The Philadelphia comedy community announces the first annual PHILLY SKETCHFEST, a collaborative festival featuring the best comedic sketch acts in Philadelphia.
The groundbreaking first PHILLY SKETCHFEST runs June 6 – 7, 2008, at the Painted Bride Arts Center at 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, with performances at 9:00 p.m. Friday, June 6th and 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7th. The lineup of performers for this year includes:
-Animosity Pierre
-Bad Hair
-Meg and Rob
-Rowan and Hastings
-Secret Pants
-The Gentlemen's Rotary Auxiliary
-The Sixth Borough
-The Waitstaff
& host Chip Chantry.
A portion of the proceeds from PHILLY SKETCHFEST will benefit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

PHILLY SKETCHFEST is the brainchild of Animosity Pierre manager Ben Maher and Pierre members Matt Lally and Dave Terruso. As active members of the Philadelphia sketch scene, these comedians have experienced the growth of comedy in the city firsthand.

"There are dozens of talented sketch performers in Philadelphia and their fan base is growing," said Terruso. "The festival brings them together like never before, and gives audiences the opportunity to see the great comedic talent this city has to offer."

Sketch comedy has strong roots in Philadelphia, with shows like Die Actor Die, Bedtime Stories, and Philly Improv Theater presented regularly throughout the city.
The sketch groups performing in PHILLY SKETCHFEST have been entertaining Philadelphia audiences for years.
PHILLY SKETCHFEST marks the first time eight of these premiere sketch groups will perform on the same stage. Each sketch group brings its own style to the festival, creating a collaboration certain to keep audiences on their toes. Utilizing live music, multimedia, and a roster of ridiculous yet relatable characters, the groups turn a spotlight on the absurdity of life.

PHILLY SKETCHFEST will make a donation to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Additionally, festival performers and their supporters will participate in the “Taking Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis” walk on May 31, 2008, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

      ALL PHILLY SKETCHFEST shows
              Painted Bride Art Center
                        230 Vine St.
                    Philadelphia, PA
          PAINTED BRIDE WEBSITE

PHILLY SKETCHFEST PRODUCERS

Matt Lally: A founding member of ANIMOSITY PIERRE, Matt is responsible for creating most of the group's signs and handmade props (a bomb made of duct tape, for instance). He is also the director and editor of the group's video skits and short films, and draws all the pictures for their "animations". ANIMOSITY PIERRE's shorts earned them the third place prize in the 2007 Project Breakout Comedy Competition. Their pilot for their animated series The Inventionors was a finalist in the 2007 XBox Live Originals Contest , and was screened at the New York Television Festival.

Ben Maher: A comedy veteran of well over a decade, Ben has managed COBB's Comedy Club in San Francisco, and HELIUM Comedy Club in Philadelphia. He now has his own talent management company, SUNSET ENTERTAINMENT, and his clients include Roger Weaver and this year's performers ANIMOSITY PIERRE & CHIP CHANTRY. He is supported in PHILLY SKETCHFEST and life in general by his beautiful wife Julie and awesome son David. Oh, yeah, and Bingo.

Dave Terruso: A founding member of ANIMOSITY PIERRE, Dave pens most of the group's skits and plays Pierre himself onstage. In addition to his work with Pierre, Dave is also a novelist and screenwriter who was a finalist in the 2006 Set In Philadelphia Screenplay Contest. He is currently working on a novel called Cube Sleuth.