Setting up camp in all four theaters at the Stage 773 complex on Belmont, the annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival returns for its 11th edition with a whopping 162 performances by 138 troupes.
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Sketchfest came from the brain of Brian Posen, who still produces it. He’s also artistic director of Stage 773, program head at Second City Training Center, and a member of the Reader‘s 2008 pick for best Chicago sketch group, Cupid Players, which will perform on both of the fest’s two weekends (Sat 1/7 and 1/14, 8 PM). Novelty folk duo Gretchen & Regina—described by Reader contributor Brian Costello as offering a “rather silly, charming parody of Lilith Fair fare”—also pull double-weekend duty (Sun 1/8 and 1/15, 4 PM), as do the folks from Gayco Productions (Sat 1/7 and 1/14, 7 PM).
The fest also presents Kids, Teens, and Family programming on Sat 1/7, during the 1 and 2 PM slots: six shows by groups with a better-than-usual excuse for catering to the juvenile sense of humor. Some of those groups are even made up of juveniles. Code Red Vines (1 PM) features nine- to 13-year-olds, while S Cubed (2 PM) is a posse of students from York Community High in Elmhurst.
Opens Thu 1/5. Through 1/15: Thu 8, 9, and 10 PM, Fri 8, 9, 10, and 11 PM, Sat 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 PM, Sun 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 PM, Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, 773-327-5252, stage773.com or chicagosketchfest.com, $12-$13, festival pass $150.
