Laugh Boston to Debut New Comedy Series at Citi Performing Arts, 6/22

They'll be laughing in the aisles at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre, as comedy takes the stage! Presented by Laugh Boston in association with the Citi Performing Arts Center, a new comedy series will debut this summer, bringing national names to the venue.

The current schedule is listed below; more dates will be announced in the near future.

Legends of Boston Comedy - Saturday, June 22, 8 pm; tickets $28.75 - $48.75, now on sale.

Starring Boston comedy superstar Lenny Clarke, "The Godfather of Boston Comedy," Don Gavin, "The Undisputed King of Boston Comedy," Steve Sweeney and hometown favorite Tony V.

Nick Dipaolo - Saturday, September 14, 8 pm; tickets $33.25, now on sale.

The Onion Live! - Saturday, October 18, 8 pm; prices and sale date TBA.

Juston McKinney - Saturday, November 9, 8 pm; ticket prices and sale date TBA.

Laugh Boston is a partnership of John Tobin and Chet Harding and Norm Laviolette, (co-founders of Improv Asylum). The group will open a stand-alone Comedy Club, Laugh Boston, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in the Seaport District this summer.

Announcing the new series, Josiah Spaulding, Citi Center President and CEO said "the Citi Shubert Theatre is the perfect space for the series. It is intimate, comfortable, and has a large enough seating capacity at 1500 seats to accommodate these national level performers." We have been trying to expand our programming at the Shubert; why not comedy?! We just needed the right partners, and we have found that with John, Chet and Norm. We are excited about Laugh Boston's vision to presenting comedy in Boston."

"Boston has always been known as a great town for local and national stand-up comedy. With our Citi Center partnership at the beautiful and historic Shubert Theatre as well as our upcoming 300 seat theater in the Seaport District, Laugh Boston will be able to bring a variety of top comedy talent to the city which will revitalize the comedy scene and return Boston to its rightful place as the best comedy city in the world" stated Chet Harding.

Full details will be announced soon. For more information, visit www.citicenter.org or call (866) 348-9738.

Citi Performing Arts Center [formerly The Wang Center for the Performing Arts] is a nonprofit innovator and steward of iconic venues, providing arts, entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences to the greater community. Citi Performing Arts Center is one of the nation's foremost nonprofit performing arts institutions. As guardian of historic venues-the Wang, Shubert, and Emerson Colonial theatres-Citi Performing Arts Center honors all aspects of the arts. Through numerous community outreach educational efforts, collaborations, and partnerships, Citi Performing Arts Center strives to educate and inspire greater appreciation for creativity as an essential component to the fabric of our society. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization located in Boston's historical Theater District, Citi Performing Arts Center offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities through its education department; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations, and acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community. For further information, please go to citicenter.org.

Chet Harding: A co-founder, CEO and Executive Producer of Improv Asylum (as seen on HBO, ABC and profiled in Dewars' national advertising), Chet has years of general business experience as well. Prior to opening Improv Asylum, Chet worked at Leo Burnett Advertising and Polaroid. At Polaroid, he was their Director of North American Advertising and PR for four years, overseeing the company's national advertising, multi-million dollar media buying and planning, and PR. At Leo Burnett, he worked in New Business Development, as well as on the Kellogg's account, including product development for new cereals.

At Polaroid, Chet won a Marketing Excellence Award and worked on several Clio award-winning ads/campaigns. He has also been published in theHarvard Journal of Negotiation.

At Improv Asylum, Chet has combined his corporate and acting/directing backgrounds to establish a nationally- recognized training program that utilizes improvisational techniques to break down conventional corporate thinking and to introduce a new set of skills to drive individual and team success.

Norm Laviolette: As co-founder and President of Improv Asylum, Norm brings corporate as well as military experience toward the continued development and expansion of Improv Asylum's theatrical and business divisions. As an actor, writer and producer, Norm has written and produced several renowned television pilots and feature scripts. He was Executive Producer of the Emmy Nominated Improv Asylum's Vanity Project, as well as Executive Producer of Second City Boston, the hit musical "You're A Good Man, Scott Brown" and the cult classic "All The Single Ladies".

Prior to a career in comedy, Norm worked for a marketing firm out of New York City promoting various Microsoft product launches. He is a former member of the Massachusetts and Vermont Army National Guard and a graduate of the Massachusetts Military Academy's Officer Candidate School. Norm continues to lead Improv Asylum's strategic business and artistic vision locally, nationally and globally.

John Tobin: John Tobin brings both political and entertainment experience to the venture. John was elected District 6 representative to the Boston City Council in 2001, and was re-elected 4 times. He left the City Council and began working at Northeastern University in August 2010 as the first Vice President of City & Community Affairs. In addition, Tobin has worked in the Boston comedy scene since 1992 when he started as a doorman at a local Comedy Club. He has been a comedy booker for several years and produces comedy events throughout the city.

Today, Tobin owns Theatre DistrICT Productions, a live comedy Production Company that produces and operates shows at Nick's Comedy Stop in Boston and Cambridge.