JESUS CHRIST! I first wrote this article in 2020. When I was just getting ready to push it live, BAM! Cases started spiking hard, and the 2021 SF Sketchfest was moved to 2022. In late 2021, I revised this AGAIN; luckily, most of the events stayed the same. And right as I was about to post this for 2022… I got an email from SF Sketchfest’s publicist saying the whole thing was moved again… To 2023!
I’m overjoyed that they managed to keep much of the same line-up and in approximately the same order! It saved me a lot of time and effort. They’ve even added a few new events to the mix that I’m pretty excited about, even though it meant I had to actually write more. Even better- they are live-streaming select events, which is great for folks that don’t like going places! So, without further ado, I present to you the 2021, I mean 2023, Nerd’s Guide To SF Sketchfest! Which is the 20th SF Sketchfest, I might add!
Friday, January 20th
Sh*t Arcade at Pianofight Mainstage
The MST3K model is a great format for a comedy show. We’ve seen it used in the Bay Area for both Powerpoint Presentations and the Super Bowl. So it was only a matter of time before we’d get a full-fledged Twitch show where comedians riff on video games while playing them. This brings us to your Friday night at Pianofight! Host Mike Drucker will enjoy letting Brian Altano, Stella Chung, Henry Gilbert, James Mwaura, Jalisa Robinson and Max Scoville mock themselves and the artists and engineers that worked hard to let you escape the trauma of life via video game.
For: Video Game Nerds
Saturday, January 21st
A Very Special Evening with Viva Variety! At The Great Star Theater (LIVESTREAM TICKETS HERE!)
For the first time since 2011, the legendary variety show, Viva Variety!, will make a return to the live stage! Your original hosts, Meredith Laupin and the former Mrs (Agatha) Laupin, alongside their cool-ass pal Johnny Blue Jeans, will take you back to being 12 years old and enjoying your parents’ stolen cable to be one of 7 people in the universe watching Comedy Central’s first original series. This thing is weirder than The State or Stella, other programs from the same team.
For: 90’s TV Nerds
Mental Health Comedy Hour at Brava Studio
If there is anything we’ve picked up from the pandemic, it’s that our collective mental health is as important to protect as our physical health. And that we are absolutely shit at protecting either in this country. Tonight at Brava Studio, we get a rare glimpse into the minds of several comics, openly discussing their own mental health struggles and hopefully inspiring a few folks to explore their own. Hosted by Wonder Dave and Kristee Ono, with guests Lola Anathema, Kari Burt, and Ja-Ron Young.
For: Mental Health Nerds, I guess?
Sunday, January 22nd
Lottie Platchett Took A Hatchett… at Gateway Theater
Whoa! It’s a legit play about an Edwardian-era murder! We all know the rhyme about Lottie Platchett, but do we know the real story? Probably not. I also don’t know if this is the real story, but it should be funny. At least I hope so?
For: True Crime Nerds, who I believe we call “Murderinos” these days.
Tuesday, January 24th
Select Thine Own Journey… A Drag Show at Gateway Theater
I will note- when I first wrote this blurb way back in 2020, this was called Choose Your Own Adventure… A Drag Show. Things have changed since then, but I’m far too lazy to rewrite this:
Once I went to an improv show, and they asked for suggestions based on “book genre.” I shouted, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” and I simply got a sideways grimace, followed by a “Really?!?!”. I still haven’t gotten my live “Choose Your Own Adventure” experience… UNTIL NOW! Thank you, SF drag heroes Franzia Kafka and Piranha, aka Media Meltdown, for finally letting me live this dream.
For: YA Literature Nerds
Thursday, January 26th
Michael Winslow with Richard Sarvate at Cobb’s Comedy Club
The most talented Police Academy recruit is returning to SF Sketchfest to do his own headlining show. The king of the mouth-based sound effect will show off how truly magical he is in a small enough space that he could, in fact, get some spit on you. So, make sure you’ve got a good N95 and your booster for this show.
For: Sound Effect Nerds, Beat Box Historians
Friday, January 27th
Stop Joking For 100 Years (and Other Requests From My Kids) at Swedish American Hall
I have a toddler. My toddler is fantastic and only makes entirely rational requests. I hear that’s not exactly the norm. Tonight Bobcat Goldthwait, Janeane Garofalo, Dana Gould, Eugene Mirman, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Baron Vaughn are all telling stories about parenting, all with the singular, distinct mission of proving that my kid actually IS the best kid ever.
For: Parenting Nerds
Smug Shift at Gateway Theater
Moshe Kasher and Brett Weinbach both used to live in Oakland. Smug Shift was a show they would do in Oakland. Both of them moved to LA, and when they decided to bring back Smug Shift, they decided to do it in fucking San Francisco like they were too good to come back to the actual greatest city in the world. I would be pissed, but they’ve snagged Demi Adejuyigbe, aka the September guy, and he’s a gift to mankind, so all is well.
For: Oakland Nerds. But real Oakland nerds. The kind that has definitely gotten mugged after drunkenly eating ¼ lb Giant Burger at 3 am.
Fred Armisen Residency: Comedy For Bass Players (But Everyone’s Invited) at Great American Music Hall
Yup. That says “residency.” Armisen will also perform at this same venue on 1/27 and 1/29. And he’s on the fourth iteration of the show he does best: a very nerdy and specific comedy show for musicians. In this case, he’s concentrating on bass players and bringing a different bassist each night. If the spread for 2019’s Comedy For Guitarists is any clue (country singer/songwriter Brad Paisley, jazz avant-gardist Bill Frisell and paisley underground / Bangles legend Vicki Peterson), I have no idea who he’s gonna bring. I just know they’ll be good.
For: Music Nerds, Obviously. But like, folks that go deep in the weeds of technique
Saturday, January 28th
The 6 Year Anniversary of the 10 Year Anniversary of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival at Great Star Theater
Many years ago, someone decided to dub the hyper-surreal, intellectual comedy “Alt Comedy.” Really, it was a precursor to what would become the brand of humor that Gen-Z’ers would embrace as, simply, “comedy.” It was proof that you could be edgy without punching down. It was a world where things could be funny without hurting anyone. And, most importantly, you could really dig in hard with your weirdness, and people would only love you more for it. This is the comedy show for folks who think releasing a record as a chair is brilliant. The great Eugene Mirman is treating you to comedy greats Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Sarah Vowell, and Reggie Watts at this show.
For: Nerds who read The New Yorker from front to back and submit something for the caption contest every week.
Sunday, January 29th
SF Sketchfest Tribute to Laraine Newman at Gateway Theater
For years, the good folks at SF Sketchfest have booked Laraine Newman to appear as a performer, showing off how great she is. But her historical significance has always been overlooked a bit. FINALLY, they are giving this groundbreaking comedian and actress her own tribute. Paying homage to Newman this evening will be Dana Gould, Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, Fred Armisen, and Cole Stratton.
For: Sketch Comedy Nerds, TV History Nerds
Tuesday, January 31st
SF Sketchfest Tribute to Cheech & Chong: 50th Anniversary Celebration with Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong in conversation with Ben Fong-Torres at Sydney Goldstein Theater
I honestly don’t know what I can say about Cheech & Chong that hasn’t been stated. This interracial comedy duo was the first to really NORML-ize (see what I did there?) marijuana in mainstream culture. They have an extensive catalog of classic skits, and tonight legendary rock journalist Ben Fong-Torres will have a chat with them about their history and career.
For: Weed Nerds. You know who you are.
Wednesday, February 1st
The Bechdel Cast at Gateway Theater
The Bechdel Test is a test of film and literature to determine whether or not women are portrayed as fully fleshed-out characters. The test? Do two named women have a full conversation that isn’t about a man. That’s it. The fact that many works don’t pass this is absurd. Although you know what film does pass this? Rock N Roll High School. The Bechdel Cast is a podcast hosted by Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Durante, where they discuss other films and whether or not they pass this test.
For: Film Nerds
Thursday, February 2nd
Talkies at Pianofight Mainstage
Lost Weekend Video was the most heartbreaking of all the venues to leave us in the last decade. You walked down a creaky staircase hidden behind the front counter of an actual video store and entered what can only be described as a cave with a stage at one end, a random array of seats, and a “bar” that was actually just a guy pulling things out of a cooler for you. Kids these days will never experience that magic, but their booker, who relocated to Los Angeles after the closure, will attempt to regain that magic with one of Lost Weekend’s finest shows, a comedy and film night called Talkies.
For: Underground Film Nerds, Nerds Nostalgic for the San Francisco of the mid-2010’s
Friday, February 3rd
The Red Room Orchestra does Repo Man at Great American Music Hall
The Red Room Orchestra is a group of the finest musicians the Bay Area has to offer. Repo Man is the first introduction the world outside of LA had to hardcore punk. How is this going to work? NO IDEA. However, I will let the organizers know that I’ve been lifting weights, and I own a pair of cheap black sweatshorts, so if you need a Henry Rollins for “TV Party,” I’m totally ready to jump on.
For: Hardcore Punk Nerds, Record Collector Nerds, People that own the soundtrack to a movie they never intend on watching
Saturday, February 4th
Perfect Strangers 35th Anniversary at Great Star Theater
*NOTE: This has been postponed, but I kept it because it flowed so well into the event after it.*
I kind of wonder if Perfect Strangers would hold up today? In a lot of ways, Balki Bartokomous was the precursor to Borat- a person with an unplaceable accent from a fictional country. Is it offensive? Were there any racist overtones? Or was it, instead, inoffensive weirdness, which is really the only kind of “funny” there is?
For: TV Nerds That Made It To The End Of TGIF
Yo, Is This Racist at Cobb’s Comedy Club
Did the organizers purposefully schedule this show after the Perfect Strangers tribute? Or was this just a happy little accident? Hosts Andrew Ti and Tawney Newsome probably have better things to discuss than a beloved show that’s been off the air for nearly 30 years. Or maybe with how incredibly blatant racists have been lately, it might be kind of refreshing to dissect the subtler racism of yesteryear.
For: Social Activism Nerds
Sunday, February 5th
PlayPerView: The Medievalists at Brava Theater Center
Bill Corbett of MST3K fame actually wrote a play! And it’s about a famous historian who wrote a novel that is getting adapted as a TV show and ruined! This will get deep and full of jokes that only the nerdiest of history nerds will get. I’m excited.
For: The Kind Of History Nerds that History Nerds give wedgies to
