LENOIR, N.C. – Grassroots Appalachia, a new venture in Lenoir focused on connecting and cultivating Appalachian people and traditions to help create conditions favorable for community living, is opening its new location on Harper Avenue with a comedy show. Believing laughter is a great way to break down barriers, Grassroots Appalachia will be hosting three stand-up comedians from the in-progress documentary, “Don’t Rock the Boat.”
It will be on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m at 458-B Harper Avenue.
“Don’t Rock the Boat,” is a documentary exploring political polarization in America through the lens of stand-up comedy and an unlikely icebreaker: whitewater rafting. They will be in North Carolina filming on the Nantahala River. The documentary has secured non-exclusive distribution with RealClearPolitics, and its executive producers bring longstanding relationships with PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Wall Street Journal.
The project centers on two stand-up comedians — one an outspoken voice from the left, the other from the right — who will perform a comedy show built around their political material before rafting together through RAFT for America, an organization that pairs people from across the political spectrum for constructive conversation following a shared whitewater experience.
The three comedians appearing are Sally Ann Hall, Adam Yenser and Executive Producer Lou Perez. Director of the film is Trần Hoàng Calvin, an independent director and producer from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in film and television production and has over a decade of industry experience.
Hall, representing the left, is New York-based comedian, writer, and actor. A veteran of the New York comedy scene, her debut comedy special, “Dead Wife Pretty,” premiered on Amazon and Apple TV in June 2026. Representing the right is comedian and Emmy Award-winning writer Yenser. He spent a decade writing for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he also starred in the segments “Kevin the Cashier Played by Adam” and “Adam Investigates.” His stand-up special “Not Big Enough to Cancel” is available on Dry Bar Comedy. Perez, representing the libertarian point-of-view, was the head writer and executive producer of the Webby Award-winning comedy channel We the Internet TV, produced and starred in the series Comedy Is Murder, and won a Silver ADDY® at the American Advertising Awards for his work with The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Perez was half of the comedy duo Greg & Lou and produced “The Attendants” with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.
Perez says that each comedian will do a 20-minute set. That will be followed by interaction with the audience.
I spoke at length with Perez and we agree that our work has much in common: we believe that in every community we need to laugh more; we need to think critically; we must be kind; and, we need to be community focused. And, we agreed it’s going to be quite interesting to see what happens when people collide face-to-face with someone who disagrees.
Making Reservations
Please make reservations in advance. The show begins at 7:30 on Saturday, July 15. Doors open at 7. Tickets for this event are $20. We will not accept debit or credit cards for this event. Reserve your seat(s) today and pay at the door. To reserve seats, please send an email to michaelbarrick56@gmail.com with the subject line ‘RESERVATION.’ In the body of the email, provide your name, contact information and how many people will be in your party. If you prefer, you can call 828-383-4606.
Coming Soon
Grassroots Appalachia Opens Aug. 18 – 20 with Focus on Art, Crafts and Caldwell Literature.
Related Articles
Creating Conditions Favorable for Community Life
Grassroots Appalachia is located at 458-B Harper Ave. in Lenoir. Learn more about us at grassrootsappalachia.com.
© Michael M. Barrick, 2026.
Appalachian Chronicle 