Philadelphia, PA- 1812 Productions is pleased to present Comedy Conversation, a one-night-only special event featuring storytelling and a live reading with author and humorist R. Eric Thomas as well as a Q&A with Philadelphia storyteller Hillary Rea. Comedy Conversation will take place on Monday, May 11 at 8:00pm. The event will be streamed live on Crowdcast at the following link: www.crowdcast.io/e/1812-comedy-conversation. Comedy Conversation is a Pay What You Choose event. Questions about the livestream can be directed to 1812 Productions’ box office at www.1812productions.org or at 215-592-9560.

R. Eric Thomas is an award-winning playwright, storyteller, author, and the creator of Eric Reads the News, a daily humor column for ELLE Magazine. His first memoir, Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, which Lin-Manuel Miranda hailed as, “pop culture-obsessed, David Sedaris-level laugh-out-loud funny,” was released in February and has since been featured on recommended reading lists in The New York Times and Time Magazine, with profiles in O Magazine, NPR, The Washington Post, and many more. Eric has deep roots in Philadelphia’s arts community and joins us to talk about the emotional, intellectual, and creative work that goes into making comedy in an often harsh and unfunny world.

Following a live reading, Thomas will be joined by Philadelphia storyteller Hillary Rea. Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, an organization whose mission is to assist entrepreneurs, business leaders, and artists in finding their own narratives. A recipient of the 2019 Rad Award for storyteller of the year, she is also a producer of the much-lauded podcast Roshomon. Rea will lead a Q&A that will include viewer-submitted questions. Rea and Thomas have enjoyed a long friendship in addition to a working relationship. She remembers a favorite story, “Several years ago Eric and I were on a SEPTA Regional Rail train to perform at a storytelling event at Haverford College. We hadn't seen each other in a long time, and I was looking forward to the train ride catch-up. It was rush hour, we managed to squeeze into seats and started to gab away. When the announcement came on that we were in the quiet car, we didn't stop talking, we lowered our conversation to a whisper. But we weren't sly enough! The Septa conductor came up to us, yelled, and threatened to move us to a new train car. Comedy Conversation is the train car catch-up that never happened. Eric and I are older, our careers have grown, and our comedic perspectives all the wiser. I can't wait!”

Comedy Conversation was inspired by 1812 Productions’ long-running political satire This Is The Week That Is. This Is The Week That Is has become a signature 1812 show, combining sketch comedy, satire, and musical parody to highlight the news of the day and explore the truth behind the headlines. In 2019, This Is The Week That Is was the subject of an Emmy® Award-nominated documentary titled Conceiving Satire: The Making of This Is The Week That Is. Conceiving Satire followed the cast and creative team from their initial roundtable conversations through a fully realized production, exploring the show’s history and the role of theatre and comedy in American politics. Commissioned by American Theatre Wing, founder of The Tony Awards, the documentary is now part of The Wing’s permanent archive and is also available on 1812 Productions’ website.

Comedy Conversation will take place on Monday, May 11 at 8:00pm. The event will be streamed live on Crowdcast at the following link: www.crowdcast.io/e/1812-comedy-conversation. Comedy Conversation is a Pay What You Choose event. Questions about the livestream can be directed to 1812 Productions’ box office at www.1812productions.org or at 215-592-9560. Crowdcast is compatible with the following web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge.

Comedy Conversation welcomes its honorary producers Sharon and Jeff Weiss.

R. Eric Thomas: R. Eric Thomas is an author, playwright, and Senior Staff writer for ELLE.com where he has written “Eric Reads the News” a daily humor column covering pop culture and politics since 2016. His debut memoir, Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, which Lin-Manuel Miranda hailed as “pop culture-obsessed, David Sedaris-level laugh-out-loud funny”, was published by Ballantine Books in early 2020. Reclaiming Her Time, a biography of Rep. Maxine Waters Eric co-authored with Helena Andrews-Dyer, will be published by Dey Street Books in fall 2020. Eric is the winner of the 2016 Barrymore Award for Best New Play, the 2018 Dramatist Guild Lanford Wilson Award, and was a finalist for the 2017 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award. He is the recipient of a 2017/2018 National New Play Network Commission and has also been commissioned or produced by Arden Theatre Company, Simpatico Theatre, Azuka Theatre, Single Carrot Theatre, About Face Theatre, and more. Eric is also the long-running host of The Moth StorySlams in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and has been heard multiple times on The Moth Radio Hour. Website: rericthomas.com

Hillary Rea: Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a company that trains entrepreneurs, start-up leaders, and those looking to leave a bigger footprint on the world, how to find their voice and share their unique story with honesty and passion. She also produces and hosts Tell Me A Story's long-running live storytelling event. Hillary has worked with 1812 Productions behind the scenes (It's My Party: The Women and Comedy Project) and on stage (A Tribute to Joan Rivers). She is a NYC Moth StorySLAM winner, a 2016 Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts recipient, and received the 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the Year. In addition to running a business and telling stories on stage, Hillary has produced two seasons of Rashomon, a narrative storytelling podcast where one family shares every side of the same story. Rashomon was selected as one of 100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2018 + 2019 by Bello Collective and named one of the "Best Kept Secret" podcasts from Inside Podcasting. You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.