The Ladies of Laughter started out as an annual videotape comedy competition in New York to honor a fellow woman in comedy who helped women get their start. Since its inaugural year when the contest went live in a YWCA in New Jersey, The Ladies of Laughter contest has visited national historic theaters and legendary venues, including Caesars and Madison Square Garden. Past participants include Amy Schumer, Tammy Pescatelli, and Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory), and it has steadily become know in the comedy world as a career builder for women in comedy.
The current national tour of The Ladies of Laughter includes Jocelyn Chia, Karen Rontowski, and Liz Glazer.
Jocelyn Chia is a New York-based stand up comedian who won the 2015 Ladies of Laughter "Newcomer" Award. Originally from Singapore, she brings her perspective of having lived much of her life in Asia to her experiences in the United States. A lawyer-turned-comedian, Jocelyn is the winner of the Gotham Comedy Club's Funniest Lawyer competition, has been a guest comedian on the Howard Stern Channel on Sirius XM, and is a two-time winner of the Moth Storyslams.
Karen Rontowski's fast-paced, quirky, and charmingly optimistic comedy incorporates her unique experience as a paranormal investigator, tarot card reader, and reiki master. She has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Comics Unleashed, Live at Gotham Comedy Center, and Mysteries of the Unexplained. She is a regular on the Bob and Tom Radio Show and also hosts a web series and podcast called Paranormal Karen.
Liz Glazer is an award-winning standup comedian, actor, and writer. She won first place in the Boston Comedy Festival and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and has opened for Myq Kaplan and Maria Bamford. Liz was also a part of the Seattle International Comedy Competition and will be a part of HBO's upcoming Women in Comedy Festival. As an actor, Liz has appeared on ABC's For Life and CBS's Bull, and is on the faculty at Lesly Kahn & Co., the Los Angeles acting studio.