EDWARDS, NY – The Edwards Opera House has gained a reputation for drawing quality performers since the Edwards Art Council was formed in 2002 and George Dodds and Friends helped kick off the re-opening in August of 2003. Since then the Opera House has hosted a number of talented performers, drawing crowds from all over Northern New York, and generating rave reviews from publications and from guest performers.

Folk artist Eliza Gilkyson enjoyed her experience at the Opera House so much that the interior was used as the cover for her album “Your Town Tonight.” The Arts Council has once again outdone itself, inviting comedian Costaki Economopoulos to perform on May 9^th, 2009. His performance will be preceded by notoriously clean yet funny Tony Deyo, who will open for Costaki.

Costaki Economopoulos got his start in small bars and restaurants around the University of Georgia, where he completed his graduate work. His thesis subject comes as no surprise: how our feelings about government are influenced by political satire. His socially relevant comedy had him a full-time comedian within a year, and he's been tickling funny bones around the country for 280 days a year since 1994. His casually philosophic jokes hit such heavy current issues as religion, terrorism, gun control, and the military, and he aims to make people think while they laugh.

Costaki has toured extensively, but he gained recognition at the Seattle Comedy Competition, after which he was invited to the Montreal Comedy Festival, one of the most prestigious events on the giggle circuit. He then gained further notoriety as one of ten finalists in Comedy Central's Laugh Riots, a national talent search sponsored by the the Comedy Central network. Tom Griswold, of the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom radio show, claimed that “Costaki Economopoulos is Greek for funny!” Costaki's Bob and Tom performance landed him a weekly gig doing “The Economonologue” on the Bob and Tom show, which us North Country listeners can tune in to from 6-10 a.m. every weekday. Not only a performer, Costaki's writing has produced jokes for The Tonight Show, BET, Bette Midler's Kiss My Brass tour, MTV's Parental Approval, and he writes daily for The Complete Sheet, a radio DJ prep service.

Tony Deyo, native of rural Virginia, will open for Costaki at the May 9^th show. Deyo, famous for his clean and fun humor, is a young talent on the comedy circuit. Also known for his impeccable timing, Deyo was a professional symphony musician before his comedic rise, aided in part by his 2005 publication in Judy Brown's “Squeaky Clean Comedy” collection, his collaboration with Rob Cantrell on the documentary “Metaphysical Graffiti,” and his invitation to HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, an annual event hosted in Aspen, Colorado, in 2007. Deyo found himself as a comedian in Austin, Texas, after years performing with various symphonies and teaching middle school, and has since been performing and writing with many of comedies biggest names.

The Edwards Opera House's performance season is from May to December, during which they host all varieties of shows, from theater to music to children's events and comedy, and every year they host a free Halloween show for children at the end of October. The Opera House is located on Main Street, Edwards, above the Town Hall, directly across from Maple Avenue, which connects to State Highway 58. For more information, or if you're a performer seeking a venue, contact Brigette Clark, Chairperson of the Edwards Arts Council, by phone at 315-562-8213, e-mail via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or check in at the Arts Council website, http://edwardsartscouncil.org, where updates concerning upcoming performances are posted regularly.