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Sketch Comedy in Philadelphia – May 16th through May 22nd

Few things make us happier than seeing (or hearing) all the love Philadelphia’s sketch comedy community has been getting from national comedy festivals and this past weekend at Montreal Sketchfest 2016 The Flat Earth added a few more accolades performing in the closing night “Best of Fest” show and winning “Best Newcomer” (a.k.a. The Bag of Beer). Philly Sketchfest congratulates Jacquie Baker, Vincent DiCostanzo, Rich Lee, Adam Siry, Matthew Schmid, Molly Silverman and director, Paul Triggiani of The Flat Earth on all their accomplishments this year (including runners-up for Producer’s Pick at Toronto Sketchfest) and thanks you for putting Philadelphia in the conversation when it comes to sketch comedy.

 

Adventure Friends Baby Steps and Tim Butterly LargeNow please enjoy this week’s listings, with special attention for the May 20th Philly Sketchfest Presents Showcase at The Adrienne Theater Playground!

First at 8:30pm, it’s Adventure Friends with Baby Steps hosted by Tim Butterly of Comedy Central’s Delco Proper.

A Galaxy Uncherished Logo WideThen at 10:15pm, it’s the triumphant, one-night only, encore presentation of House of Solitude’s, “A Galaxy Uncherished” with special guests One Idiot from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, performing in their critically acclaimed, lost play from Tennessee Williams, “What The Horse Saw”.

More details plus everything else sketch in Philadelphia below…

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Sketch Comedy In Philadelphia – May 9th through May 15th

No time for love today; only news about sketch comedy shows happening in Philadelphia. Big news of the week? There’s a new sketch group in town and their name is Nakatomi. Even bigger news of the week? That same brand new sketch group is making their debut this week opening for PHIT Sketch House Team, Dog Mountain. But the most big news this week? All of Nakatomi’s writers & performers are improvisors. According to Nakatomi’s Tom Hannigan, everyone in the group has “dabbled” in sketch comedy over the past year and collectively decided forming a group together would give them an opportunity to work out their sketch comedy-chops. We’re thrilled to hear it and excited to see it. What day? What time? Attire? It’s all below! You should really know that by now…

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Sketch Comedy in Philadelphia – April 18th through April 24th

Now that we’re are all caught up from Philly Sketchfest 2016 we’re ready to return to this website back to some regularly scheduled content highlighting all the sketch comedy taking place in Philadelphia on a weekly basis. We’re also excited to announce here that we’ll be posting more articles and interviews with Philadelphia-based sketch groups as well as becoming the official home of the “My First Sketch” podcast hosted/created by Josh Higham. That’s good news. Some might say great, but we like to think of it as leaving ourselves room to grow. So what’s happening this week already, right? Well word on the street is that you have a hot date with sketch comedy on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday. Check out the events below to see exactly who’ll be taking you out on the town each night…

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2016 Philly Sketchfest News Sketch Comedy in Philadelphia

PHILLY SKETCHFEST 2016 – OPENING NIGHT AT RUBA CLUB

Tonight is OPENING NIGHT of Philly Sketchfest 2016! Please join us and hosts, comedians Rachel Fogletto (Comedy-Gasm) and Chip Chantry at The Ruba Club (416 Green St., Philadelphia, PA 19123) for all the sketch comedy you can fit into a single evening with performances from – it’s the new., Locked In Julia’s Basement, Wretched Hive, Youth Large, Dog Mountain, Peggylouloulouloulou by Amanda Xeller, Sweetish, House of Solitude, Bye Bye Liver, and for the first time in Philadelphia (we think? say maybe, 98% positive?) a PAY-WHAT-YOU-LIKE sketch comedy cover show called, ‘Old To Begin’ with performances from The Prince, High Dramma, Your Mom, it’s the new., and Uncle Robert. Check out the details below or at our festival calendar here

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Philly Sketchfest Opening Night Show #1
Philly Sketchfest 2016 – it’s the new. + Locked In Julia’s Basement + Wretched Hive
The Ruba Club 416 Green Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Thursday, March 31st – Doors at 6:45pm and Show at 7:00pm / Tickets – $10

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Philly Sketchfest Opening Night Show #2Philly Sketchfest 2016 – Youth Large + Dog Mountain + Peggylouloulouloulou by Amanda Xeller
The Ruba Club 416 Green Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Thursday, March 31st – Doors at 8:15pm and Show at 8:30pm / Tickets – $10

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Philly Sketchfest Opening Night Show #3Philly Sketchfest 2016 – Sweetish + House of Solitude + Bye Bye Liver
The Ruba Club 416 Green Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Thursday, March 31st – Doors at 9:45pm and Show at 10:00pm / Tickets – $10

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Old To BeginPhilly Sketchfest 2016 – ‘Old To Begin’ a Sketch Comedy Cover Show
The Ruba Club 416 Green Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Thursday, March 31st – Show at 11:00pm / Tickets – PAY WHAT YOU WILL/FREE

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Can’t wait to see everyone tonight. Don’t forget about all our shows and workshops! – Brian, Curt, and Ben!

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Sketch Comedy in Philadelphia – February 1st through February 7th

Happy February 2016 everyone! We’re absolutely thrilled February is here because that means that in a few short weeks, we’ll be announcing the line-up of performers, workshops and panels taking place at Philly Sketchfest 2016, March 31st through April 3rd. If you haven’t heard, we’ve extended our submission deadline by 48 hours making today the final day to get your sketch group in on the festivities. But that’s not all we’re up to in February as Philly Sketchfest is also presenting two new sketch showcases! Both shows take place on Friday, February 19th with our 8:30pm showcase featuring sketch from Spirit Animal & The Flat Earth who will performing their sets from the 2016 Chicago Sketchfest with stand-up from Alyssa Al-Dookhi. Then at 10:00pm it’s a brand new set of sketch from The Prince entitled, ‘Whole Human, Whole Horse’ directed by Maggy Keegan with stand-up from Joe Bell.

Philly Sketchfest is also a proud sponsor of the 2016 Bechdel Test Fest celebrating Philadelphia’s women and trans comedians at the Christ Church Neighborhood House. You can find out about all the sketch groups performing in it after the break…

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Sketch Comedy in Philadelphia – January 25th through January 31st

This is a reminder that you have until January 31st to apply to Philly Sketchfest 2016! If you’d like to sign up please click on this link and get to submitting your incredible sketch group! Then check out all the sketch in Philadelphia for this week…

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Sketch Comedy in Philadelphia – January 18th through January 24th

We were delighted to see the news from Toronto this morning that three sketch groups from Philadelphia made it into the 2016 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Please join us in congratulating The Flat Earth, The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie, and Jon & Ian Have Something To Tell You on their acceptance and then check out the full list of sketch groups participating here. Those of us in Philly won’t have to wait until March to see Jon & Ian though. In fact, you won’t have to wait more than 72 hours and you can find out where to see them along with all of the other sketch in Philadelphia below…

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2015 Year In Review – Courtney Painter of Barbara Bush and Dog Mountain

This week Philly Sketchfest will be taking a look back at the year 2015 through the eyes of the writers, performers, directors and producers that make sketch comedy in Philadelphia a reality. Every single day of the week, you will find Courtney Painter living and breathing comedy in Philadelphia. She writes and performs with the ‘first ladies of comedy’ in Barbara Bush and this year, was asked to join PHIT Sketch House Team Dog Mountain as both a performer and writer. She’s the lead house manager at PHIT and wrote multiple shows for the Black Friday Comedy Marathon including a sketch show written with the children she takes care as a daytime Nanny along with writing partner, Jolie Darrow. And to think it all started just over a year ago, with a submission to sketch comedy game show, Iron Sketch offering to be in as many groups as we would allow her to work with. She’s that driven and it’s not just talk; Courtney simply does. You can see Courtney tomorrow night with Dog Mountain and the rest of the ‘first ladies of comedy’ in Barbara Bush, on New Year’s Day, as they perform their first sketches of 2016 at our Sketch Hangover! In the meantime, please enjoy Courtney’s look back at Philly sketch in 2015…

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2015 Year In Review – Nicole Yates of DidjaEat? and Fighting Burrito Comedy

This week Philly Sketchfest will be taking a look back at the year 2015 through the eyes of the writers, performers, directors and producers that make sketch comedy in Philadelphia a reality. Nicole Yates is a stand-up comedian, co-creator of the Black Friday Comedy Marathon at Philly Improv Theater (PHIT) and since 2010, the host of the popular ‘foodie’ blog and podcast, DidjaEat?. It would be an understatement to note that Nicole is a fan of sketch comedy. She has been instrumental in not only bringing Philadelphia stand-up and sketch comedians together but also their audiences. Whether she’s performing stand-up as an opener at sketch shows or featuring sketch writer/performers as guests on her Fighting Burrito Comedy shows, we’re extremely thankful for her support of sketch comedy as part of the Philadelphia comedy community. And if we know Nicole, she’ll likely in attendance tomorrow night, on New Year’s Day, to see 17 Philadelphia-based sketch groups perform their first sketch of 2016 at our Sketch Hangover! In the meantime, please enjoy Nicole’s look back at Philly sketch in 2015…

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2015 Year In Review – Joe Moore of Dog Mountain & Guilty Pleasures

This week Philly Sketchfest will be taking a look back at the year 2015 through the eyes of the writers, performers, directors and producers that make sketch comedy in Philadelphia a reality. Joe Moore is the head writer of PHIT Sketch House Team, Dog Mountain, the host of the ‘Best of Philadelphia‘ award winning Guilty Pleasures, best friends with Regional Child Star, Chucky McMelonmeyer, and one our favorite human beings on Earth. Joe is looked forward to. On-stage, he pairs quick wit with earnest portrayals of a characters motivations or decisions, adding so much more to the words on the page and translating all of it through performance in a matter of seconds. In the writer’s room, he has an innate ability to both ask and answer the questions needed to break mediocre sketches and build them to something memorably unique and special. In total, Joe appreciates both high brow and low brow comedy, is devoid of hubris, brings people together and we are forever thankful for that. Whether he’s working on his own ideas or helping out everyone else, amazing things result from his involvement. You can see Joe and Dog Mountain this Friday night, on New Year’s Day, when they perform their first sketch of 2016 at our Sketch Hangover! Until then, please enjoy Joe Moore’s 2015 sketch year in review…