Laugh with the 'Comics' on Friday

"Laughing With the Comics," part of the Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council's "On Stage at the Lee Burrows Arts Center" series, is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Marysville.

"It's six local comedians who are mentoring six amateurs, and they are competing for a prize for best comedian," said event coordinator and Breakaway Theatre Productions director John Trent.

"It's similar to something like 'Dancing With the Stars,'" he added.

The family-friendly event is also a fundraiser for Breakaway Theatre Productions, which is working to complete its application for 501(c)3 nonprofit status, and the Arts Council.

Trent said the main prize up for grabs is a five-minute set at the Laughs Unlimited comedy club in Sacramento.

"The mentors have been working with the contestants for six weeks," Trent said.

He said the mentors include Angel Diaz, Hark Dulai, Karen Hess, David Mariscal, Dan Salamone and Trent. They are teamed with Caleb Maines, Nancy Levinson, Laurie Trent, Tim Stanton, Chuck Smith and Ted Shadle, respectively.

Trent said the mentors all have experience performing in stand-up comedy. He added that the contestant with the least experience coming into the event was probably his wife, Laurie.

"She doesn't normally do stage work. She just did it on a whim, but she's having a lot of fun with it," Trent said.

"It's going to be family-friendly, so bring the kids along, too. Or at least it better be family-friendly — I keep telling the contestants that it's family-friendly," Trent laughed.

"The mentors are going to be performing, too, so you're getting 12 comedians in one show," he added.

"It's going to be a fun night. We have been getting a lot of calls about tickets, so we are hoping that it's going to be a sell-out."

CONTACT Susan Benitez at sbenitez@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4773. Find her on Facebook at /ADFeatures or on Twitter at @adfeatures.