Pauline Adamek
Creating a groundswell of support, a few years ago comedians from all over – DC, LA, and NYC – came together to fundraise for comedian Jason Sáenz after he fell through a skylight while on a date back in 2019, suffering life-changing injuries. Over 50 comedy performers in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., staged benefit shows to raise funds for their fellow performer.
Five years later, Jason is ready to tell the story of how the accident led to major life changes (including becoming a husband and father and learning about the prevalence of ableism in LA).
Coming soon is a two-night taping event of The Wheel World where Jason tells his story and talks about everything he has learned.
Event: The Wheel World taping
Featuring Bolivian-American comedian Jason Sáenz.
Two nights taping his 1-hour show The Wheel World in front of a live, ticketed audience.
THE LYRIC HYPERION THEATRE: 2106 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
WHEN: June 8 and 14, 2024 @ 7:30 PM
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-wheel-world-with-jason-saenz-tickets-753893865847?aff=oddtdtcreator
From the press release:
Jason Sáenz tells the story of falling through a skylight onto a flight of stairs and shares the realities of being paraplegic in Hollywood.
Bolivian-American comedian Jason Sáenz is taping his hit solo show, The Wheel World at the Lyric Hyperion Theatre in Los Angeles on June 8 and 14. In The Wheel World, comedian Jason Sáenz tells the story of when he fell through a skylight onto a flight of stairs during a third date six years ago. This accident and the subsequent month-long battle against spinal meningitis in the ICU left Sáenz paralyzed.
The Wheel World presents all the grim and intimate details of becoming a paraplegic in Hollywood. Sáenz shares his struggles with grief, adapting to changes in wheelchair accessibility, accepting limitations in his new body, his wheelchair-bound TV roles, altering his perception of sex and manhood, accepting his new bathroom routines, accepting love, and finally, pursuing fatherhood. Jason’s previous performances of The Wheel World have regularly sold out and he’s back with special tapings set for June 8 and 14 at The Lyric Hyperion Theater in Los Angeles. The Wheel World is presented and written by Jason Sáenz and directed by Lauren Adams (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Greener Grass, Modern Family).
Sáenz was a well-known figure in the comedy scene at the time of the incident, and like many comedians, he did not have insurance and was left with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt but Jason was not alone. Forty of his comedian colleagues came together to fundraise to cover his medical costs through benefit shows in New York, DC, and Los Angeles; an online auction featuring tickets to a RuPaul’s Drag Race season finale, Saturday Night Live, and more; and a GoFundMe that raised over $200K. Throughout this whole process he continued to write and produce comedy and date the woman he fell through a skylight with.
About Jason Sáenz:
Los Angeles-based comedian, writer, and paraplegic Jason Sáenz had a 10-year comedy career before he became paralyzed. His web series Ya Killin’ Me! has two seasons available on Comedy Central.com. Jason has written for Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars, Steve Harvey, and MTV’s Ridiculousness as well as other projects on Fox, MTV, IGN, Funny or Die, Above Average, RoofTop Comedy, Time Out NY, HuffPost, Jest, and CollegeHumor. His prank poster project @SaenzSigns went viral numerous times. Jason is also a founding member of the UCB sketch group, Onassis, winner of the 2011 Friar’s Club Sketch Competition and a Finalist at the 2012 Comedy Central Pilot competition.
Jason Sáenz online:
About Lauren Adams:
Lauren Adams is an actor, director and writer. You may recognize her from TV shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Modern Family, Special, and Deadbeat, or feature films like Greener Grass and The Disruptors. Lauren has a BFA from Elon University and has performed regularly at The UCB Theatres in New York and Los Angeles since 2007. Lauren has directed countless plays, sketch shows, and the short film Animal, starring Cathy Curtin. She lives in LA with her husband Seth and their perfect dog Bear.
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