Award Winning Comedian Don Barnhart Returns Home To Sacramento And Will Appear At Laughs Unlimited April 9-11, 2009
Nationally acclaimed award winning comedian Don Barnhart is fast becoming one of the next big comedy stars and makes his way back to his hometown of Sacramento to perform at Laughs Unlimited April 9-11, 2009
Award winning nationally acclaimed comedian Don Barnhart makes a special appearance at Laughs Unlimited in Sacramento April 9-11, 2009. Barnhart grew up in Sacramento until he headed south to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of stardom. And dreams do come true as Barnhart is fast becoming a regular household comedy name and was just nominated by fans as the 2009 Best Comedian in Las Vegas.
Laughs Unlimited is located at 1207 Front St in Old Sacramento, CA. Showtimes are 8:00pm Thursday and 8 & 10:30pm on Friday-Saturday. Reservations are suggested by calling 916-446-8128.
Barnharts comedy name is truly taking off as past winners of the Best Comedian of Las Vegas include George Carlin, Rita Rudner, Carrot Top, George Wallace and Louie Anderson. Im just thrilled to have my name associated with such comedy greats and legends as Im still a huge fan of them all and try to see their shows when Im not performing my own. said Barnhart from a recent phone interview where he was on tour headlining for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
When Barnhart lived in Sacramento, he used to play ice hockey. At that time we were so poor, I couldnt even afford a cup so my mom shoved a Tupper Ware bowel down my pants and it worked. I got hit there once and it burped, joked Barnhart.
Besides his numerous Vegas shows, Barnhart continues to tour worldwide headlining the top comedy clubs across the country like the Improv as well as entertaining the troops for Comics On Duty with plans to go back to Iraq and Afghanistan later in the year. When asked why? Don replied, Ive been fortunate to make a comfortable living doing what I love and its just one way to put something back. We all have an obligation to support our troops and this is my way by going over there to do shows and let them know we care.
Barnhart had just returned from having is new comedy series, The Freedom of Speech Comedy Show from being selected for the Comedy Festival in Montreal when he was the Featured Comedian on MySpace. Don acknowledges that the internet exposure is a career booster, "The power of the internet is absolutely insane. It's amazing how many people watched my video clips and added me as a friend and now want to come see me live". You can see video clips of Barnhart and links to his new show at his website: www.donbarnhart.com
Barnhart combines physical characterizations with well written clever material that makes audiences of all ages howl with laughter and then keep coming back for more. You have to watch and listen at the same time or you'll miss half the show. Don literally has to stop and give the audience a break several times during his show to let the audience catch their breath. At a recent show one lady laughed so hard, her water broke and she had to leave the show to go deliver her baby. CNN.com picked up the story as, Some Comedians Kill Where Barnhart Delivers Both On And Off The Stage.
Barnhart was also named, One of the Top Comedians to See three years in a row by Entertainment Business Weekly. In addition to stand-up, Barnhart recently completed production on the independent thriller, China Dolls a film he wrote, directed and stars in. Don is also a contributing author on the book, I Killed: True Stories of the Road from Americas Top Comics, which The New York Times called "hilarious and mentioned Barnhart by name. Don currently resides in Las Vegas and is both producer and host for the syndicated television series, The Freedom of Speech Comedy Show.
Barnhart won the 2007 Grand Prize on the short lived, American Idol Underground's Comedy Contest and was named, Best Emerging Artist. Don came up with the concept for The Freedom of Speech Comedy Show while entertaining U.S. troops overseas. He explains, "We were censored by the government while entertaining the men and women putting their lives on the line to make the world a safer place. The concept of the Freedom of Speech Comedy Show is no contests, gimmicks or censorship; just the top touring comedians performing in front of real comedy club audiences doing what they do best.
Don and his producing wife Linda Vu are currently in pre-production on the feature film, "Freeloader" which Barnhart wrote and will star in. They plan to shoot later this year in Las Vegas with Barnhart's father directing. Don Barnhart Sr. was the director several hit television shows including, "Saved By The Bell" and "Mork & Mindy".
Freeloader is the story of a returning Veteran that finds out his wife is cheating on him and by selling off their house and belongings leaves him alone and homeless. Setting out to find himself, he ends up on the streets in Las Vegas and uses his wit and humor to find his way back to reality.
This is will be the second feature film written and starring Barnhart. The story deals with the ongoing homeless problem and tanking economy and what the Vets are facing when they come home and the main character becomes the Robin Hood of the homeless, added Barnhart. I really like using comedy to deal with current affairs and hard to face issues and I try to do that in my stand up show as well.
My dad was in between projects when he read the script and I got the call. Barnhart Sr said, This is a great script that you shouldnt let go. Do it yourself and you could be the next Will Farrell or Jim Carrey.
Freeloader will be produced under the Don Barnhart Entertainment production company and is truly a family run business with producer and wife of Barnhart Jr, Linda Vu who produced and starred in China Dolls and is the author of Fit, Feminine & Fabulous along with Skip Burrows whose recent credits include Con Air, The Mexican, 12 Monkeys and 3000 Miles To Graceland.
Don Barnhart can also be heard as a regular guest on The Bob & Tom Show, XM and Sirius Satellite and he is also an alumni of the prestigious Second City Conservatory Program in Los Angeles. Barnharts first film, China Dolls was a self-funded independent film that deals with the issue of human trafficking and is getting great audience reviews and earning the company money. Don added, This was an ultra low-budget project that we shot ourselves and put it up on the Internet and self distributed. With the power and support of the online community, weve already made our money back thru downloads and DVD sales. The website for China Dolls is: www.ChinaDollsMovie.com
With the success of our first project, it was really a no-brainer to produce Freeloader ourselves and take on another film, said Vu. Don had always wanted to do a project with his father and combining their two talents together is going to be a great experience as they both live and breath comedy. If we can capture on film what they do so naturally, its sure to be a hit.
For interviews please contact Don directly at:
Don Barnhart
702-449-1763
barnhartjr@embarqmail.com
www.donbarnhart.com
www.chinadollsmovie.com
www.thechucklehut.com
