To Show Business and the critically acclaimed Hebrew School Dropout. He has starred on Broadway as the dee-jay Vince Fontaine in the Tommy Tune revival of Grease. Dave Konig is generally regarded to be America's Most Beloved, Living Entertainer.

Ryan Hamilton is endearing comedy lovers, and his future is bright. Named one of Rolling Stone's Five Comics to Watch, with standout appearances on "Conan," "The Late Late Show," "Last Comic Standing," Comedy Central, and Showtime, he's establishing himself as one of the nation's favorite stand-ups. He's impressed industry insiders by racking up a remarkable number of national competition wins and festival appearances, including winning The Great American Comedy Festival and Sierra Mist's America's Next Great Comic Search. He's also a regular performer at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festivals with several international TV performances including "The Muppets Gala" in Montreal and the Sydney Opera House International Comedy Gala. He's often lauded for being a clean comedian, although his audiences span a broad spectrum. Wrote one reviewer, "His stories and delivery are so funny, it doesn't even cross your mind that he works completely clean. Not that there's anything wrong with that. When he talks about his experience skydiving or taking a hot-air-balloon ride, you're too busy laughing to notice he's not like the others." (Vancouver Georgia Straight "For comic Ryan Hamilton, getting clean laughs just comes naturally") Growing up in Idaho and making his home in New York City he's far from his small-town roots, but the contrast suits him. He's currently headlining top comedy clubs across the country building a following of enthusiastic fans.