SF Sketchfest
2002-present · San Francisco, CA
Also known as San Francisco Comedy Festival
Month-long January/February comedy festival that grew from six Bay Area sketch troupes into a nationally significant sketch+improv+stand-up+alt-comedy showcase.
Known for
- Founded 2001 by David Owen, Cole Stratton, and Janet Varney — three SF State grads — to showcase six Bay Area sketch groups.
- Debuted January 2002 at Shelton Theatre; original lineup included The Fresh Robots, Kasper Hauser, The Meehan Brothers, Please Leave the Bronx, Totally False People, and White Noise Radio Theatre.
- Runs every Jan-Feb across Bay Area venues (Punch Line, Cobb's, Marines' Memorial, Sydney Goldstein Theater, etc.).
- Mixes sketch, improv, stand-up, tribute shows, podcasts, and reunion/retrospective programming (e.g., UCB Cagematch reunions, Mr. Show/Kids in the Hall/SCTV anniversaries).
Connected to
People
cole strattonjanet varney