Laughter Unleashed

Friends with Benefits Improv and Last Call Cleveland team up for an evening of claws-out comedy to benefit Citizens Committee for a Lakewood Animal Shelter

CLEVELAND - Friends with Benefits, a local improvisational comedy troupe, has only one goal, to save the world faster than Oprah. And like everything else they do in improv, they plan on doing this with absolutely no forethought.

Founded in January of 2008, the group has produced 8 benefits giving over $3500 to various causes. When asked about the long road of benefits ahead of them required to surpass the Talk Show Queen, founders Kimberly Pride and Deena Nyer Mendlowitz have been quoted as saying, “We don’t have a book club or a magazine to worry about, so that’s two less distractions for us.”  

For their December 18, performance, Laughter Unleashed, FWB will be teaming up with the always hilarious Last Call Cleveland (The guys behind such classics as The Hastly Made Cleveland Tourism Video) and doing a show for Citizens Committee for a Lakewood Animal Shelter. CCLAS, (pronounced "claws") is the support group for the Lakewood Animal Shelter. Over twenty five years ago, Lakewood did not have a shelter, so the original “citizens” got together to petition the City of Lakewood to provide a place for the city's stray, abandoned and neglected animals, and raised the monies necessary to do this. 

So, not only can you come out and witness an awesome evening of improvisational and sketch comedy, but you can also make the world a better place. Hilarity ensues at 7:00 PM at Brothers Lounge at 11609 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood and costs only $10.

Friends with Benefits attempts to marry a love of improvisational comedy with sense of social responsibility.  Past shows have raised money for the Pilgrim Food Pantry, the Shaw High School Marching Band trip to Beijing , The Milestones Autism Organization, Donors Choose, Heifer International and Kiran’s Fund. The Majority of the cast studied together at Cleveland ’s Second City . In addition to Mendlowitz and Pride, the cast includes Nate Cockerill who both taught at Cleveland’s Second City Institute and performed on Cleveland’s Second City Main Stage, Mark McKenzie, Steve Briggs, Matt Rosfelder and Chris Waterman.

Last Call Cleveland is an award-winning sketch comedy group that has performed all over America, including the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, Toronto Sketch Fest, New York Sketch Fest, L.A. Comedy Festival, and D.C. Comedy Festival. The group is comprised of Aaron McBride, Mark McKenzie, Mike Polk, and Matt Zitelli

For more information or to reserve seats, please contact Brothers Lounge at (216) 226-2767 or email cclaspromo@yahoo.com

www.fwbIMPROV.com