Chicago Sketch Fest
chicago sketch comedy festival sketchfest annual nonprofit sketch comedy festival held chicago lakeview neighborhood stage w belmont ave world largest sketch festival featuring sketch group totaling performer roughly show throughout festival twoweekend run year sketchfest organizer projecting audience patron past sketchfest sponsor include burt bee uber red bull chipotle whole food though many local business team stage order make sketchfest happen idea sketchfest born october chicago teacherdirector brian posen wanted create venue showcase city best sketch comedy troupe provide venue upandcoming troupe free financial burden theater leased sketch group around chicago invited perform cost festival opened january ran week sketch comedy group performed nearly patron attended building success first festival chicago sketch comedy festival became annual event order considered festival interested sketch group required submit application including video material well critical review performance group must also submit resume detailing festival theyve participated theyve performed application collected midoctober within one month panel judge review application announces final lineup sketchfest hosted group time nation festival shortened ½ week panel sketch comedy expert added share knowledge performer public weekly forum put together group country could come together share information chicago sketch comedy festival expanded three theater performance ran two week attracted close patron group performed year besides panel forum new event added sketchubator octasketchthe hour project sketchubator ran saturday night midnight provided freeforall sketch group perform experimental work octasketch experiment modeled hour project four seasoned director randomly assigned five writerperformers different sketch group given hour create minute sketch show performed night festival also gained sponsorship budweiser wbez day inn kinkos national photo chicago sketchfest group week addition event writing workshop added including joe garden head writer onion john vorhausauthor comic toolbox budweiser back red bull joined sponsor new sponsor included wxrt onion whole food american airline avis chicago sketchfest officially changed name chicago sketch comedy festival patron actually called box office see festival drawing needed word comedy january marked year anniversary sketch comedy group performing artist came together perform collaborate share information event called master sketch added participating group performed scene front master industry received feedback master first year chipotle signed sponsor festival one shy group approximately performer hit patron octasketch entered th year honored four major comedy institution second city io annoyance comedysportz supply director created specific style sam adam came board sponsor th year group signed lou malnatis pizza new sponsor festival added childrens programming sketch kid sketch kid sketch educating kid childrens programming expanded festival mark year anniversary chicago sketch comedy festival official site chicago sketch comedy festival archived wayback machine