Left to right: Ali Sultan, Mary Mack, Khadijah Cooper, Jenny Zigrino
Presented by The Great Northern
Monday, January 29, 2024
6 pm Doors // 7 pm Show
$40 Advance General Admission
Recommended Ages 16+
In Minnesota, winter is our great equalizer. Winter Roast brings the heat we crave with belly laughs courtesy of Khadijah Cooper, Ali Sultan, Mary Mack, and Jenny Zigrino—a standout lineup of Midwest-born comics seen on Comedy Central, Colbert, and Drybar.
Ali Sultan saw his first stand-up comedian when he moved to America from Yemen at 15. He grew the desire to go on stage, but first, he needed to learn English. Ali became the first Yemeni-Ethiopian American to make a stand-up television network debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Ali has been on Comedy Central’s Hart of The City with Kevin Hart. He filmed his Half Hour comedy special in Dubai for Comedy Central Arabia. He represented Minnesota and won the Best in The Midwest competition at Gildas LaughFest. His albums Happy to Be Here and Funny First are available on Spotify and Sirius XM and have more than 1 million streams on Pandora. His last special from Drybar has over a million views on YouTube.
A hybrid of Minnesota and Wisconsin (with a severe cheese dependency), comedian Mary Mack is a favorite on radio shows and podcasts around the country, including The Bob and Tom Show, Marc Maron's WTF podcast, and The Grand Ole Opry. Mary plays Jesse in the Hulu animated sitcom Solar Opposites by the creators of Rick and Morty. She has appeared in Montreal's Just For Laughs Festival, HBO's Andy Kaufman Awards, San Francisco's Sketchfest, and the clean Dry Bar comedy series. Mack's television credits include Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, TBS' Conan, Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and NBC's Last Comic Standing and Last Call with Carson Daly.
Khadijah Cooper grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis as an only child. Working as the Education Director of a local nonprofit focusing on adolescent sexual health, her confidence in public speaking and her quick wit gave her the fuel she needed to burst onto the comedy scene in February 2018, making her name known. In March 2019, Khadijah was in the top 5 for the Best Comedian for the City Pages Best of the Twin Cities. In 2021, Khadijah was named one of MN Comedy’s “Comics to Watch,” and in June 2023, Khadijah was accepted into Limestone Comedy Festival. Her point of view in her stand-up as a mother, a Sexuality Educator Director, and someone with confidence and comfort in her skin makes her irresistible to laugh with and relate to.
With the sweetness of the Midwest and the sharp edge of the East Coast, Jenny Zigrino brings a powerful comedic performance to any stage. Jenny made her late night debut on Conan with Conan O’Brien and performed a total of three guest appearances. She was a Just For Laughs New Faces in 2016 and since then has been featured on Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, and many others. She starred in films such as Bad Santa 2 along with Billy Bob Thornton and in the horror comedy Too Late in 2021. She’s headlined festivals like Moon Tower, New York Comedy Festival, and High Plains Comedy Festival. She’s written and performed several comedy specials, including Comedy Central Presents the Half Hours. Her latest appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2023 was met with rave reviews. Her brand new hour, Jen-Z, is available now on Comedy Central’s Youtube.
The Great Northern celebrates our cold, creative winters through ten days of diverse programming that invigorate mind and body. In an era of changing climate that threatens our signature season, we seek to create community, inspire action, and share the resilient spirit of the North with the world.