Paul Chowdhry

ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY, IN ASSOCIATION
WITH EMPORIUM PRESENTS,

WELCOMES BRITISH COMEDY LEGEND

PAUL CHOWDHRY,

AND HIS ARTIFICIAL INDIAN TOUR ‘26,

 JANUARY 20, 2026   

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (December 8, 2025) – Ensemble Arts Philly, in association with Emporium Presents, welcomes Paul Chowdhry and his Artificial Indian Tour '26 to the Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on January 20, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. The multi-award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, and writer is known for his provocative yet hilarious take on modern life, promising an unforgettable evening where no topic is off-limits and every punchline hits its mark.

 

His last tour, Family-Friendly Comedian, attracted 80,000 attendees in the UK and included a groundbreaking performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, booked by the Royal Commission, making Chowdhry the first British comedian to perform a solo show there. The show was performed internationally with stops in NYC, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, and at Dubai Opera House, and sold out its entire run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023, leading to additional shows due to high demand. In December 2024, the show was broadcast as a special on Sky Comedy and debuted at number two in the charts, second only to Marvel’s Miracles.

 

In 2021, Chowdhry launched his podcast, The Paul Chowdhry PudCast, produced by Global Entertainment, interviewing celebrities about life's turning points. The series includes guests such as Greg Davies, Eddie Izzard, Viggo Venn, Kerry Katona, Stewart Lee, and James Acaster.

“After nearly 30 years on stage, Paul Chowdhry continues to bring a fearless, fresh perspective to every performance, tackling complex cultural topics with intelligence and humor,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming and Presentations. “As Philadelphia’s premier presenter of diverse performing arts, Ensemble Arts Philly is proud to welcome an artist who pushes boundaries and unites audiences through laughter.”

As an actor, Chowdhry has appeared in the highest-rated episode of Greg Davies’ comedy series The Cleaner (BBC One) alongside Helena Bonham Carter and starred with Patrick Dempsey in two series of the Sky Atlantic TV series Devils. He also featured in Disney’s Cruella with Emma Stone. Paul was a beloved contestant on the third series of the multi-award-winning show Taskmaster (Channel 4/Dave) and is a frequent guest on The Russell Howard Hour (Sky Max). He has hosted Stand Up for the Week (Channel 4) and Live at the Apollo (BBC One/Two) – after headlining it twice.

 

Chowdhry’s 2018 show, Live Innit, sold out five nights at the Hammersmith Apollo and made him the first British Asian stand-up comedian to sell out the 10,000-seater Wembley Arena. The show won Best Live Event 2018 at the ITV Asian Media Awards and earned Chowdhry the Comedy Award at the Eastern Eye's Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards 2019, as well as the Comedian of the Year Award at the Asian Voice Political & Public Life Awards 2019.

Other featured upcoming performances include Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez (January 22, 2026, Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center);  James Acaster (January 23, 2026, Miller Theater); Stavros Halkias: The Dreamboat Tour (January 31, 2026, Miller Theater); Step Afrika!: The Evolution Tour (February 7, 2026, Miller Theater); Kurt Elling: Wildflowers (February 27, 2026, Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center); Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (February 27 - March 1, 2026, Academy of Music); An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi (March 2, 2026, Miller Theater); Emmet Cohen: Miles and Coltrane at 100 (March 20, 2026, Miller Theater); and Sh!t-faced Shakespeare®: Hamlet (March 20–21, 2026, Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center).

 

Tickets   

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street) daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.

   

The Meet and Greet Package for Paul Chowdhry: Artificial Indian Tour ‘26 includes one premium reserved seat, an exclusive and limited opportunity to meet Chowdhry in person and have a photo taken with him, exclusive tour poster (pre-signed), and a souvenir meet and greet experience laminate and lanyard.

 

Paul Chowdhry: Artificial Indian Tour '26

Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center

Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 7:30 p.m.  

ABOUT EMPORIUM PRESENTS
Emporium Presents is a full-fledged national event promotion company. With offices in Auburn, WA and Nashville, TN. Emporium creates, produces, books, and markets world-class live experiences including concerts, comedians, and specialty events.

Emporium Presents produces hundreds of events annually in the United States and Canada ranging from clubs to arenas. To date, Emporium Presents has promoted thousands of shows for renowned acts like Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Jason Mraz, The Scorpions, and The Trailer Park Boys. Upcoming shows from Emporium Presents include Billy Strings, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Tommy Emmanuel, The Avett Brothers, Straight No Chaser, Parker McCollum, Home Free, Wardruna, Bruce Dickinson, Kaleo, Dream Theater and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live.

ABOUT ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY                           
For more information about ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.        

    

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For photography, please visit www.ensembleartsphilly.smugmug.com.     

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