We're a NYC based nonprofit that wants to enrich NY lives through free comedy experiences in public spaces and deepen an appreciation of stand up as a unique NY cultural asset. We strive to provide laughter free to New Yorkers on a consistent basis by producing comedy shows and events throughout the City's public venues - from its parks and piers to its streets and subways. Because when we laugh t
ogether we forget about our problems, forget about our differences and just laugh until we cry. Sometimes everyone sings Kumbaya after the shows. It's true…. Well maybe not so true. When you attend a show, you'll see New Yorkers of every race, socioeconomic level, gender and age all in one place laughing. Bums and bankers; straight and gay; male, female, black and white are at our shows. Families and lots of singles, too. And being single ourselves we especially like that strangers come up to hug and thank us for the experience
Cool! How do you make people laugh? We tell jokes. Could you be more specific? We arrange for very funny people to hold a microphone and tell jokes. Most of our performers have headlined at comedy clubs, appeared on TV and/or written for network shows, but we also like to nurture new talent. So there are always some less seasoned (but also funny) comics thrown into the mix. We mostly make people laugh in the summers with our Laughter in the Park series. We would eventually like to make people laugh all year long, but…this is all the money we have for now. What is Laughter in the Park? Every summer we can all hang out in the parks together and laugh. Laughter in the Park is our signature event. It's a free summer comedy series. We creatively opted to name it Laughter in the Park because the shows are in the parks of NYC. We are creative and crazy like that. If we did shows on street corners, for example, we might name that series, "Laughter on Corners." The founder actually started her comedy career performing in the subways of NYC - she's called the Subwaycomic - but moved the show to the parks because picnics sucked in the subway. We've produced over 50 free shows in 12 parks / greenspaces since we began in 2007. That's right. Free. But how is that possible? Shows use equipment, there are parks permits, printing flyers, and even a humble website like yours surely costs something to maintain. NYLaughs is a 501(c)3 charity. That means, people can give us money for art and it is tax deductible. And money is one thing we don't joke about. If you give us money, we won't laugh. We might cry, hug you and never let you go - especially if you're single. We are also able to receive grants and other public funding, because the parks department and the city recognize that it is important for people to have fun sometimes. It's their way of making up for all those parking tickets. But in the park, aren't there a lot of bums? We're comics. We're bums, too. Don't hate on bums. Sometimes, bums drop by the shows. As long as they laugh, enjoy it, and bring their friends to the next show, we love them. That sounds great! Is this the first season? Thank you for asking. No. We've had several years of Laughter in the Park. We began in 2007. Each summer since, the series has gotten bigger, better and funnier. More people laugh every year. Why standup comedy? Did you ever consider focusing on depression? We did think about that, but it seems like people are already pretty depressed. So, we just had to opt for bringing joy and happiness to people's days. It turns out that laughing is great for your health. It's fun, brings New Yorkers together, helps the comically deprived and thanks to NYLaughs and Laughter in the Park…outdoor comedy is free every summer! Sign up! We want to see you laughing now.
