Chicago Sketch Fest

Lukaba Productions has announced its performers and workshops for The 6th Annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. The festival will be held January 4th – 14th, 2007 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont. The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (Chicago SketchFest) is the largest sketch comedy festival in the nation. Similar to previous years, the festival will showcase performances by more than 100 sketch comedy groups over a two-week period. While many of the participating groups are Chicago-based, the festival also includes groups from across the country and around the world.

SketchFest troupes will be able to perform for and receive feedback from a guest panel of experts during “MasterSketch” workshops on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. The distinguished panel includes: stage and screen star/director Harold Ramis; vice president of Second City, Kelly Leonard; Annoyance Theater founder and award-winning director, Mick Napier; Second City Mainstage performer/director and screen actor, Ron West; Second City Mainstage performer, TJ Jagedowski; head of the writing program of the Second City Training Center, Mary Scruggs, and others. Additionally, the “Octasketch” workshop on Monday, January 8th will feature one director from each of the four main Chicago comedy institutions: The Second City's Pat O'Brien, iO!'s Colleen Murray, Annoyance Theater's Mark Sutton and Comedy Sportz' Matt Elwell.

“We are excited to bring to Chicago the best sketch comedy in the nation,” says Executive Producer Brian Posen. “We'll feature favorite Chicago performers, like Heavyweight, The Cupid Players, Blaire, Ragdolls, Your Little Ponies, and Sketchcore – to name a few – and out-of-state crowd pleasers, such as New York's Elephant Larry, San Francisco's Kasper Hauser, and Canada's Ms. Chickaburns. We will also debut some up-and-coming-performers from Chicago and around the world. We are proud to offer audiences a chance to see a variety of the best sketch comedy in the nation all under one roof.”

Sketch comedy, which consists of short, satirical scripted scenes, is especially popular in Chicago, home of The Second City and other sketch training and performance institutions. Chicago lays claim to dozens of sketch comedy groups, both established troupes and newcomers to the scene.

This year's performers hail from New York, Milwaukee, Cleveland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington state, Toronto and Vancouver. When asked what audience goers can expect to experience at the festival, Posen replied, “You can expect high-quality sketch comedy from the political to the absurd to the down-right silly. All of it funny and worth the price of admission.”

The participating troupes and full performance schedule are available on-line at www.chicagosketchfest.com. Performances will take place Thursdays through Sundays in all three venue spaces with up to 18 groups performing each day.

Tickets for The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival are presently on sale. Individual show tickets are $12; one-night passes are available, as well as a limited number of festival passes. For ticket information, call Theatre Building Chicago's box office: 773.327.5252 or visit TBC online: www.theatrebuildingchicago.org or Ticketmaster: 312.559.1212, www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information about The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, please visit www.chicagosketchfest.com.