Event Special Events Live! At The Library: Comedy Night

Date and Location

Part of Live at the Library

Tickets are available for this free event, but not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Click the "Get Tickets" link below for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.

Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.

How hard can you laugh in one night? Find out on October 17. Hear legendary comedians Maria Bamford and Gary Gulman discuss their books about childhood, mental illness and wanting to belong. Explore your inner comic, see comedic treasures from our collections, and wander the Thomas Jefferson building to discover its funniest nooks and crannies.

Programming Schedule:

  • 5 - 8:30 p.m.: Comedy Challenge, Library of Congress collections displays, happy hour food, drinks and more.
  • 6 - 7 p.m.: Maria Bamford and Gary Gulman in the Coolidge Auditorium.
  • 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.: The PUN-test in the Coolidge Auditorium.
  • 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Comedy Challenge: Caption This! All-Star Battle in LJ-119.

Your reservation gives you access to all Great Hall activities including concessions, Comedy Challenge and book sales.

About Author Events & Additional Happy Hour Activities

A Conversation with Maria Bamford and Gary Gulman

What’s funnier than a conversation with two legendary comedians who’ve both spent time in psychiatric hospitals? Nothing. The funny new memoirs by Maria Bamford (“Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult”) and Gary Gulman (“Misfit”) reveal the humor in their darkest moments. In “Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult,” Bamford takes us on a journey through showbiz, the 12-step-program, and other systems of belief. And Gulman takes us to his childhood home and memories, with 80s nostalgia and the love for his awkward childhood self in "Misfit." Join us for a conversation about comedy, mental health and the lives of stand-up comedians. 

Book signing to follow in the Whittall Pavilion. Author books will be for sale onsite. Register for this event.

Comedy Night: The PUN-test with DC Improv

The Library of Congress hosts a special DC Improv performance, featuring eight polished punsters who each will perform a short monologue. You be the judge of which punster gets you groaning the loudest! Register for this event.

Comedy Challenge: The Worst Ordeal of Your Life

There are many ways to laugh; our Comedy Challenge encourages you to experience at least a few of them. Throughout the Thomas Jefferson Building, there will be four stations — each with their own form of humor — that players can complete. Grab a game card, collect stamps by participating in four comedy challenges, and win a round of our caption contest to qualify for the Caption This! All-Star Battle (at 7:30 p.m. in LJ-119). 

 

Featuring

  • Maria Bamford

    Maria Bamford is revered for her deeply personal and experimental comedy about mental illness. She’s the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir "Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult" and is the star of four standup specials and the semi-autobiographical Netflix series "Lady Dynamite." Her late-night appearances include "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," "Late Night with Seth Meyers," "CONAN," "The Late Late Show with James Corden" and "The Tonight Show."

  • Gary Gulman

    Over 25 years in comedy, Gary Gulman has established himself as an eminent performer and peerless writer. Gary's first book, “Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s,” is a memoir based on his life from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Gulman has made four TV specials including his most recent universally acclaimed stand-up specials for Max, “Born On 3rd Base” and “The Great Depresh,” a tour-de-force look at mental illness.

  • DC Improv

    Founded in 1992, the DC Improv (dcimprov.com) is considered one of the nation's best comedy venues by both audiences and performers. Since 2003 the club has also operated a comedy school, which offers online and in-person classes.