Sept. 29 (Fri), 8 pm—Hilarious Comedy Returns to Levantine Center, at Café-Club Fais Do-Do, with "Middle East Comic Relief 7"

Back after our summer hiatus, this 7th edition of the popular Levantine Cultural Center series, "Sultans of Satire" features all new material!

This show will be followed a live concert by Knossos, and spinning from DJ Al Farid of Eggplant Productions (separate cover).

There's never a dull moment with the Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief, and the seventh edition of this series promises plenty of topical satire and savage humor about our post-9/11 world. These young comedians of Arab, Indian, Sephardic Moroccan and Iranian heritage spoof the "clash of civilizations" between "us" and "them"—between America/the West and the Arab/Muslim East. Aron Kader, Mike Batayeh, Noel Elgrably, Rasika Mathur, and Peter Shahriari—and for the first time Shari Vasseghi—challenge these binary notions, each with their own brand of provocative humor, on Friday, Sept. 29, 8 pm, in the Levantine Cultural Center series at Café-Club Fais Do-Do, 5257 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles 90016.

Read what audience members commented on Middle East Comic Relief 3, 4 , 5 and 6!

Join us for another evening of edgy humor, where these stalwarts are certain to lampoon sacred cows, take poetic license and otherwise eliminate common ennui. Open bar, Zagat-rated New Orleans/Cajun dinner menu, NEW theatre-style and dinner seating and valet parking. Cosponsored by Fais Do-Do and Namak Magazine.

Advance reservations are required. Tix are $18 general admission, $15 for members of Levantine Cultural Center and students. Purchase your tix online for the next show Sept. 29 by clicking below or calling 310.559.5544:

Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief always mixes it up with comedians of diverse North African and Middle Eastern heritage—and often includes South Asian stand-up comedians as well. These young Americans are of Armenian, Iranian, Palestinian and Israeli heritage—funny people who also work steadily as dramatic actors in film, television and theatre.

Artist bios:

Mike Batayeh is a native of Detroit who is of Jordanian descent. A working actor, comedian and writer, he has appeared on stage at such prominent comedy venues as The Comedy
Store, Laugh Factory, The Improv and the Ice house in Pasadena. Mike can be seen in the nation wide released DVD series "Latin Loco Fiesta" vol.8. As an actor Mike has appeared in several movies as well as guest starred on shows for all of the major networks, with noteworthy appearances on "JAG," "Everybody Loves Raymond", "The Shield" and currently he has a recurring role on Showtime's "Sleeper Cell." You can also catch him in "American Dreamz," starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Willem Dafoe and Mandy Moore. Mike recently shot a picture with "Monk" star Tony Shalhoub.

Newcomer Noel Elgrably has been a riot most of his young life, but recently began performing live on stage at The World Famous Comedy Store, in the Belly Room, and at the Comedy District in Culver City. He was featured in Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief 5. The son of a French-Moroccan father and Moroccan-Israeli mother, he has trained as a dramatic actor and was featured in the indie film "Clean" and the short "Gone Too Far". He's becoming something of a regular at the Comedy Store's Belly Room. Visit noelelgrably.com.

"The problem in the Middle East," says Aron Kader, "is that the Jews and the Arabs both think they're God's chosen people. They're in the desert! Maybe the people in Hawaii or Samoa are the chosen people—ever think of that?" Aron Kader would like to thank his Palestinian father and Mormon mother for giving him so many reasons to be a comedian. Raised in the Washington D.C. area Aron (or Haroun) moved away to Hollywood at nineteen years old to pursue comedy and acting. Aron spent a year in the legendary sketch theatre "The Groundlings" Sunday company, and now performs regularly in Hollywood at his home club, The Comedy Store. He has been featured in the The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek magazine, and many other national publications. He was a stand out at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and received stellar reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year. Lately he has been on the "Axis of Evil" comedy tour, with Ahmed Ahmed and Maz Jobrani. Visit aronkader.com.

Rasika Mathur has been doing stand-up since she tragically sliced her hand performing MacBeth's "Is This a Dagger I See Before Me?" scene as a high school senior. As a bored Indian child in Texas, she grew up armed with a video camera (making parody music videos on her own channel, RMTV) and a knack for spinning the daily news (today she pens The Rasikammentator: How the West Was Lost). After college (Hook ‘Em) Rasika spent time in both Chicago, and LA, where she studied improv (The Second City, Improv Olympic West, The Groundlings) and performed sketch comedy with various groups including Stir-Friday Night!, Prime Co. and Steve Harwood & Friends. She currently performs in a two person improv show called Reading, Robin & Rasika. Her television appearances include The Andy Dick Show, Comedy Central's Laughs-4-Life Telethon (w/ Steve Carrell), Stacked, Wild 'N Out and Freeride.

Peter Shahriari, aka Peter the Persian, is a Los Angeles native. He is moderately ethnic and specializes in voices and character humor. Not afraid of big crowds, he's let it all hang out in front of at least 10,000 people. He is one of the few stand-up comedians who is also a practicing attorney by day. Peter has been so popular in the Sultans of Satire series that whenever we give him a month, the complaints overwhelm the Levantine switchboard: "Why isn't Peter in the next show!!!" Visit peterthepersian.com.

Shari Vasseghi makes her first appearance with Levantine Center in Sultans of Satire 7, but she's no neophyte when it comes to entertaining. But let's start with her story: In 1978 Shari left Iran for the States. America and Iran were never the same after that again. Growing up hating the name she was born with, she constantly pestered her father to call her "Fantastic", to which he replied, "you are 'Fantastic' at home, but outside you are Sharareh." After finishing college, and working a lot of $5 hr. jobs illegally, Shari did not land a job in her field of expertise as an engineer because she was neither a U.S. Citizen or Legal Alien. Having been saved from being a stuffy engineer for the rest of her life and being taken care of financially, in a rebellious act, Sharareh changed her name to Shari and moved to New York to study acting at the infamous Lee Strasberg Studio. After moving to Los Angeles in the mid 90's, Shari finally found her knack and it was comedy. Shari has entertained the USO troops in Japan as well performed with comic legends such as Jimmy Brogan and Willy Barcena. She has appeared at the famous Ice House In Pasadena, the famous Laugh Factory and the famous Hollywood Improv on Melrose. And more importantly, Shari mingles and exchanges funny words with people like George Lopez and Dane Cook on MySpace.

LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER
Cultures of the Middle East & Mediterranean
8424A Santa Monica Blvd., N. 789
West Hollywood CA 90069
310.559.5544, info@levantinecenter.org

Levantine Center advocates for, educates about, and in general promotes and supports Middle Eastern and Mediterranean contemporary arts and traditional cultures. We present or cosponsor programs of music, literature, art, film/video, publications, new media and more, often from educational and historical perspectives. While acknowledging the value of entertainment, we emphasize scholarship and substance. We are strongly multidisciplinary and non-sectarian, do not embrace any political or religious doctrine, and are committed to the principle of cross-cultural cooperation. We support the strengthening of ties between all cultural, ethnic and religious communities of the Middle East/West Asia/Levant, as well as between all peoples of Middle Eastern descent in diaspora.

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