COMEDY SUPERSTAR DANA CARVEY TO TAPE NATIONAL TELEVISION SPECIAL LIVE FROM SANTA ROSA

March 28th and 29th Taping Marks Second National TV Special from
Sonoma County Arts Center in Less Than a Month

Santa Rosa, CA (November 30, 2007) – Perhaps best known as the “Church Lady” from Saturday Night Live, Emmy Award-winning comedian Dana Carvey is coming to Santa Rosa’s Wells Fargo Center for the Arts to tape his much-anticipated HBO Special. The special will be taped live from the Center’s 1600 seat main theater on March 28th and 29th. It will be the second national television special to be hosted at the Santa Rosa arts center in less than a month. On February 30th and March 1st, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts will also host the taping and live broadcast of legendary comedian George Carlin’s 14th HBO Special, entitled “It’s Bad For Ya.”

“I don’t want to put any pressure on the audience or myself,” said Dana Carvey, ‘but I plan on making history.” Carvey, who calls the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts the “greatest theater I have ever played,” said, “Everybody knows that this is the best theater in America. I’m going to be the only Bay Area-raised kid to shoot an HBO comedy special at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.”

“What can we say…this is just a great tribute to Sonoma County audiences,” said the Arts Center’s Rick Bartalini. “We learned today from HBO that this is the first time in the network’s history that two artists have requested to tape from the same venue in such a short time-frame. It’s especially flattering given the fact that both Dana Carvey and George Carlin could have their pick of any theater nationwide, and they chose to come here.”

Carvey, who was attending S.F. State University when he won the San Francisco Comedy Competition, says he recalls coming to the Santa Rosa arts center as a child. He played a sold out performance at the Center this past summer, calling the audience “the smartest and nicest crowd I have ever played to (and I’m not trying to kiss anyone’s ass).” About his upcoming TV special, Carvey promises it will be “nothing less than a love letter to the people of Santa Rosa.”

After winning the San Francisco Comedy Competition, Carvey became a repertory member of Saturday Night Live in 1986 and remained on the show for seven seasons. In addition to the “Church Lady,” he is well-known for such roles as “Hans” of the Hans and Franz body building duo; “Garth,” on the immensely popular sketch “Wayne’s World;” and Weekend Update’s “Grumpy Old Man.” Carvey’s move to the big screen brought him a starring role in the blockbuster film, Wayne’s World.  He has received a total of six Emmy nominations, one for his a guest appearance on HBO’s highly acclaimed Larry Sanders Show. Carvey won an Emmy Award in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

TICKETS

Dana Carvey’s TV Special will be recorded at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, March 28 and 29 at 8:00 pm (theater doors close promptly at 7:30 pm). Tickets ($35, $45, $65) are on sale Friday, December 7 at noon. Purchase tickets at the Box Office located at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa, by phone at 707-546-3600, or online at wellsfargocenterarts.org

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The non-profit Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is the North Bay's premier arts organization presenting world-class performances, contemporary sculpture, festivals, and events to 500,000 residents and visitors each year. Together with its resident companies, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts provides more than 100 annual performances, serves to present intriguing contemporary art, and is one of California's largest providers of arts education programs for children. Located in the heart of the Wine Country, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts campus features spacious auditoriums, an intimate cabaret, and outdoor festival grounds with a big-top tent. Unlike many similar organizations, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is not aligned with any federal, state, or municipal entity-such as a city or university. The Center was created by and is supported by the community it serves, making it uniquely positioned as an independent, entrepreneurial-focused, non-profit arts organization. We serve to Enrich, Educate and Entertain - Connecting Our Community through the Arts.