Comedians Paul Mooney and Dick Gregory. (Facebook Photo)
(Updated 11/03/2015) Comedians Dick Gregory and Paul Mooney will once again grace the stage on Dec. 6 to mark their second appearance at Washington D.C.’s Howard Theatre in 2015, offering racial satires filled with activism that will not only entertain but teach.
Gregory, a St. Louis native, is an activist, philosopher, anti-drug crusader, comedian, author, actor, recording artist, and nutritionist. He also participated in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
After serving in the U.S. Army, Gregory first entered the national comedy scene in 1961 at Chicago’s Playboy Club. According to various websites, his break came as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner.
According to The Howard Theatre website, Gregory spent more time on social issues and less time on performing during the 1960s, protesting several issues and participating in marches and parades to support a range of causes, including opposition to the Vietnam War, world hunger, and drug abuse.
According to the Americans Who Tell The Truth organization, founded in 2002, Gregory ran for president as a write-in candidate for the Freedom and Peace Party in 1968. His campaign ran on a platform of civil rights, peace in Vietnam, and racial and social justice, the organization’s website stated.
Oakland, Calif. native Mooney entered the entertainment field through the Charles Gody Circus, where he was a ringmaster, and later wrote comedy material for Richard Pryor’s “Saturday Night Live” appearances and “The Richard Pryor Show.” He also co-wrote Pryor’s albums “Live On Sunset,” “Bicentennial Nigger,” and “Is It Something I Said,” as well as Pryor’s film “Jo Jo Dancer.”
In addition to writing for Pryor, Mooney also wrote material for “In Living Color,” and co-starred with Damon Wayans and Jada Pinkett-Smith in the Spike Lee film “Bamboozled.”
For more information or to purchase tickets for the show, visit thehowardtheatre.com/show/2015/11/03/paul-mooney-dick-gregory-2/. Tickets can also be purchased at ticketmaster.com.