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 2016The 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.
Now please enjoy this week’s listings, with special attention for the May 20th Philly Sketchfest Presents Showcase at The Adrienne Theater Playground!
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…
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…
In three short weeks, Philadelphia-based writer and performer Cynthia Marie will be updating her artist bio to Wisconsin-based writer and performer. That’s right, as far as she’s concerned it’s ‘good-bye forever, Philadelphia!’ But before she departs, Cynthia is putting up one final show entitled, ‘And Stay Out – The Art Of Overstaying Your Welcome’, an anthology of sketch comedy inspired and written for National Sketch Writing Month (which challenges comedy writers to write a new sketch every day for thirty consecutive days). Featuring performances from Quinton Alexander, Katie Cwirko, Andrea Duffy, Kristopher Hodge and Cynthia Marie, this one-night only event takes place this Friday night at 10:30pm as part of Philly Sketchfest Presents December showcase with sketch group, Until Pluto and stand-up comedian, Alex Pearlman. Earlier this week, we spoke with Cynthia Marie to talk about her influences, writing a new sketch every day for 30 days and leaving Philadelphia for Wisconsin…
We hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving this past weekend. For those of you that also enjoyed The Black Friday Comedy Marathon, we hope you were able to catch up on your sleep. Most especially the hosts of the entire 38 hour marathon Hey, We’re Cool, our first featured sketch show of the week. Also this week, Monologues and Brought To You By at PHIT, and The Mean Wendy Band at The Comedy Show Gates.
Last week the Pope visited the city of Philadelphia. We we warned what would happen to the city. We were told we could leave while there was still time. Then reality set in… there would be no sketch shows while the Papal was in town. With a lack of sketch comedy entertainment, it wasn’t long before the city was torn asunder. Pandemonium reigned with chaos replacing all law and order. The children, covered in the blood of their fallen elders, wept when instead, they should have been validating the existence of sketch writers and performers with their laughter. To the survivors, to those returning, to those who have lost, please enjoy the following sketch shows as we move forward, forever changed by a week with no sketch shows.
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< > Hey, We’re Cool – We Got Drunk and Wrote a Show Thursday, October 1st – 8pm / L’etage – 624 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 / $5 at the door Hey, We’re CoolIf nothing else, Hey, We’re Cool prides themselves on their professionalism. So when they said “Let’s get, like, sloppy drunk and then write a show, and then we have to stick to whatever we wrote for that show, no matter how weird or uninterpretable the ideas are,” they did exactly that.
Promising a bizarre collection of ideas, drunkenly written weeks ago that are now simply bad decisions performed weeks after they drunkenly made them, Hey, We’re Cool has both thrown the gauntlet down and subsequently picked it back up. Drunkly written and soberly performed by Quinton Alexander, Matt Aukamp, Jacquie Baker, Kev Ketner, Chris McGrail, Pat Reber and Matthew Schmid.
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< > People of Interest – Two Year Anniversary Show Thursday, October 1st – 10:30pm / PHIT – 2030 Sansom St. (2nd Floor), Phila, PA 19103 / Tix $8-$10 After you’re finished laughing at Hey, We’re Cool, why not give The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie a ride across town to Philly Improv Theater (PHIT) so you can watch them perform together in People of Interest! Host Ryan T. Barlow conducts NPR-style interviews with characters created and performed by local comedians. However, the performers have no idea who they will be portraying until they arrive on stage. This month, People of Interest celebrates its two-year anniversary and Ryan T. Barlow will interviewing comedy duos from Philadelphia including sketch duo, The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie and Improv duos, Proper Dodgy (Rachel Semigran & Lizzie Spellman), Mishegas (Mike Marbach & Kristen Schier) and Something Simple with Alex (Gross) & Frank (Farrell).
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< > Monologues at PHIT + Brought To You By… Friday, October 2nd at 9pm / PHIT – 2030 Sansom St. (2nd Floor), Phila, PA 19103 / Tix $10-$12One hour, two shows.Filmed sketch offers groups an ability to reach audiences outside their locale while also opening up creative opportunities not available in a live format. However, the ability to receive immediate feedback from an audience is otherwise absent. That’s where Brought To You By… fills the gap, premiering new filmed sketches from Philadelphia-area groups in front of a live audience. Hosted & curated by Casey Hogan, Peter Szekeres, and Alex Coffey, the trio also integrate live material in-between videos. This month, videos from Patric Ciervo (Patric Writes Sketches), Andrew Sigwart, and Paul Triggiani (Secret Pants/The Flat Earth).
< > If you’re a comedian with an inclination to film and edit your material, email [email protected] to inquire about having your video featured as part of an upcoming show.
After that, it’s Monologues hosted & curated by Dru Kramcsak. This month’s performers include Kathryn Amrhein (Barbara Bush), Jacquie Baker (The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie), Josh Higham, Billy Kontostergios, Shelia Masters, Jon Plester (Jon & Ian Have Something To Tell You), Charlie Shulman (People Say I’m Sketchy) and host, Dru Kramcsak.
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< > Know about an upcoming sketch show? Want us to tell people about it? Send your listing to [email protected].
Now please enjoy this week’s listings, with special attention for the May 20th Philly Sketchfest Presents Showcase at The Adrienne Theater Playground!
Then 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”.
