Comedy for a good cause

CEDAR RAPIDS - Andrew Hanzelka and six of his friends have graduated and scattered to colleges around the country, but they haven't left Cedar Rapids, or their senses of humor, behind.

The group of recent Kennedy High School graduates has reconvened over winter break to put together a comedy show for a good cause.

Members include Tanner David Boyle, Lucas Gibbs, Jackson Green, Henna McCoy, Shane Nielsen and Hanzelka. Michael Castelluccio, also a Kennedy graduate, handles lights and sound for the group's performances.

Performing under the name Good Laughs Give Back, their show Jan. 3 at the Cedar Rapids Public Library will benefit Dogs Forever Safe Place, a private not-for-profit dog shelter on the city's southwest side.

'We all love comedy,” Hanzelka says. 'And we thought, why not make something a little more meaningful out of a few jokes.”

This is the group's second fundraising show - the first, in August, brought in $1,403 for the Cedar Rapids Public School district.

The six friends have been performing together for years - they got their start with an improv group on Kennedy's debate team.

'We were fortunate enough at Kennedy to have a fabulous improv teacher, Mr. Danny Yuska. He was very significant in our improv careers,” Hanzelka says. 'Now the six of us are doing improv at our respective colleges. Coming back and having a reunion is fun.”

The group has been practicing though the holiday break to prepare for Saturday's show, which will be a mix of improv and sketch comedy.

'We just love comedy, and we love performance and the feeling of being able to use our time and put it to good use,” Hanzelka says.

Nancy Crist, founder of Dogs Forever Safe Place, says she's appreciative of their efforts, since the shelter, which takes in dogs that are challenging to place for adoptions, runs entirely on donations.

'To have young people who are in college, but they're still thinking of their community when they're on break … taking the initiative to do something like this is very impressive to me,” she says.

IF YOU GO

What: Good Laughs Give Back comedy show

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3

Where: Whipple Auditorium, Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE

Tickets: Minimum $5 donation per ticket. Reservations at (319) 535-3542. Profits from tickets and refreshments go to Dogs Forever Safe Place.