FULLERTON, Calif., Sept. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For a fifth consecutive year, national comic GEORGE PEREZ will host the 600-person Comedy Show for Autism, featuring TOM GREEN, SAM TRIPOLI, KATE QUIGLEY, KEITH REZA, JOSHUA MEYROWITZ, and SUPERNAKED, all performing in support of Fullerton autism charities and special education programs, at the Fullerton Cares 5th annual Comedy Show for Autism at Fox Theatre Fullerton, 500 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, Wednesday, October 21, 2015, with craft beer festival at 5pm and show from 7-10 p.m. [Tickets $32-$250: http://fullertoncares.com]
A nationally touring comic and a native to Orange County, GEORGE PEREZ relates to the mission of Comedy Show for Autism because he is no stranger to experiencing and overcoming adversity. Says Perez, "I've learned that no matter what life may throw at me, that it is never over. As a parent of four children, I appreciate how important it is for parents of kids of all abilities to feel supported by being part of a community. As part of my support of this event, I'm underwriting 3 sets of tickets for families to come out and laugh at the show, because everyone is experiencing something, and everyone deserves to laugh and lighten the load they carry."
The benefit comedy show is held in the historic Fox Theatre for the third time in 2015, and introducing a newly-added craft beer festival featuring music and the flavors of Southern California's finest restaurants and breweries available for purchase.
With more still to be announced, this year's lineup will include:
TOM GREEN - Tom Green sparked a TV revolution with his hit MTV comedy series "The Tom Green Show." One of MTV's top-rated programs, "The Tom Green Show" paved the way for shows like "Jackass," "Punk'd" and "Fear Factor." With its guerrilla video tactics and outrageous stunts, it was unlike anything that had been seen before. In a sense, it was the original independent, viral-video hit, years before YouTube even existed.
GEORGE PEREZ - The new and exciting face of comedy is George Perez. Growing up in the mean streets of Orange County, George knew at an early age that he was destined to make people laugh and now performs at the top comedy circuits across the nation. Along with being one of the brightest and hilarious comics around George is an accomplished actor, screenwriter and proud father of four children. George uses his own life experiences as his anecdote to every joke and has appeared on numerous television shows, such as Comedy Central, SHOWTIME, PAYASO COMEDY SLAM, LATV Live, Loco Comedy Jam, Mind of Mencia, Master P's Black Superman and starred in three episodes of MTV's Yo Momma.
SAM TRIPOLI – Sam Tripoli began doing stand-up comedy in Las Vegas one night on a dare. Tirpoli's accomplishments range from co-hosting on SPIKE TV's WILD WORLD OF SPIKE, toured as part of THE MONSTERS OF COMEDY, ROCK STARS OF COMEDY, and a USO Tour in Afghanistan.
KATE QUIGLEY - Kate Quigley is a standup comedian, model, host, and actress with credits including THE OFFICE (Fox), THE DANNY COMDEN PROJECT (Pilot for Warner Bros), THE MEGAN MULLALLY SHOW (NBC), and TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN (Fox).
KEITH REZA - Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at age 13, Keith took his disorder to the stage. Keith has appeared on NBC Stand Up 4 Diversity on NBC, and Animal Planet's Pit Boss and has performed with many comedians including: Norm MacDonald and Jim Breuer.
JOSHUA MEYROWITZ - A comic and also a person with autism, Joshua Meyrowitz can be seen touring the comedy circuit including the Ice House Comedy Club, and online in his new comedy video series "Autistic Thunder Chronicles."
SUPERNAKED - Combining musical prowess, expert songwriting, emotional content, and comedic flair, their music spans several genres and knows no bounds. SuperNaked has a weekly residence at Jon Lovitz's comedy club.
The 2014 Comedy Show for Autism raised $25,000 and hosted 500 attendees. Past years have featured nationally headlining comics JIM JEFFRIES, CARLOS MENCIA, GEORGE PEREZ, and BRAD WILLIAMS.
Says Summer Dabbs, Director at Fullerton Cares and involved in special education for over 20 years, "Comedy Show for Autism benefits a cause that is very special to me and I am proud that we have the ability to make a difference and spread autism awareness in our community."
Says Larry Houser, founder of Fullerton Cares, "We are eternally grateful to our community for the time and talent they have lent to our local families affected by autism."
ABOUT FULLERTON CARES: Awareness, acceptance and action are the pillars of Fullerton Cares, which spreads autism awareness throughout North Orange County and was founded by Lawrence Houser, after being inspired by his son, Boyd, 7, with autism. Raising funds for autism charities and programs in Fullerton schools through organized events, Fullerton Cares was founded in 2010 and has raised over $75,000 for autism initiatives. http://fullertoncares.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FullertonCaresAutismFoundation
https://twitter.com/fullertoncares
ABOUT AUTISM: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), autism now affects about 1 in every 68 American children.