This two-month showcase of Chicago sketch comedy features more than 30 local ensembles–some well established, some new to the scene–representing a remarkable range of styles and viewpoints, with two or three groups sharing the bill at each performance according to the schedule below. Participating troupes include Stir-Friday Night!, Annoyance Productions, Weaselicious, Brick, ÁSalsation!, GayCo Productions, Teenage Sports Parade, and many others; the festival is presented by Posin’ at the Bar. Sketch Fest runs January 12 through March 2 at the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont. Performances are Thursdays at 7 PM, Fridays-Saturdays at 7 and 9:30 PM, and Sundays at 6 PM. Admission is $18 per show, $26 for a Friday or Saturday double bill, and $75 for a festival pass. For reservations, call 773-327-5252.
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The all-female comedy group Sirens presents Chicken Scratch, a program of character-based improvisation. “Most improv troupes use audience suggestions, but the Sirens have invented their own form. Each of the nine women has a binder filled with monologues she’s written and that no other ensemble member has seen. She picks one, reads it in character, and her cohorts offer several sketches riffing on the underlying themes. . . . The monologues are hit-and-miss. . . . But the talented ensemble twists the ideas in the monologues into fresh, exciting comedy about relationships, family, sex, and beauty. The sketches are so perfect in their specificity . . . and boast such well-realized characters that they sometimes resemble scenes from a well-written play. There are some outrageous moments . . . and many ribald ones, but they arise naturally from the characters. It turns out the Sirens are as enticing as their name suggests,” says Reader critic Jennifer Vanasco. Also on the bill is Paper Monkeys, whose show The Monkey in Winter combines live and video segments. 7 PM.
Funny Now, Monsters From the Id, and Off the Radar Productions
