Barrel of Laughs is a stand-up comedy series featuring both nationally recognized acts and our very own local talent. We are bringing the laughs to you once a month throughout the cooler months. Hosted at Prairie Street Brewing Co. at 6:30 p.m. with a variety of seating and beverage options. Shows will take place in The Barrel Room.

6:30 PM – Doors Open – Need a bite before the show? Call 815-277-9427 to make dinner reservations!

7:30 PM – Host Kevin Haas

7:45 PM – Feature Chris Trani

8:30 PM – Headliner Manny Acosta

Headliner

Growing up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park, Manny Acosta found that being funny came natural to him. Not only was he the class clown, taking it even further as he got older, Manny became a professional clown alongside his father.

Now, the proudly unique Dominican and Puerto Rican young man is making people laugh in a different way, on a stage sharing his sarcastic wit, edgy observations and unique views on anything and everything his hyperactive brain can think of! His energy and charm win over crowds as he explains his story of never fitting in because he always knew he was born to stand out.

In his first few years as a stand-up comedian, Manny has been fortunate enough to have learned from and performed with incredible veteran comics such as: Vince Acevedo, Joey Villagomez, Calvin Evans, Kevin Farley, Alex Ortiz, Josh Blue, Damon Williams and more!

Recently Manny has started performing and bringing laughs to many different venues all over the country. He’s performed in schools and comedy clubs like Northeastern Illinois University, the famous Chicago Laugh Factory, Riddles Comedy Club in Alsip, IL, and the LA Comedy Club in Las Vegas as he hopes to bring his interesting brand of comedy to the world.

Featuring Chris Trani

Chris Trani is a fantastic Chicago comic and the producer of The House of Blues stand-up comedy show on Thursday nights in Chicago. He’s also a regular at The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Bar, Zanies, the Funny Bone & more. Chris has opened for Jon Lovitz and shared the stage with Ari Shaffir (Netflix), Roy Wood Jr. (The Daily Show), and Hans Kim (The Joe Rogan & Kill Tony Podcasts). Chris integrates all forms of comedy into his act: stand-up, storytelling, crowd work; and if need be, can do it all in Spanish (kinda)!

Hosted by Kevin Haas is a standup comedian whose work has been described as affordable and available in a pinch. He’s been performing standup around the region for about a decade, and runs the local journalism outlet the Rock River Current when he’s not on stage.