Comedy at Lincoln's Cottage
Comedy at Lincoln’s Cottage is a Two Faces Comedy Series stand-up performance presented at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Petworth. The September program revisits the theme of the series’ inaugural 2016 show: immigration. Every comedian on the lineup is either an immigrant or the child of immigrants, bringing personal experiences and multicultural perspectives to the stage at the historic home where Abraham Lincoln lived and worked.
The lineup features Rahmein Mostafavi, Dee Ahmed, Justin Um, and Benny Nwokeabia. Mostafavi, who was born in Iran and moved to the United States as a young child, combines acting experience with a decade of live comedy. He is a former cast member of the Kennedy Center’s “Shear Madness,” has appeared at festivals around the country, and has been featured on FOX, Sirius XM, PBS, and TEDx. He also produces events through Cool Cow Comedy and has won multiple DC Improv Comedy Kumite tournaments. His 2022 YouTube special is *Live From Helium*.
Justin Um is an American-born Korean comedian whose clean, upbeat style centers on what he calls “empathetic humor.” As a second-generation immigrant, he draws on self-deprecating honesty, personal observations, and positive crowd interaction. He has hosted for comedians including Ian Bagg, Geoffrey Asmus, Matt Fulchiron, Irene Tu, and Ahmed Al-kadri.
Arlington-based comedian Dee Ahmed is known for an insightful and affable style shaped by his natural goofiness. He performs regularly throughout the DC area and has appeared at The 202 Comedy Festival, Charm City Festival, Pittsburgh Comedy Festival, Cinderblock Festival, and What a Joke: A National Comedy Festival. Ahmed won Comedy Kumite 34.1 at the DC Improv in 2022.
Benny Nwokeabia has performed at the Netflix Is a Joke Festival and across the country. Born in Washington, DC, to Nigerian and Ethiopian parents and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, he speaks four languages and uses his multicultural background and sharp crowd work to create a globally minded comedy set. He won Comedy Kumite 39.2 at the DC Improv in June 2023.
When: Thursday, September 24, 2026
Showtime: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15 all-in, including service charges. Tickets are sold by Lincoln’s Cottage.
Lineup: Rahmein Mostafavi, Dee Ahmed, Justin Um, and Benny Nwokeabia
Theme: Immigration. Each performer is an immigrant or comes from an immigrant family.
Venue: President Lincoln’s Cottage, an historic site and museum in Petworth, Northwest Washington, DC
Venue context: Lincoln’s Cottage is the only place open to the public where visitors can experience the setting in which Abraham Lincoln lived and worked for more than a quarter of his presidency. During his residence, he met with wounded soldiers and self-emancipated people and developed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Run time: Not specified.
Age restrictions: Not specified.
Accessibility: Not specified.