JAMESTOWN – The Story Pirates, a group of professional comedians who base their show on stories written by children, brought their critically-acclaimed act to a cheering crowd of 3rd-4th graders at the Reg Lenna Civic Center on June 19th as a special sneak preview to their show Aug. 4th during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. The Lucy Desi Center for Comedy and the Arts Council teamed up to fund and provide this show for the Jamestown Public Schools at no cost, and opened it up to any other school who would be able to get its students transported.
The show, which featured stories written by kids from across the country, never had a dull moment. Whether it was the story about the girl who did exactly what her dog did or the story about flying cats, kids kept cheering.
As a special treat, The Story Pirates announced they will be accepting stories from local students and will premiere sketches written by local kids at their upcoming show at the Lucille Ball Comedy Fest on Aug. 4 at 11 a.m.. Their show is funny for all, but it’s especially great for children ages 4-12. All children can submit their own original stories to info@lucy-desi.com by July 1 for a chance to be featured at the show. Tickets are available at LucyComedyFest.com and at the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy by calling 716-484-0800.
The Story Pirates, who were recently featured with Conan O’Brien, are a critically-acclaimed arts and creative writing organization founded in 2003 to celebrate the words and ideas of young people, to promote literacy as a vital part of education, and to preserve the spark of youthful creativity. The non-profit group that has been featured on the Today Show has grown to reach hundreds of thousands of children in over 200 schools across the country.
About The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival
The 2012 festival August 1-5 features Billy Gardell of the CBS hit Mike & Molly and his own 2011 Comedy Central Special: Halftime, Paula Poundstone – named Top 100 Comedians of All Time by Comedy Central, Lucie Arnaz, The Story Pirates kids comedy, Live Lucy Radio Plays, Dinner Theater with The Ricardos & Mertzes, museum & town tours, Late Night Comedy in the Tropicana Room, “Party on the Plaza” Friday and Saturday featuring bands, vendors, drinks and the Lucy World Games of grape-stomping, conveyer-belt candy-wrapping, I Love Lucy Trivia, a costume contest, and much more. Tickets and information are available at www.LucyComedyFest.com.
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, or “Lucy Fest,” embodies Ball’s vision for her hometown legacy: a celebration of the comedic arts held annually on the weekend closest to her birth date, August 6th.
According to an economic impact study conducted by Buffalo firm Paradigm Economics, the 2011 five-day festival saw 13,000 in attendance and had a direct impact of $3.6 million on Chautauqua County.
The 2011 Lucy Fest featured more than ten comedians from NYC, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco and Los Angeles performing over five days, and made international news with the setting of a Guinness World Record for “Most People Dressed as Lucy Ricardo” with 916 on Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday.
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is the first pillar in a four-pillar Legacy of Laughter vision for the organization including a comedic arts education program, comedy film festival and the establishment of the first national comedy museum and hall of fame.
The mission of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is to preserve the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter through its commitment to the development of the comedic arts.
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