Last summer was her third trip to Edinburgh. It was the UK premier of her signature piece,"American Woman." LA based, international comedian Karen Loftus is a favorite in the stand up comedy scene working extensively throughout the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She successfully dances the fine line between smart and silly with her razor sharp observations, her crazy characters and her surreal stories. She's been featured in several magazines, radio, documentaries, comedy specials and news programs, "Funny Girls" documentary in the UK, CNBC's "Power Lunch" and "Asian Working Woman" and NPR. This summer will mark her third trip to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. It will be the UK premier of her signature piece, "American Woman", a character based edgy journey around the world, which opened at The Singapore Comedy Festival in March 2001. It has since stormed with critics and crowds alike, overseas, in NY and LA.

Karen is an award winning writer, the first recipient in the world of a Tennessee William's Fellowship, awarded for the development of her solo piece "I'm Not The Blonde You Think I Am. " Given a grant by Sewanee, University of the South, as an artist in residence "Blonde" was developed and chosen to open the new Tennessee William's Center, then produced in LA at The Theater and The Improv. Karen's previous original works include, "Barbie's Dolls", a play produced at the Hudson Theater in LA, "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's, Man's World" a Two Woman Show, co-written, performed and produced by Karen and Joan Ranquet. "Man's World" opened in LA, ran in Seattle, Baltimore, Washington DC, New York and Edinburgh, as a part of The Fringe Festival. It was one of 7 shows chosen out of the 1100 in the festival, by the London Times, as The Critic's Choice. Her first solo piece "The Color of My Dreams", was produced at Theater of Note One Act Festival in LA.

Karen's written and performed with many sketch groups, "Time to Panic" and "Big Time Angst " at Second City, "Seizure Salad" and "Gal O Rama", at The Laugh Factory in LA and with "The Rebar Gang" at Rebar in New York, at Rebar. She works in film and TV, recently on MTV's "Andy Dick Show" and in the indie film "Race Love" with Andy Garcia.

Karen teaches Body Comedy, a class she developed using humor to heal, working with women and children who have experienced abuse on the body, be it physical, sexual or with drugs and alcohol. She's been touted as a "Rebel with a Cause" by CNBC for her work with women, survivors of domestic violence and a "Woman to Watch" by MS Magazine for her work with teen prostitutes. Comedy Central has been sponsoring Karen for four years and her work with male domestic violence offenders, inmates in the LA jail.

She writes for magazines and has a regular column in The Comic Bible magazine, "Is Thing On? " The Good, The Bad and The Very Ugly About Comedy in Foreign and Familiar Places. After spending a summer in Spain she finished her first book "The Land of Misfit Toys", a surreal spin on a year ill spent in LA. She is just completing her second book, "American Woman", Comedic Travels in Search of Serious Self.

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