Come to my Wikipedia-themed comedy show and learn the answers to all your questions! What have been the most unruly audiences at classical music concerts? When was ciabatta invented? (1982, as a rival for French baguettes). Why is there anything at all? (no clear answer).
Tickets start at $25 plus fees. If you're an active Wikipedia editor, send me an email and I'll do my best to give you free tickets: anrauwerda@gmail.com.
February 12 - Seattle (The Neptune)
February 13 - San Francisco (August Hall)
February 22 - New York (6pm) postponed to April 19 due to blizzard!
February 22 - New York (9pm) postponed to April 19 due to blizzard!
February 26 - Chicago (The Vic)
March 5 - Philadelphia (Rio Theatre)
March 6 - Washington, D.C. (Howard Theatre)
March 12 - Boston (The Wilbur)
March 20 - Portland, OR (Revolution Hall)
March 22 - Vancouver (Rio Theatre)
March 28 - Toronto (Randolph College for the Performing Arts)
April 4 - Montreal (Le National)
April 19 - New York (6pm) (Gramercy Theatre)
April 19 - New York (9pm) (Gramercy Theatre)
May 9 - Los Angeles (Hollywood Forever)
One time the New Yorker said I "went onstage and opened with the Sumerian dog joke; it killed"! Pittsburgh Magazine called it "quite possibly the best PowerPoint I've ever seen" and a review in the San Francisco Chronicle this year said, "just like on social media, her commentary zinged."
I love bringing interesting and unusual locals on stage! Email me if you have ideas for future guests. Or quirky recommendations, or any other city-specific lore.
The Paul O’Sullivan Band, a pop-rock band whose four members are all named Paul O'Sullivan
A survivor of the Dave Matthews Band bus incident
The real-life Scumbag Steve
An Indiana University math professor named Jim Davis who collects hate mail meant for the other, Garfield cartoonist Jim Davis
The judge who performed Washington State's first gay marriage and is literally named Mary Yu
Retired Oregon reporter Paul Linnman who gave the famous 1970 exploding whale broadcast ("the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds”)
The guy from the "Shrug" article re-created his famous shrug on stage
Kevin O'Brien, a man on a decades-long crusade to officially name a small island in Massachusetts after after Busta Rhymes
Megan Jasper, who got the New York Times to publish fake slang ("grunge speak") she made up on the spot during an interview when she was a 25-year-old receptionist for SubPop Records in 1993
The creator of "King's Hand", a viral dish concieved of in a dream that consists of an M&M cookie molded into the shape of a hollow hand and filled with Greek salad
The guy who made “My Weekend as a 28-year-old in Chicago”, the first short-form vertical video to have its own Wikipedia article!
Steven Pruitt, the Wikipedian with the most edits
Plus Craig from craigslist, cartoonist Randall Munroe, Marc Rebillet the DJ, "Reporter Matt" Shearer, Rayne Fisher-Quann, Sidney Gish, Julian Shapiro-Barnum, Alexandra Petri, Peter Sagal, Jack Corbett, neal.fun, Riley Walz, etc!
Q: Who are you?
A: Annie Rauwerda. Here's a Wikipedia article about me!
Q: How long is the show?
A: Approximately 80 minutes
Q: Will it be the same as last time?
A: Not really, but maybe a little bit! Most of the material is different.
Q: Is it okay to come by myself?
A: Yes!
Q: Should I bring my friends even if they aren't particularly obsessed with Wikipedia?
A: I try really hard to make it fun for everyone!
Q: Is it appropriate for me to bring my teen/tween?
A: It's probably fine? The show has profanity and references to sex/drugs, but it's mostly just stuff like panda pornography or films that most frequently use the word fuck.
Q: Can I say hi afterwards?
A: Maybe! I usually hang out after the show for a little bit.
Q: Can I see what it's like before I buy tickets?
A: I don't have any full length recordings, but here's a six-minute talk I gave at the Internet Archive a few months ago which gives a sense of the vibe.
Q: Has anyone ever found love at a Depths of Wikipedia show?
A: It’s not the point of the show, but plenty of people have told me they’ve sparked friendships with other audience members! The crowd is so smart and whimsical that I could use all 322 of Wiktionary’s synonyms for wow.