Grove Ballroom and Knock Out Marketing & PR present LAUGHTER in LWR! a stand-up comedy event, on August 28, 2021. The event will have two show times, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and features three nationally acclaimed comedians at each show: Happy Cole, Mariannette Torres, and Jeff Jena. The show’s emcee will be Sarasota’s own Jeffery Kin, artistic director and award-winning actor with The Players Centre for Performing Arts.

This spectacular event has received immediate community support through generous sponsors including Kirkey Roofing (celebrating 70 years), Cool Today, Nautical Gin, and Sirius Day Spas.

Grove’s Executive Chef and Director of Operations Greg Campbell elaborates, “At Grove, we enjoy partnering with local organizations to bring the people of Lakewood Ranch (and beyond) a variety of entertainment. We hope you’ll join us for this extraordinary event as we’re turning our ballroom space into a place to relax, laugh, and enjoy—as a community.”

Knock Out Marketing & PR Owner Katie O’Driscoll Smith shares, “After years of working with amazing comedians and talent such as Britney Spears, Cher, and Neil Diamond, it brings me great pleasure to create a comedy event for the people in my community. My husband and I are building a home in Waterside, LWR, where the new Players Centre for Performing Arts will reside. Raising funds for this important community facility is important to us. We also have a love in our hearts for animals, so The Humane Society Manatee County will also receive a portion of the proceeds. We all laugh in the same language, no matter our path in life. Let's connect, laugh, and raise some well-needed funds for two great community causes. Please join us!”

About the Talent

Jeffery Kin
Event emcee, award-winning actor, and artistic director at The Players Centre for Performing Arts

Our energetic and witty master of ceremonies is Sarasota’s own Jeffery Kin, an award-winning actor, director, playwright, and teacher. As an actor, Kin has performed such roles as Max in Lend Me a Tenor, Jerry in The Full Monty, Guido in Nine, Oscar in Sweet Charity, and Salieri in Amadeus. He has directed award-winning shows such as Big, A Chorus Line, Candide, Spitfire Grill, and A Country Christmas Carol. As a producer, Kin’s stagings of The Prodcuers, Titanic, and Tommy have won a wide variety of theater awards. As a playwright, three of his plays—Anna, Leona & the Lady Luck, Always a Part of Me, and Smoking—have won numerous awards and have been produced in venues around the country. Kin holds a BFA in Performance from Otterbein University and is the founder of etc…The Eclectic Theatre company, which produces Got a Minute?, a one-minute play festival that has raised over $100,000 for cancer research.

Happy Cole
Professional comedian and award-winning actor

Happy Cole began his stand-up career in Tampa. His high-energy delivery and fast-paced humor have long made him a favorite at comedy clubs, colleges, corporate events, and on cruise ships.

Cole got a big break when he was invited to perform at the Montreal International Comedy Festival “Just for Laughs.” His success at the festival drew the attention of all kinds of major figures in the entertainment industry, including the producers of “Black is…” an award-winning CBC documentary series. This led to appearances on such U.S. television shows at NBC’s Friday Night Lights and the nationally syndicated Showtime at the Apollo. It also led to an invitation to perform at the Murphy’s Cat Laugh Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland, hosted by Bill Murray.

Among Cole’s other television credits are the ACE Award–winning Caroline’s Comedy Hour, Comic Strip Live, Evening at the Improv, and Comedy on the Road. In addition to these and other stand-up programs, he has also accumulated TV credits as an actor, including a recurring role on Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All and Fox’s Sea Quest. Cole was also cast as the lead in two independent films, The Horizon Bleeds and Harmony’s Run. He has appeared at the HBO USCAF Comedy Festival and was nominated for the Best Stand-Up Award.

Mariannette Torres (La Puppet)
Comedian and producer

For over two decades, native Philadelphian Mariannette "La Puppet" brings the stage to life with her hilarious characters and animated storytelling about her upbringing, her family, and what she calls, "Marianalogies." A professional actress, poet, producer, promoter, and stand-up comedian, this Jill-of-all-trades has featured for some of comedy legends like Craig Shoemaker, Dom Irrera, and Paul Rodriguez. She also won the Talent Rock Comedy competition as well as the Florida Seminole Casinos' Comedian's Ball.

She found her love for comedy as an instructor for the world-famous Improv Comedy Traffic Schools. She was a semifinalist for the first Nick@Nite's search for America's Funniest Mom. Mariannette was also a top finalist twice for “Florida's Funniest Female." She is a Fort Myers resident and performs in a variety of comedy events on Florida’s southwest coast.

Jeff Jena
Professional comedian and award-winning actor

Jeff Jena is one of the top corporate and cruise comics working today. His decades of live performance experience and over 40 national television shows, as both an actor and a comic, give him the ability to work for any audience. His recent television appearances include Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen and The Bob and Tom Show on WGN cable. His newest work, "I'm Only Saying This Once," is available on major music download sites.

In his years as a stand-up comic, Jena has also appeared on The Dennis Miller Show, HBO, MTV, Evening at the Improv, NBC Friday Night, and The Showtime Comedy Club Network. As an actor, he has been seen on Murder, She Wrote and Hunter, has appeared in shows with Jenny McCarthy, Weird Al Yankovic, and has acted in several films including Raising the Dead with Allison Eastwood. Jena has played more than 1,000 venues including clubs, Las Vegas, and cruise ships. He has opened for acts as varied as Barry Manilow, Jeffrey Osborne, The Temptations, Delbert McClintock, and Engelbert Humperdinck.

Jena has also written jokes for a wide variety of comedians, including Ron White and Marty Allen. In addition, he has appeared at hundreds of corporate functions and golf outings.

About the Show

Ticket prices for LAUGHTER in LWR! range from $40 to $60, and the show style encompasses three hilarious comedians back-to-back, creating nonstop laughter. Cash bars will be available, as will service throughout the show by Grove’s finest staff. (Cash and credit cards accepted.) Doors open 45 minutes before each show time: we encourage you to come early and socialize with your friends! Grove is also offering a 10% off voucher with each ticket. Guests are welcome to enjoy dinner in the Grove restaurant (connected to the ballroom) before or after your show time. Reservations are recommended.

Guests will wind down the evening with a meet-and-greet with the comedians after each show. A portion of the event proceeds will be given to The Players Centre for Performing Arts and The Humane Society of Manatee County.

 Please join us for this evening of “LAUGHTER in LWR!™”

Event location

Grove Ballroom
10670 Boardwalk Loop
(941) 893-4321
Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
Call for dinner reservations.

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3975443132571956
Event Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/159494681887
Event Questions: [email protected]