February 4, 2010

It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it Is real.

The multi-faith comedy team will be among the featured leaders opening the five day Religion Communication Congress April 7, 2010 at the Downtown Marriott Hotel in Chicago. By special arrangement public tickets for the opening banquet are available from the Congress. Please see the web site at: http://www.rccongress2010.org/speakers/multifaithcomedyteam.shtml.

The once a decade event has a history of drawing conventions of over 1,000 people who are professional communicators working for a wide range of faith, denominational and religion organizations.

Banquet ticket information for the public is available from Religion Communication Congress: Voice: 212-870-2985, Fax: 212-870-2171, info@rccongress2010.org.

Rabbi Bob Alper, the Rev. Susan Sparks and attorney Azhar Usman seek to encourage understanding of their faith traditions through humor.

Bob Alper

A Rabbi in Vermont: "The world's only practicing clergyman doing stand-up comedy... intentionally"

Bob's unique background – he's an ordained rabbi who served congregations for fourteen years and holds a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary – prepared him well for a twenty-year comedy career with wonderfully unique material presented in a way that's intelligent, sophisticated, and 100% clean.

Bob performs all across North America and England, at corporate events, theatres, non-profits, conventions, private parties, churches, and, naturally, synagogues. He has done over 100 shows with his Arab and Muslim comedy partners, at a variety of venues, primarily colleges and universities.

Bob's own 90-minute stand-up act is fast-paced, with impeccable timing and material that's definitely sharp yet gentle and unhurtful. He also offers an informative, hilarious event called "The Spirituality of Laughter."

The rabbi-comedian draws tremendous media attention, and, among others, has been seen on Good Morning America, Showtime, the BBC, CNN, and Extra, TV's top-rated entertainment program.

In addition to being a full-time stand-up comic and conducting annual High Holy Day services, Bob is the author of two books that further showcase his considerable talents: "Life Doesn't Get Any Better Than This," an inspirational collection now in its fifth printing, and the award-winning full-color cartoon book "A Rabbi Confesses." He's also produced two best-selling comedy CDs.

Susan Sparks

Susan Sparks is a Baptist minister and former lawyer in New York

Trained as a trial lawyer, then a stand up comedian, and finally as an ordained minister and preacher, Susan is a unique motivational speaker specializing in the healing power of humor.

Her unique message draws from a range of experiences. Susan has traveled from the Arctic Circle to the Cape of Good Hope, run a dog sled team, sung country music in Nashville, worked with Mother Teresa's mission in Calcutta, trained as both a wilderness guide and a fly fisher woman and ridden across the country on a Harley. She is also a recent cancer survivor.

Currently, the Senior Pastor of the historic Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York City (and the first woman in its 160 year history) Susan has been featured on such networks as ABC, PBS and CNN, as a regular guest with country music star Naomi Judd on "Naomi's New Morning" on Hallmark Channel, in the NY Times and USA Today, and in numerous comedy clubs, including Carolines Comedy Club in New York City.

Azhar Usman

Azhar is a Chicago-born Muslim attorney and comedian, of Indian origin. A former lecturer, community activist, and lawyer, he has been performing stand-up Muslim comedy since 2001 and is often referred to as the "Ayatollah of Comedy" and "Bin Laughin." He says that his sole goal, through comedy, is to promote better understanding of Islam and Muslims.

He is the co-founder of "Allah Made Me Funny – The Official Muslim Comedy Tour," and has performed in over a dozen countries on five continents.

Azhar and the Tour have been featured in over 100 major world media, including the following: ABC Nightline, CBS Sunday Morning, FOX News, Dayside Comedy Central, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olbermann, CNBC Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CBC The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, Al-Jazeera International Riz Khan Show, Al-Jazeera International Frost Over the World with Sir David Frost, NPR All Things Considered, and numerous print publications. He has shared the stage with many of his favorite comedians including Dave Chappelle, Jim Gaffigan, Russell Peters, Todd Barry, and the late Mitch Hedberg.

Azhar is presently producing a concert/documentary project entitled "Allah Made Me Funny – Live in Concert" which is a Kings-of-Comedy-style concert film. Additionally, he is star and creator of "Tinku's World," a semi-scripted alternative web comedy show, and he is also developing a humor book project.

His parents are originally from India. He graduated from Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois in 1993. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School.

"Bob took our entire audience through a hilarious performance. His show was comical, entertaining, and very very funny. Young and old, men and women, Bob left them wanting to hear more! It was a terrific night! Thank you for an awesome evening!" –Congregation B'nai Tikvah, North Brunswick, NJ in Bob Alper's Client Comments.

"Worshippers want to laugh, Sparks believes. Comedy club patrons want to think. Why not satisfy all the customers?" –Ken Garfield in Preacher Aims for the Funny Bone.

"Azhar, I saw your show for the first time in Allentown, PA. It was superb!! Hillarious!! And very clean. I loved it. Keep it up." –Deeba Anwar on The Wall at Azhar Usman's Facebook page.

Religion Communication Congress