SketchFest Seattle, the world’s original sketch comedy festival, comes roaring back with a brand new festival for 2017.
This year, SketchFest will bring the best sketch comedians from around the U.S. and Canada and pair them with local favorites.
And if that weren’t enough, SketchFest presents the return of the Comedy Film Challenge: 12 short films, three celebrity guest judges, two cash prizes, and one incredibly funny evening. So buy your tickets today!
Schedule
Thursday, September 21 | 7:00 pm
Pocket Theater | 8312 Greenwood Ave. N
$10 Online | $14 at the door
Featuring:
• Aurora
• Your Cousins
• Time Bath
Friday, September 22 | 7:00 pm
Annex Theatre | 1100 E. Pike St.
$15 General Admission | $10 Students
Featuring:
• Dylan Cole
• Day Job
• Success 5000
Friday, September 22 | 9:30 pm
Annex Theatre | 1100 E. Pike St.
$15 General Admission | $10 Students
Featuring:
• Rachel Walls
• Maple Daddies
• Becca Schall
Saturday, September 23 | 7:00 pm
Annex Theatre | 1100 E. Pike St.
$15 General Admission | $10 Students
Featuring:
• Abraham Tadesse
• Jason & Spike
• Good Game
Saturday, September 23 | 9:30 pm
Annex Theatre | 1100 E. Pike St.
$15 General Admission | $10 Students
Featuring:
• Tambre Massman
• Evidence of a Snuggle
• Totally Real Friends
Performer Bios
Always Be Clothing (Seattle)
Always Be Clothing
Sunday, 9/10 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
A new group made up primarily of Seattle improv veterans, Always Be Clothing pokes fun a classic cinema moments.
Buy tickets to see Always Be Clothing
Aurora (Seattle)
Aurora
Thursday, 9/21 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Aurora is a one woman, free loving goddess of a sketch group. Aurora feels that love has no boundaries and she expresses that through music and introspective musings. She wants to bring people together through love, family, friends, and animals alike. Aurora hopes to intertwine her soul with everyone else’s soul and that they get stuck together, like two dogs making love.
Bigprov (Seattle)
Bigprov
Sunday, 9/10 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Dylan Cole (stand-up)
Dylan Cole
Friday, 9/22 | 7:00pm
Annex Theatre
Fresh from the inter-section of Geek and Sexy, Dylan Cole has been dazzling audiences across the western U.S. with his pop culture references, high energy performances, & ability to translate nerdy concepts into everyday English. Like a wandering minstrel with modern technology, Dylan is sure to win you over with a charisma that could only come from the future.
Day Job (Seattle)
Day Job
Friday, 9/22 | 7:00pm
Annex Theatre
Caitie Auld, Kara O’Connor and Molly Tellers combine forces in sketch comedy and wine drinking. They hope Meryl Streep can make the show.
Drop the Root Beer and Run (Seattle)
Drop the Root Beer and Run
Friday, 9/15 | 8:30pm
Pocket Theater
Drop The Root Beer And Run has been peddling it’s bizarre absurdity to the Seattle comedy scene since 2011 and has performed in SketchFest Seattle, Improlympia, LA Improv Fest, The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, Bumbershoot and Vancouver Sketchfest. Featuring members from Love Snack, Smat and Babyfin, DTRBAR is celebration of dark whimsy that will crawl inside your heart and lay eggs.
Buy tickets to see Drop The Root Beer And Run
Evidence of a Snuggle (Seattle)
Evidence of a Snuggle
Saturday, 9/23 | 9:30pm
Annex Theatre
Evidence of a Snuggle is a showcase of sketch comedy about the trappings of modern romance in an urban setting.
Buy tickets to see Evidence of a Snuggle
Good Game (Toronto)
Good Game
Saturday, 9/23 | 7:00pm
Annex Theatre
Good Game is a sketch comedy trio known for their variety style act. They combine sketch, character(s), song, monologue, dialogue, trialogue and travelogue into one fast-paced comedy show. In 2007 – Nick, David, and Craig met in high school and the three of them started performing sketches at school talent shows and open mics. They created the group Good Game, and in the 10 years since have become embedded in the Canadian sketch comedy scene. They are perennial favorites at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, and recently made an appearance at the NYC Sketch Comedy Festival. This year for their 10th anniversary, Good Game’s touring across North America showcasing their best material.
Half Sister (Seattle)
Half Sister
Friday, 9/15 | 10:00pm
Pocket Theater
Half Sister is an improv, sketch, and experimental theater group from Seattle, WA. Half Sister is best known for Tattprov, which features one member getting a real tattoo, live onstage, based on audience suggestion.
Buy tickets to see Half Sister
Jason & Spike (Seattle)
Jason & Spike
Saturday, 9/23 | 7:00pm
Annex Theatre
“Jason & Spike” are Jason Miller and Spike Friedman. We focused-grouped ampersand vs. ‘and’ extensively and found that our primary demographic, entitled millennials, really gravitate toward special characters. We’re going to A/B test @Jason starting in fourth quarter of 2017.
Spike brings the prestige of being a Stranger writer, former Grantlander, and LA resident. Jason brings the indie cred of not doing anything else of note.
Buy tickets to see Jason & Spike
Look Both Ways (Seattle)
Look Both Ways
Friday, 9/15 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Look Both Ways was formed in 2016, when best friends Emily Rychlick and Grace Penzell decided they wanted to perform in the first annual QueerFest at the Pocket Theater. As queer women, they wanted to challenge themselves to write sketches that would be both relatable to fellow queers ~and~ funny to the general public. With a strong reliance on musical accompaniment, the duo dove into QueerFest head first, and were rewarded with great reception! Look Both Ways also performed at this year’s Sketch Month at the Pocket, this time with some new material in the mix! The pair have been creating comedy together for over five years, and hope to bring their wiry, physical, and unapologetically queer sketches to the stage again for Sketchfest 2017!.
Buy tickets to see Look Both Ways
Mad Gravity (Seattle)
Mad Gravity
Friday, 9/15 | 8:30pm
Pocket Theater
Roommates. Buds. Partners in mischief and silly whims. Mad Gravity is an originally Connecticut-based but now Seattle-based sketch comedy duo comprised of Kayla Teel and Matthew Joseph.
Buy tickets to see Mad Gravity
Maple Daddies (Seattle)
Maple Daddies
Friday, 9/22 | 9:30pm
Annex Theatre
Buy tickets to see Maple Daddies
Tambre Massman
Saturday, 9/123 | 9:30pm
Annex Theatre
Tambre Massman is a Seattle based stand up comedian and artist. She’s best known for being an unapologetic feminist who’s overdressed for every occasion. Check out her origami accessories line on Etsy.
Troy Mink (Seattle)
Troy Mink
Sunday, 9/17 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Troy has been performing in Seattle since 1993 beginning with Unexpected Productions in the Market Theater doing various forms of comedy improv & eventually began doing character work exclusively developing formats such as “Carlotta’s Late Night Wing Ding” (which ran from 1997 – 2007 & was scouted by both HBO & Comedy Central).
Mischief (Seattle)
Mischief
Sunday, 9/10 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Mischief was born of the great Sketch Summit of 2017, when Lily Cohen, Matt Gawloski, Darrin Schultz, and Grace Penzell were invited to unite and produce a set for Sketch Month at the Pocket Theater. Under the tutelage of the esteemed Jeffrey Lloyd Nickels, the group began to write and scheme, goofing their way across the frontier ’til they began to strike comedic gold! They debuted their set at the Pocket in May with great reception, and came in 3rd place at the SketchFest Fund Fight! Their love for fun, clever, and just plain devious comedy led them to their name. Mischief persists, and they are ready to pull from their veritable vault of sketchy treasures to show you what new tricks they have up their sleeves!
Becca Schall (NYC)
Becca Schall
Friday, 9/22 | 9:30pm
Annex Theatre
Are you a wise old janitor with reflections on life you’d like to share? Or a choir geek who made a puppet to look just like your crush from geometry class? Well, go somewhere else because we’ve already got those people here! Spend a day at the Hubert H. Humphrey School, and you just might learn something, or you probably won’t. One Day. One School. Six Characters. Zero Cool. Written and performed by Becca Schall.
Sleepover (Seattle)
Sleepover
Friday, 9/15 | 10:00pm
Pocket Theater
Sleepover is comprised of Alex Blackstone, Kristopher Gray, and Justina Kolb. The three met in, you guessed it, improv class, and all gravitate toward the dark and absurd. They’ve been writing and performing together for two years, and had their first hour long show in November 2016. Most recently, they performed during Sketch Month at the Pocket Theater.
Smat (Seattle)
Smat!
Sunday, 9/17 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
If you loved Sarah McKinley and Matt Olson in their sketch comedy groups Part Plant and Drop the Root Beer and Run, you’ll love to hate them as Smat! Your least favorite comedy duo has been called “a Dadaist fever dream interpretation of comedy.” Since it’s formation in 2016, Smat has horrified audiences at SketchFest Seattle, Improlympia, Chicago Sketchfest and Portland Sketchfest.
Sober Virgin (Seattle)
Sober Virgin
Friday, 9/15 | 10:00pm
Pocket Theater
Two writers/performers who met in improv class and, after almost two years together, are beginning to find their comedic voice. Still a lot of exploring to be done and farts to be expelled.
Buy tickets to see Sober Virgin
Stronger Than Love (Seattle)
Stronger Than Love
Friday, 9/15 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Stronger Than Love likes writing sketches with physical comedy, historical references, current events, callbacks, and lists. We’ve all known each other forever and are not above singing, stripping, or making out onstage.
Buy tickets to see Stronger Than Love
Success 5000 (Edmonton)
Success 5000
Friday, 9/22 | 7:00pm
Annex Theatre
Success 5000 is an Edmonton-based duo specializing in musical comedy. They have been featured on CBC’s The Irrelevant Show, toured the country, and performed in festivals such as Sled Island, Vancouver Sketch Fest, Toronto Sketch Fest, Philly Sketch Fest, and Improvaganza. They have released several albums of musical comedy, and were featured on Comedy Records’ 2017 Underdog Comedy Live album. Their music blends absurd humour with biting cynicism; reviews have noted that “their songs are layered with fun, seriousness, self deprecation, love, thoughtfulness and a fine, refreshing touch of nihilism.”
Buy tickets to see Success 5000
Abraham Tadesse
Abraham Tadesse
Thursday, 9/23 | 7:00pm
Annex Theatre
Abraham Tadesse is a stand up comedian that’s had a brief voice in NPR and performed at Bumbershoot. He’s nice.
Time Bath (Seattle)
Time Bath
Thursday, 9/21 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Time Bath is Jordan and Jeffrey, who are each established Seattle sketch comedians, working previously with Part Plant, Villains, and Fifty Percent Less Bear. Time Bath is a pretty surreal break from traditional sketch formats, using devising and dance to create thematic spectacles within their scenes. Where dialogue exists, it’s patterned and deliberate, though much of the comedy comes from storytelling and exploration through physical theater. Thematically, Time Bath is all over the map, tackling pop culture and fantasy, politics and sports, spacetime and existentialism, and most importantly, friendship. It’s a high energy, heady ride that gets audiences laughing, cheering, and giving us their shoes (which actually happened).
Totally Real Friends (LA)
Totally Real Friends
Saturday, 9/23 | 9:30pm
Annex Theatre
Totally Real Friends is a romantic comedy parody about female friendship presented through both digital and live sketches starring Katie Nathan and Jillian Dunn.
Buy tickets to see Totally Real Friends
Turbo Turkey (Seattle)
Turbo Turkey
Friday, 9/15 | 8:30pm
Pocket Theater
Turbo Turkey is a family. A family of Turkeys. We bring our ridiculous sense of humor together to put together even more ridiculous sketches. Watch as we flow through with great chemistry and creativity and make you laugh. A Lot. Turbo Turkey was established in 2009 and has grown over the years having performed twice at SketchFest, many of sketch months and improv months, Performs every third Sunday in the Grotto and has recently been seen at the Pocket theater with an A-M sketch show and two nights of Improvisation fun with Night of the Improvisor.
Buy tickets to see Turbo Turkey
Twist My Arm! (Everett)
Twist My Arm
Sunday, 9/17 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Wordy and absurdy with a side of silly accents and a dash of puppets, Twist My Arm is the lightly coercive sketch comedy you would want sitting next to you on a trans-Atlantic flight.
Buy tickets to see Twist My Arm
Villains (Seattle)
Villains
Saturday, 9/16 | 7:00pm
Central Cinema
Villains is a sketch comedy group formed in 2016. Recently you’ve seen them headlining SketchFest Seattle and selling out their Holiday Jubilee in December. Known for larger than life characters, hilarious situations, and spontaneous dance numbers.
Rachel Walls
Rachel Walls
Friday, 9/22 | 9:30pm
Annex Theatre
Rachel Walls is a standup comedian and writer in Seattle. She performed at Bumbershoot in 2014 and 2015, and was a finalist in the 4th Annual Punchline Comedy Shows Comedy Competition. In 2016, Rachel Walls was a featured performer at Bumbershoot, about which The Stranger wrote, “If you see one comic this weekend, make it Rachel Walls, whose relatively calm deadpan exterior belies a filthy sense of humor tempered with feminist sentiment and an excellent gift for one-liners.”
In December 2016 Rachel partnered with sketch and improv performer Elena Martinez to premier the holiday variety-show special, Deck the Halls with Rachel Walls. This smashing success of weirdness will be reprised in the fall of 2017.
Your Cousins (Seattle)
Your Cousins
Friday, 9/15 | 7:00pm & Thursday, 9/21 | 7:00pm
Pocket Theater
Your Cousins been writing and performing together for a little under a year. They’ve all performed in the sketch and/or improv worlds in various groups and combinations.
Buy tickets to see Your Cousins on 9/15
Buy tickets to see Your Cousins on 9/21
