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Event Program
THUR, JUN 11
FEATURING
Emmy Blotnick, Raanan Hershberg, Michael Cruz Kayne,
Kenice Mobley, James Mwaura, and Blythe Roberson
Hosted by Negin Farsad
Tag us on Instagram @symphonyspace to be featured in our Instagram stories!

Emmy Blotnick is a stand-up comedian and writer based in New York. Her writing credits include @midnight, The President Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Pause with Sam Jay, History of the World: Part II, In the Know, and The Roast of Kevin Hart. Blotnick has performed stand-up live at venues coast to coast, including the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival and the Comedy Cellar in New York, and on screen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and her half-hour special on Comedy Central. Blotnick has been featured as a panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, and served as producer and writer for the series English Teacher.
Emmy Blotnick is a stand-up comedian and writer based in New York. Her writing credits include @midnight, The President Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Pause with Sam Jay, History of the World: Part II, In the Know, and The Roast of Kevin Hart. Blotnick has performed stand-up live at venues coast to coast, including the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival and the Comedy Cellar in New York, and on screen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and her half-hour special on Comedy Central. Blotnick has been featured as a panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, and served as producer and writer for the series English Teacher.

Raanan Hershberg is a stand-up comedian whose screen credits include The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and After Midnight. His hour-long special Jokes from the Underground was included on the Best Comedy of 2022 list from The New York Times, and his most recent special, Morbidly Jewish, premiered on YouTube earlier this year. Hershberg is a regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City and performs live across the country.
Raanan Hershberg is a stand-up comedian whose screen credits include The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and After Midnight. His hour-long special Jokes from the Underground was included on the Best Comedy of 2022 list from The New York Times, and his most recent special, Morbidly Jewish, premiered on YouTube earlier this year. Hershberg is a regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City and performs live across the country.

Michael Cruz Kayne is an award-winning (Peabody, WGA) and award-losing (Emmy, Drama Desk, and many more) comedian, actor, and writer. Among his credits are Severance, High Maintenance, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert His one-man show, Sorry For Your Loss, was named among the Best of Audible and recommended by The New York Times. He is Filipino and Jewish and has a lovely family and eczema.
Michael Cruz Kayne is an award-winning (Peabody, WGA) and award-losing (Emmy, Drama Desk, and many more) comedian, actor, and writer. Among his credits are Severance, High Maintenance, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert His one-man show, Sorry For Your Loss, was named among the Best of Audible and recommended by The New York Times. He is Filipino and Jewish and has a lovely family and eczema.

Kenice Mobley made her late night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and appeared in Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival. As a writer, her credits include the BET Awards and the sketch comedy series By Us For Us. Mobley has hosted the podcasts Complexify for ViceNews, Love About Town, and Make Yourself Cry for Planet Scum. She regularly performs live on stage worldwide and on the air for SiriusXM, and her debut comedy album, Follow Up Question, was named one of Paste Magazine’s best comedy albums of 2022.
Kenice Mobley made her late night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and appeared in Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival. As a writer, her credits include the BET Awards and the sketch comedy series By Us For Us. Mobley has hosted the podcasts Complexify for ViceNews, Love About Town, and Make Yourself Cry for Planet Scum. She regularly performs live on stage worldwide and on the air for SiriusXM, and her debut comedy album, Follow Up Question, was named one of Paste Magazine’s best comedy albums of 2022.

James Mwaura is a stand-up comedian and writer. He was named a New Face in Comedy at the 2025 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, and has performed at San Francisco Sketchfest, Big Sky Comedy Festival, San Francisco Punchline, Cobb's Comedy Club, and Broadway Comedy Club, among other clubs and festivals from coast to coast. On screen, he has been featured on the LMAOF and Newcomers comedy showcases. Mwaura currently performs at the weekly Stuy Guys comedy show and other New York City venues.
James Mwaura is a stand-up comedian and writer. He was named a New Face in Comedy at the 2025 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, and has performed at San Francisco Sketchfest, Big Sky Comedy Festival, San Francisco Punchline, Cobb's Comedy Club, and Broadway Comedy Club, among other clubs and festivals from coast to coast. On screen, he has been featured on the LMAOF and Newcomers comedy showcases. Mwaura currently performs at the weekly Stuy Guys comedy show and other New York City venues.

Blythe Roberson is a comedy writer and author of America the Beautiful? and How to Date Men When You Hate Men. She has contributed to The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Onion, Kinfolk, Esquire, ClickHole, and VICE Magazine, among other publications, as well as NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Roberson has been featured on numerous radio shows and podcasts, including Everyone & Their Mom, The Scientists, Book Club, All of It with Alison Stewart, Seek Treatment, The Manwhore, and Twenty Sided Podcast.
Blythe Roberson is a comedy writer and author of America the Beautiful? and How to Date Men When You Hate Men. She has contributed to The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Onion, Kinfolk, Esquire, ClickHole, and VICE Magazine, among other publications, as well as NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Roberson has been featured on numerous radio shows and podcasts, including Everyone & Their Mom, The Scientists, Book Club, All of It with Alison Stewart, Seek Treatment, The Manwhore, and Twenty Sided Podcast.

Negin Farsad is the host of the podcast Fake the Nation and a regular panelist on Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! She is the director of the films Nerdcore Rising and The Muslims Are Coming!, and her romantic comedy, 3rd Street Blackout, is streaming on Peacock. She was selected as a TEDFellow for her work in social justice comedy and can be seen in Birdgirl, Not Okay, and Hillary Clinton’s Apple TV show, Gutsy. Farsad’s debut memoir, How to Make White People Laugh, was nominated for the Thurber Prize for Humor.
Negin Farsad is the host of the podcast Fake the Nation and a regular panelist on Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! She is the director of the films Nerdcore Rising and The Muslims Are Coming!, and her romantic comedy, 3rd Street Blackout, is streaming on Peacock. She was selected as a TEDFellow for her work in social justice comedy and can be seen in Birdgirl, Not Okay, and Hillary Clinton’s Apple TV show, Gutsy. Farsad’s debut memoir, How to Make White People Laugh, was nominated for the Thurber Prize for Humor.
Uptown Showdown is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Seedlings Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, Charles D. Fleischman Charitable Trust, Susan Bay Nimoy, The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of North America, PECO Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Google.org, Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation, The Grodzins Fund, and the Seedtime Fund.
Programming is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Symphony Space thanks our generous supporters, including our Board of Directors, Producers Circle, and members, who make our programs possible with their annual support.
Kathy Landau Executive Director
Peg Wreen Managing Director
Isaiah Sheffer*
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Artistic Director (1990-2010)
Founding Artistic Director (2010-2012)
Allan Miller
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Jennifer Brennan Director of Literary Programs
Drew Richardson Lead Producer of Literary Programs
Vivienne Woodward Senior Producer of Literary Programs
Mary Shimkin Director of Broadcast & Literary Initiatives
Matthew Love Consultant for Literary Programs
Magdalene Wrobleski Program Associate
Lili Raynaud Literary Intern
Gabriela Weaver Literary Intern
*in memoriam