With a name like Stand Up Is Dead, you gotta figure this is one coalition of comics that’s anti-hack humor, anti-paint-by-numbers punch lines, anti-any-tired-ass-routine-built-around-airlines, -cops-and-doughnuts, -or-Michael-Jackson. What you might not figure is, these rebel jokers are anti-hunger, too. Well, they are, and this week they mount their first anti-hunger banquet to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank. Each guest to this catered event will receive a dinner plate and some food, but there’s a catch: To illustrate the inequality in food distribution worldwide, attendees will be divided into upper, middle, and lower class groups, with the upper class getting gourmet meals, seating, wait service, and military protection, while the middle class gets less fancy fare and accommodations, and the lower class sits on the floor and lines up for rice with a little sauce. To make that hard lesson about hunger go down a little easier, the evening will include comedy from Stephanie Runte, Scott and Stacy, Chris Wagel, Dan Goodman, Steven Kendrick, and your headliner, fresh from the Left Coast, Mack Lindsay. The banquet is Saturday, Aug. 21, 8pm, at Ruta Maya International Headquarters, 3601 S. Congress Ste. D-200. Tickets are $15 or $10 with a donation of canned food. They can be purchased in advance at Ruta Maya coffee shop 707-9637 or by calling 472-8708. For more information, visit www.standupisdead.com.
This article appears in August 20 • 2004.