Latest news with #TheHemmens
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Comedian Michael Palascak making his ‘larger' stage debut in Elgin
Comedian Michael Palascak is returning to his Midwest roots. The former Illinois resident will perform a night of standup comedy at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. 'It's one of the first larger-venue shows of my life,' he said. 'It's exciting.' That won't change his act, however. 'It's a big goal to do a theater like The Hemmens,' he said. 'I grew up in the Midwest. My dad started working in Joliet when I was in high school so we moved up here. So it's almost like a nice little homecoming experience. It's a little more special, I guess.' After college, he lived with his parents in the south suburbs while doing standup in Chicago until he moved to Los Angeles. Palascak has been able to parlay his standup experience into appearances on shows like 'The Late Late Show with James Corden,' 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,' 'The Late Show with David Letterman,' 'Conan,' 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' and 'A Little Late with Lilly Singh.' He also finished in the top five on NBC's 'Last Comic Standing.' 'Those shows are very special because you're doing four to six minutes of material and you're in someone's living room,' he said. 'And before social media, that was the only way you could get into someone's living room. 'It's kind of like graduating high school or college. People get very excited for you and you get a lot of messages. Sometimes my parents will come to the taping and we'll go out to eat afterwards. I think that's my favorite part of those things — being able to spend more time with family in a happy, positive environment.' He's steadily been releasing specials and videos on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok in addition to touring. 'I recorded a special last year in the town that I lived in as a child – Wabash, Indiana – and that came out in November,' he said. It's called 'He's Friendly' and the full special can be found on his YouTube channel. Palascak is clean comedian and takes his material from his everyday life, including his life as a father to a 6-year-old son. 'It's still stuff about being a dad, but now it's about being the dad of a 4-, 5- and 6-year-old versus a younger toddler,' he said. 'I travel a lot, so that gets in there. My parents are (newly) retired and there are those situations interacting with people who can suddenly give you their full attention, whether you want it or not.' He was raised in a Catholic upbringing — it wasn't until he was an older teenager that he heard his father swear — so his exposure to comedians growing up was selective. 'Seinfeld was the only comedian who was available at that time who didn't really swear a lot,' he said. 'He was the only (comedian) I ever really knew of until I became a comedian and I fell in love with the people I fell in love with as an adult.' Another thing from his childhood that influenced his current standup is that he and his family moved around a bit, he said. It's why he stays away from making jokes at his audience members' expense. 'I don't enjoy crowd work at all. When you're a new kid you get made fun of, so comedy became a way to be the person controlling (that) rather than being the victim,' he said. 'I know most of the time it's fun and everyone loves it, but there might be a time when someone's feelings get hurt and what's the point of doing that to someone who's bought a ticket? That's never appealed to me.' He was never a member of Second City, although he did take some classes there when he first moved to Chicago. 'I did some really fun student shows and then some of my friends got onto the stages,' he said. 'I would come by and do standup sometimes during the free improv sets and that became very special to do that. They would do their show and then afterwards they would do a free improv set.' In addition to touring, he hosts a podcast called 'I Just Got My Kid to Sleep.' He's currently touring through the end of the year, with 90 shows in more than 40 cities. Of course, the big event on his dance card is the date at The Hemmens. 'It's a very traditional standup show,' he said. 'My friend, Jim Flannigan, is going to open the show and he's from the area. He's very funny. Then I'm going to do my set and it will be clean, funny and we'll all have a great time.'
Chicago Tribune
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: U-46 TalentFest 2025 takes stage at Hemmens on March 19; Gail Borden library foundation's book sale next week
U-46 TalentFest 2025 takes stage at Hemmens on March 19 School District U-46 will host TalentFest 2025 from 7 to 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Students from Bartlett, Elgin, Larkin, South Elgin and Streamwood high schools will compete for cash prizes and a traveling trophy to be displayed at the winning school, according to a post on the city of Elgin website. Audience members will vote on which performers make it to the finals and a panel of judges will choose first-, second- and third-place acts. The event is sponsored by The Hemmens, the U-46 Educational Foundation and the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission. Admission is $5. For tickets and more information, call 847-931-5900. Gail Borden library foundation's book sale next week Gail Borden Public Library Foundation's spring book sale will be held March 18-23 in the Meadows Community Rooms and the lobby of the main library branch at 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin. A preview night will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. A $10 admission fee gives customers first access to sale items. Admission is free for the rest of the event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 21-22; and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 23. Books, CDS, DVDs and other items will be sold, with most priced at $1 or $2. Proceeds help support library programs and events. For more information, go to 'Guys and Dolls Jr.' being presented at Rakow Center The Dundee Township Park District Children's Theater will present 'Guys and Dolls Jr.' at 7 p.m. Friday, March 22, and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at the Rakow Center, 665 Barrington Ave., Carpentersville. The youth version of the Tony Award-winning musical follows gambler Nathan Detroit and his group of gambling buddies as he seeks cash for a big dice game while avoiding authorities, according to the park district's website. Detroit's girlfriend, Adelaide, who works for the Salvation Army and is frustrated by their 14-year engagement without marriage. Tickets are $10 and are on sale at the Rakow Center front desk. For more information, call 847-428-7131. Sheriff, Carpentersville PD stepping up St. Patrick's patrols The Kane County Sheriff's Office and Carpentersville Police Department are among the police agencies teaming up with the Illinois State Police for a St. Patrick's Day weekend law enforcement campaign. From Friday through Monday, March 14-17, there will be increased enforcement of alcohol- and cannabis driving laws as well as seat belt enforcement, according to news releases. Speeding, distracted driving and traffic laws will be strictly enforced, the releases said. St. Patrick's Day enforcement campaigns are funded with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant money administered by Illinois Department of Transportation.
