About this Event

Adam Burke is a Chicago-based stand-up—born in Australia, raised in Northern Ireland—whose quick left turns, playful wordplay, and cleanly crafted stories have made him a regular favorite on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! He was voted Best Standup by the Chicago Reader and won Second City’s Up Next competition, distinctions that reflect both his precision as a writer and his warmth onstage. Burke has appeared at Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Just for Laughs, and Funny or Die’s Oddball Comedy Festival, and he has performed with a 'who’s-who' of comedy including Marc Maron, John Mulaney, Maria Bamford, John Oliver, Aziz Ansari, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Ian Black, Jeff Ross, and Hannibal Buress. Beyond the mic, he wrote for WGN-TV’s Man of the People with Pat Tomasulo (2018–2019) and hosts the YouTube series The 5 O’Clock Somewhere News. His debut album, Universal Squirrel Theory (A Special Thing Records), showcases the idea-driven, slyly mischievous sensibility shaped by influences like Spike Milligan, Bill Hicks, and Steve Martin.