Here’s how to get tickets. Comedian Tom Shillue’s Funny Story comedy show has become a mainstay of our monthly schedule here at the Brewery. The premise is simple: Tom and guests tell their best true stories, you drink Brooklyn beer and enjoy the show. We also brought in the folks from Brooklyn Based to help Tom pick out the lineup, and it looks incredible. We’ve been so thrilled with the shows we’ve had so far (check out that quote from BVP on the poster: these stories are important), and we can’t wait for the February edition to begin. Tom’s guests this month include DC Benny, Jason Fried, Jonathan Schnapp and Mara Wilson, and are sure to tickle your funny bone. $10 gets you a seat and a free beer. The show starts at 8pm on Thursday, February 21, and we advise you begin stretching your faces and bellies now so you don’t strain anything once the laughter starts.

COMEDIAN TOM SHILLUE TO RELEASE 12 ALBUMS IN 12 MONTHS

Comedian TOM SHILLUE is set to release a live comedy album titled TOM SHILLUE: BETTER STRONGER FASTER on November 6. And then he’s going to release another in December, and then another in January- in all, 12 albums in 12 months. Tom’s ambitious “12 in 12″ project will feature a new comedy album with a different theme every month for an entire year. The digital releases will be available via BSeen Media on iTunes Amazon.com and on http://tomshillue.com/

A former correspondent on The Daily Show, Tom Shillue has appeared in his own Comedy Central Special, on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, a recurring role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, and in the feature film Mystery Team.
Tom is also a regular guest on FoxNews program RedEye with Greg Gutfeld.

Tom’s wildly successful storytelling show “Funny Story” is a monthly highlight in NYC where guests have included Jon Glaser, Gavin McInnes, Bobby Tisdale, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Lisa Delarios and more. A regular tourmate with Jim Gaffigan, The New York Times has called Shillue “Inspired,” the New York Post said, simply, “Brilliant,” while BrooklynVegan hails Shillue is “One of the best there is.” Backstage named Tom the Top New York Comic, saying “There isn’t anything Shillue can’t do.” Tom also holds two ECNY Awards: Best Storyteller and Best Solo Show.

“Tom Shillue is brilliant comic and his material appeals to a wide audience – that’s why I’ve had him open for me on so many of my national tour dates. I can’t wait to hear all 12 of these albums.” -Jim Gaffigan

http://tomshillue.com/

——————————————-
Press inquiries to Sheila Kenny at Right On! PR

sheila@rightonpr.com o. 512-487-5005 c. 917-847-9977

more:

http://ymlp.com/zFbYkd

I was hired to MC the ISES Big Apple Awards, a gala event to honor event professionals.

“This is going to be a good gig,” I thought to myself as I walked into the Times Center. There were flutes of champagne and nice hors d’oeuvres so we were off to a good start. As I entered, I walked under a tunnel of colorful stretched fabric arches. “Very cool,” I thought. It reminded me of something. “Those pink girls…”

For a moment my mind flashed back to high school. I was sitting on the floor of a loft in Fort Point Channel in Boston. It was my senior year and I had been spending most of my time in the high school art room avoiding issues of college and planning my future. Norwood High School had a great art program and an inspiring teacher named Jackie Munroe who provided a refuge for a lot of weird, funky, directionless high school kids. Her class was far from a hang-out though. She worked our tails off in a college level studio art environment. One of the things she did that year was invite an “Artist-in-Residence” to Norwood to expose us to a professional artist. He was a fine art painter who always smelled like turpentine and dished out cynical advice to us impressionable students. We liked him. Every so often he would pile a small group of us into his Saab wagon and take us to his workspace in Boston. One day he announced he had a special trip planned. “This ones for you, Tom.” he said. What did he mean, for me? “You’ll see.”

The Artist had taken an interest in me because I was always using my time in the art room to put on little shows. I liked to explain what my work meant even more than I liked creating it. Every critique session was an opportunity for me to get some laughs and perform a running monologue about life. The artist thought I was a closet performer, and wondered whether I had aspirations in that field. I hadn’t really thought about it. There was no theater program at Norwood High, and the only opportunity for creative expression seemed to be Mrs. Munroe’s art room, so that’s where I went.

He drove us into Fort Point Channel in Boston. Very warehousy. Cobblestones. Artist lofts. We took a freight elevator up to a loft space that was crowded with fabric and 3-D sculptures. We sat on the floor and the show began. Lights, music, and two young women “puppeteers” brought these fabric sculptures to life. They sprung up from the floor and danced to the music. They looked like animals, or industrial machines, or insects. The show was avant garde and weird and absolutely thrilling. It was art and performance together. It opened up a world of possibilities in my mind. “You could do this,” I thought. You could combine different media to tell your own story. There weren’t these separate rigid disciplines of visual art, music, theater- you could mix and match them and do your own thing. Forge your own path.

That’s why The Artist had said “This trip is for you.” He’d watched me holding court in the art room and saw that I got more of a charge out of my little in-class performances than out of toiling away in the corner, where most of the art students were most comfortable. He saw something in me and wanted to expose me to something inspiring. How cool is that? These are the little moments that shape our future. Where is The Artist now? I want to track him down and tell him.

This little flashback of mine lasted only as long as it took to walk the length of the fabric archway on the way to the auditorium in The Times Center. Now I had a show to do. I had to MC and perform stand-up in front of hundreds of event professionals. These are the kind of people who hire me. Better step it up. Focus.

The show went well. Unlike a lot of corporate shows, these guys actually laughed. They enjoyed themselves. I even stuck around after the show to do a little networking and have some champagne. I briefly met the new president of ISES NYC, and posed for some photographs, shook some hands. Good gig.

I hopped in a cab and on the way home I checked my twitter and Facebook feed. “@tomshillue great job hosting tonights event!” Well, all right. Who paid me the compliment? The new president. Her twitter handle? @pinkDeb. pinkDeb? Wait a minute. Weird hunch. This couldn’t be. I open her profile. Website: PinkInc.com. Pink Inc! That was the name of those girls in the loft. I check the website- click, click. About Us: Yep, that was them. PinkInc was the duo that we saw in the loft in Boston in 1984. What a coincidence. I thought about the squiggly artistic paths of me and pinkDeb from 1984 to the present and how they finally crossed again under those fabric arches. I did a quick check and confirmed another hunch- PinkDeb had designed the arches.

I love the instant gratification of new media! You think tools like twitter are not useful? @PinkDeb. Wow. Now, what was the name of that Artist-in-Residence?

I was watching an episode of 30 Rock and was shocked and amazed to see fellow comedian Danny McDermott’s million dollar idea on the small screen.

The tale of Larry Leap Year

His “Larry Leap Year” screenplay was being played out on a sitcom. Did they steal his idea? Was it someone on the inside who knew Danny?
Hear the amazing story, featuring Danny and Judah Friedlander.

Recorded in a little known country called Canada

Here’s a list of the shows I’m on:

Aug 09
North Charleston PAC
Charleston, SC

Aug 10
Johnny Mercer Theater
Savannah, GA

Aug 11
Florida Theater
Jacksonville, FL

Aug 12
The Peabody
Daytona Beach, FL

Aug 13
Marina Civic Center
Panama City, FL

Aug 14
Orpheum Theater
Memphis, TN

Aug 15
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Nashville, TN

Aug 16
Asheville Civic Center
Asheville, NC

Aug 17
Taft Theatre
Cincinnati, OH

Aug 18
Benedum Theater
Pittsburgh, PA

tonight at Brooklyn Brewery!

I sat down with Matty Blake at Star Trax New York. He is a fellow comic, fellow Massachusetts guy, fellow actor. Sometimes after auditions we get together and talk about auditions, comedy, show business. This podcast was an awful lot like one of those coffee conversations. If you are a performer you should subscribe to this podcast.

The Actors Grind Podcast

Forgot to post this when it came out. I joined stream-of-consciousness genius Dave Hill for a chat at his home in the West Village. I don’t know what happened. We just talked. I lived through this but don’t know what was said. Dave is the author of “Tasteful Nudes” which you should read. And subscribe to his podcast while you are there.

The Dave Hill Podcasting Incident