My First Sketch

This week, Josh talks to Elizabeth Hicks (Mom’s Girls in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador) about new drama, comedy acting, and the guidance counselor with an Etsy shop. Elizabeth and the rest of Mom’s Girls will be heading to Toronto for Toronto Sketchfest for two shows. First, on Friday, March 10 at 7pm with Birdie, then Saturday, March 11 at 9pm with Boy Girl Party Live! Both of the shows are at Comedy Bar, and tickets are available at torontosketchfest.com. You can follow Elizabeth on Instagram at @elizabethhicks1 and Mom’s Girls on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at @momsgirlscomedy. Elizabeth also features in JackTV, a series created by Andrew Tremblett and Stuart Simpson and directed by Mary Walsh. It is now available at YouTube.com/@JackTVComedy. The next Sketchubator on Zoom will take place Friday, March 25, at 10pm Eastern. And the next live Sketchubator will be at Tattooed Mom on Sunday, May 7 at 2pm. sketchubator.com for more.

This week, Josh talks to Anesti Danelis about Edinburgh Fringe, gaining confidence as a solo act, and pandemic electronic music. Anesti is performing multiple times at Toronto Sketchfest. Starting with the Opening Night Gala Thursday, March 9 at Theatre Centre, starting at 7pm; Saturday, March 11 at Comedy Bar at 7pm along with The Nitro Girls from New York City; and the Shot Live Special at Theatre Centre Tuesday, March 14, at 7pm along with Shohana Sharmin and Gillian Bartolucci. The Shot Live Special will actually stream live, so you can watch it from wherever you are. torontosketchfest.com for all the information on those shows. You can follow Anesti on Instagram and TikTok at @anestidanelis and learn more at anestidanelis.com. Stream (or download) his albums wherever you get your music.

This week, Josh talks to Allison Moira Kelly (Mom’s Girls from St. John’s, NL) about theater, the floordrobe, and the ridiculousness of the English language. Allison and the rest of Mom’s Girls will be heading to Toronto for Toronto Sketchfest for two shows. First, on Friday, March 10 at 7pm with Birdie, then Saturday, March 11 at 9pm with Boy Girl Party Live! Both of the shows are at Comedy Bar, and tickets are available at torontosketchfest.com. And I understand those tickets are selling well, so you might not want to wait. You can follow Allison on Instagram at @allisonmoira and Mom’s Girls on Instagram and TikTok at @momsgirlscomedy.

This week, Josh talks to Emily Milling (Big Chick Energy, based in Toronto) about suspicious view counts, pandemic projects, and job hopping. Emily and the rest of Big Chick Energy will be performing at The Sunday Funnies at The Rivoli on Sunday, February 26 at 7pm. Tickets are available on EventBrite. Big Chick Energy will be performing two shows at Toronto Sketchfest; first on Thursday March 9 with Chelsea Larkin at 8pm and Friday March 10 with Acuna Acuna at 7pm. Both shows are at the BMO Incubator at Theatre Centre. For more information, go to bigchickenergysketch.com. On April, they’ll be heading to Hamilton, Ontario at the Staircase Comedy Cabaret. Follow them on Instagram at @bigchickenergysketch. You can like Big Chick Energy on Facebook at facebook.com/bigchickenergysketch. They also have a YouTube channel at youtube.com/bigchickenergysketch. Emily’s album “Take Your Life More Seriously” is available on all the streaming platforms. Visit emilymilling.com and follow Emily on Instagram at @emily.millin

This week, Josh talks to Gerald Yeung (Crunchy Tigers in Toronto) about gaining life experience, pro wrestling and comedy, and stereotypes. Gerald and the rest of Crunchy Tigers will host their monthly show (this one’s called Cheap Chocolate, Cheap Laughs) at The Social Capital Theater, Friday, February 24 at 8:30pm. Tickets are available at tinyurl.com/crunchy05. Later that evening, Gerald will be doing stand up at Gay AF at Comedy Bar. It’s a late night show. Then, during Toronto Sketchfest, Crunchy Tigers will perform Thursday, March 9 at 8pm at Comedy Bar along with Ladies and Gentlemen International. Tickets for that are available at torontosketchfest.com. Follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/crunchytigers and @crunchytigers on Instagram. For more on Gerald, check out evilascot.com. Sketchubator will return to Zoom Friday, March 24 at 10pm. sketchubator.com for more on that.

This week, Josh talks to Stef Curran (Mom’s Girls from St. Johns, NL) about gaining a voice in the room, dad rock, and how Newfoundland and Florida might not be so different. Mom’s Girls will be heading to Toronto for Toronto Sketchfest for two shows. First, on Friday, March 10 at 7pm with Birdie, then Saturday, March 11 at 9pm with Boy Girl Party Live! Both of the shows are at Comedy Bar, and tickets are available at torontosketchfest.com. You can follow Stef on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @rawstefc and Mom’s Girls at @momsgirlscomedy. Here in Philly, Sketchubator, our live and in person sketch comedy open mic, returns upstairs at Tattooed Mom, at 5th and South Street, this Sunday afternoon, February 19 at 2pm. Sketch comedy with its lowest stakes possible. We’ll read some sketches, have some drinks, and eat some sandwiches. Come join us. sketchubator.com for more info.

This week, Josh talks to Alicia Carrick (Big Chick Energy in Toronto) about the cult of comedy, starting with a troupe right before the shutdown, and the awfulness of Zoom comedy. Alicia and the rest of Big Chick Energy will be performing at The Sunday Funnies at The Rivoli on Sunday, February 26 at 7pm. Big Chick Energy will be performing two shows at Toronto Sketchfest (torontosketchfest.com): Thursday March 9 with Chelsea Larkin at 8pm and Friday March 10 with Acuna Acuna at 7pm. Both shows are at the BMO Incubator at Theatre Centre. For more information, go to bigchickenergysketch.com. Follow them on Instagram at @bigchickenergysketch. You can like Big Chick Energy on Facebook at facebook.com/bigchickenergysketch. They also have a YouTube channel at youtube.com/bigchickenergysketch. Don’t forget Sketchubator will be live and in person on Sunday, February 19, at 2pm at Tattooed Mom at 5th and South Street. We’ll be upstairs, so grab a drink and a snack and your sketches to read. sketchubator.com for all th

This week, Josh talks to Colin Mahan (The Great Difficulties) about Die Hard, impressions, and auditioning for SNL. Colin is doing a solo show called Colin Mahan: Himselves on Friday, February 3 at the PianoFight’s Second Stage along with Goldbaby from LA and Strong Male Leads from Austin, TX. The Great Difficulties, Colin’s duo with Mike Spiegelman, will be performing along with Please Leave the Bronx on Sunday, February 5 at 8pm at PianoFight. Info for both those shows can be found at sfsketchfest.com. If you live in the Philadelphia area, we’re doing a live Sketchubator at Tattooed Mom on Sunday, February 19 at 2pm. All the info on Sketchubator is at sketchubator.com.

This week, Josh talks to Mike Spiegelman (@spiegelmania, The Great Difficulties) about public access tv, the beginnings of SF Sketchfest, and laundry baskets. Mike’s podcast, LWAFLMOYT, is available wherever you find podcasts. The Great Difficulties will be performing at SF Sketchfest along with Please Leave the Bronx on Sunday, February 5 at 8pm PST at PianoFight. Tickets and more info can be found at sfsketchfest.com. Two Sketchubators coming up: one on Zoom on January 27 at 10pm EST and one, live and in person at Tattooed Mom, on February 19 at 2pm EST. You can find more information at sketchubator.com.

This week, Josh talks to Seann Cantatore about the intersection of music and comedy. Seann Cantatore will be performing at Philly Sketchfest on Friday, October 21 in the 10pm block. Tickets available at phillysketchfest.com. On Saturday, October 22, she heads to Washington DC to perform at the DC Arts Center with Rails Comedy. Then October 28 and 29, she heads to Greenville, SC at the Alchemy Theater. Follow Seann on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube at @seanncantatore. Philly Sketchfest is coming back with two nights of live shows on October 21 and 22. Friday at the Playground at the Adrienne, Saturday at the Skinner Studio at Plays and Players. A virtual film festival on Facebook on Sunday, October 23. All the info is at phillysketchfest.com.

This week, Josh talks to Amanda Xeller about character work, directing, and villains. Amanda will be performing at Philly Sketchfest on Friday, October 21 in the 7pm block along with Crying Alone in the Shower. For tickets, head to phillysketchfest.com. Follow her on Instagram at @wildladypegpegpeg; on Twitter at @AmandaXeller. In addition to her appearing at Sketchfest: she’ll be back in New York, where she is directing Rococo at the Magnet on Thursday, October 20 at 9pm, directing Boogie Manja’s Pointless Appliance at the PIT Loft on Saturday, October 22 at 7pm, and performing on Character Night at the Magnet on Sunday, October 23 at 730pm.

This week, Josh talks to Mike Bock (@bockmj) about the Simpsons, the postCovid comedy scene, and choose your own adventure. You can see Mike Bock and Friends perform at Bad Medicine Presents Sketch Night along with Trash Bang from Richmond VA at the DC Improv in Washington DC on Saturday, June 18. Two shows 7 and 930. Tickets are available at dcimprov.com. The next Comedy Potluck is taking place July 16 at the Artemis. Search Comedy Potluck on Facebook for more on that. Then, Mike Bock and Friends are performing at Wednesday Night Comedy on July 27 at the DC Arts Center. You can get tickets on Eventbrite. Head to mikebockcomedy.com. Sketchubator, the sketch comedy open mic, is going to break out into the real world. June 26 at 6pm, we’ll be heading to Tattooed Mom, 530 South St here in Philadelphia. All the info can be found at sketchubator.com. It is a 21+ event.

This week, Josh talks to Maricris Rivera (of Tita Collective from Toronto, Ontario, Canada) about musicals. We talk a lot about musicals. But then comedy. Maricris and the rest of Tita Collective are heading to Montreal Sketchfest (montrealsketchfest.com) to perform new material on May 13 and the Tita Jokes show on May 15. Then, heading to Peterborough on May 20 to perform on the While We Can Comedy Tour with Anesti Danelis. Head to titacollective.com for information on all those shows and more. Follow tita.collective on Instagram and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/titacollective. Sketchubator, an online sketch comedy open mic, returns to Zoom on June 3 at 10pm in the east. Check out sketchubator.com for more info.

This week, Josh talks to Jack Creaghan (Cheap Wine based in Toronto) about the differences of Toronto and New York, getting a bit of momentum right before a pandemic hits, and working with both a sibling and a fiancee. You can follow Cheap Wine on Instagram at @itscheapwine and on Facebook at facebook.com/itscheapwine. Cheap Wine is performing at Montreal Sketchfest’s Opening Night along with Milwaukee, Bring Your Own Juice, Third Husbands, and Dreamboat. Thursday, May 5 at 8pm at Theatre Sainte-Catherine. Tickets are available at montrealsketchfest.com.

This week, Josh talks to Anika Hurdal (Bring Your Own Juice from Montreal) about the love and embarrassment of improv, first year students writing sketches, and meeting Meryl Streep’s daughter. Bring Your Own Juice will perform at Montreal Sketchfest’s Opening Night with Third Husbands, Cheap Wine, Dreamboat, and Milwaukee on Thursday, May 5 at 8pm at Theatre Sainte-Catherine. Tickets and all the other information are available at montrealsketchfest.com. You can find more about Bring Your Own Juice at facebook.com/bringyourownjuice.

This week, Josh talks to Alia Rasul (Tita Collective)about Barrel Man, Kung Pow Enter the Fist, and doing the hard work to push for inclusion. Tita Collective is heading to Ottawa this weekend April 29 & 30, to perform their show, Tita Jokes, at Ottawa Fringe’s undercurrents festival. Then, Tita Collective goes to Montreal Sketchfest to perform new material on May 13 and the Tita Jokes show on May 15. Then, heading to Peterborough on May 20 to perform on the While We Can Comedy Tour with Anesti Danelis. Head to titacollective.com for more information on all those shows. Follow @tita.collective on Instagram and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/titacollective.

This week, Josh talks to Marc Hallworth about engineering, Heritage Park, and Vest of Friends. See Vest of Friends at Montreal Sketchfest on Thursday, May 12 at 8pm with Emery Fine and Yes, Chef. Learn more at montrealsketchfest.com. Like Vest of Friends on Facebook at facebook.com/vestoffriends. Come to Sketchubator on Zoom on April 29. Check out sketchubator.com.

This week, Josh talks to J.P. McElyea about Bad Medicine, Something Rotten, and Rowan Atkinson. Follow Bad Medicine on Instagram at @badmedicinedc. Check out their website at badmedicinecomedy.com. And subscribe to their podcast, Sketch Nerds, wherever you get your podcasts. Bad Medicine is hosting Sketch Nerds, featuring Philly’ High Dramma and DC’s Brick Penguin on Saturday, April 9 at the DC Improv. Two shows: 730pm and 945pm. Tickets and more details available at dcimprov.com

This week, Josh talks to Jason Singer (High Dramma) about thinking acting was an easy A, thinking surreally and not writing, and thinking teamwork. You can like Jason’s troupe, High Dramma, on Facebook at facebook.com/highdramma and check out their video work at youtube.com/highdramma. That’s 2 M’s in dramma. High Dramma will be performing in Washington DC at Bad Medicine Presents on April 9 along with Brick Penguin for two shows at the DC Improv. Tickets are available at dcimprov.com. Sketchubator is April 1 at 10pm EDT. It’s a sketch comedy open mic live on Zoom. If you have a sketch you want to try out, feel free to reach out to me at josh@myfirstsketch.com and check sketchubator.com for more details.

This week, Josh talks to Chelsea Larkin (@chelslark66 on TikTok) about Li’l Rasgals, wetting the bed to watch SNL, and Drake at the DeGrassi prom. Chelsea Larkin is making her solo sketch debut with The Chels Stands Alone on Friday, March 25 in the 830 block. For tickets, go to torontosketchfest.com. You can follow her on Instagram at @chelslark and on TikTok at @chelslark66. I’ll be hosting Sketch Train, Toronto Sketchfest’s late night online open mic, on Saturday, March 26 after the rest of the programming ends, probably around 11pm. Then, the following week, I’ll be back hosting Sketchubator, Philly Sketchfest’s late night online open, on Friday, April 1 at 10pm. Learn more about that at sketchubator.com.