Fifth annual comedy festival opens on June 11th
New York, April 30, 2009 – SketchFest NYC is pleased to announce the full schedule for this year’s fifth anniversary Festival. SketchFest NYC will run June 11-13, 2009 at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (307 West 26th St, NYC).
Thirty-four different groups from around North America will converge on the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on June 11th, June 12th, and June 13th. Each night, New York audiences will experience the absolute best sketch comedy from Canada, Portland, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York City itself.
As part of the fifth anniversary celebration of SketchFest NYC, there will be the following Featured Shows:
Kevin McDonald’s Hammy & The Kids – A one man exploration of working with the Kids in the Hall, and coping with an alcoholic father. Warning: there is singing in this show and Kevin cannot sing. We repeat, Kevin cannot sing.
Inside Joke: An Evening of Lies – Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall) chats one on one with Carl Arnheiter about his work. It may not all be true.
The College Humor Show – The cast and crew of MTV’s The College Humor Show discuss what it takes to go from a sketch comedy based website, to a half hour television show… And what’s next.
Striking Viking Story Pirates – SketchFest NYC presents its first ever kids show. This hit New York theater company adapts short, musical sketches based on stories written by elementary schoolers. Ice Cream will be served.
The Story Pirates present Found Magazine – Sketch group the Story Pirates has teamed up with NPR favorite Found Magazine to present a special preview of their new show based entirely on real letters and objects people find on the street (or elsewhere).
The Rejection Show – Recently featured on The Today Show, host Jon Friedman shows you the best material that “never made it,” in this all sketch edition.
Olde English presents Very Fresh – In this late-night variety show, UCB favorites Olde English present never before seen, all new material, and force their guest sketch groups to do the same.
The last four years of the Festival have been a huge success, featuring over seventy-five different sketch comedy groups from across North America, sold-out shows, standing ovations, and industry attendance from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, MTV, VH1, Fuse, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land/Nick at Nite, Discovery Channel, Just For Laughs, Miramax, Tribeca Films, William Morris, ICM and many more.
Since 1999, SketchFests have been popping up all over the country. Along with the original festival in Seattle, annual SketchFests are held in Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto.
As with other SketchFests, SketchFest NYC is dedicated to promoting the art of sketch comedy. Sketch comedy, which is different from improv and stand-up, consists of short written scenes, rehearsed beforehand, usually presented by a group of people that can range in size from one to twenty. In recent years, the definition has expanded to include the explosion of comedy groups creating short films, and distributing them online.
SketchFest NYC is sponsored by The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, UCBComedy.com, Back Stage, AMC, The Onion, Red Bull, The Sound of Young America, The Apiary, Rejected: Tales of the Failed Dumped and Canceled, and more to be announced.
SketchFest NYC is produced by Alexander Zalben, with Shayna Ferm, Kimmy Gatewood, Alex Goldberg, Jason Kalter, Chris O’Connor, Jon Pack, Nate Sloan, and Marni Zalben. For more information, please visit the festival website at SketchFestNYC.com.
What
- SketchFest NYC
Where
- Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (307 W 26th St, NYC)
Schedule
Thursday, June 11
- 7pm: Blitzkrieg + Sidecar, Featuring College Humor TV
- 8pm: Team Submarine + Kurt & Kristen, Featuring Front Page Films
- 9pm: The Apple Sisters
- 10pm: Rue Brutalia
- 11pm: A Week of Kindness + Murderfist, Featuring The Imponderables
- Midnight: Olde English presents Very Fresh
Friday, June 12
- 7pm: BriTANick
- 8pm: The Money Kids + Pangea 3000, Featuring Scott Gairdner
- 9pm: Harvard Sailing Team + The Riot Act, Featuring Escape Pod Films
- 10pm: The 3rd Floor
- 11pm: Kevin McDonald’s Hammy and the Kids
- Midnight: The Rejection Show
Saturday, June 13
- Noon: Striking Viking Story Pirates
- 2pm: The College Humor Show
- 4pm: Inside Joke: An Evening of Lies
- 6pm: Free Love Forum + BOF, Featuring BriTANick
- 7pm: The Story Pirates present Found Magazine + The New Exc!tement, Featuring Scott Gairdner
- 8pm: Steve & Jordan
- 9pm: Summer of Tears
- 10pm: Elephant Larry
- 11pm: Fearsome
- Midnight: SketchFest NYC’s Closing Night Craptacular
See Also:
SketchFestNYC.com
