It’s that time of year again. The air is crisp, the holidays are long-forgotten, and the city is about to be taken over by small and big-time comedy acts dotted across familiar venues. That’s right, it’s Sketchfest time.

 

Sketchfest, now in its 14th year, is San Francisco’s very own homespun comedy festival. It was founded in 2001 by David Owen, Cole Stratton and Janet Varney with the aim of showing off some Bay Area sketch comedy groups. Since then, it’s grown into a nationally recognized showcase of talent marked by its inclusion of acts both big and small.

With so much going on, the idea of enjoying all the laughs can seem a bit daunting (just try taking a look at the full calendar of events). So, in an effort to make life easier, we thought it would be useful to share some of the events happening smack dab in our central coverage area.

 

What follows are some notable performances happening at The Nourse Theatre in Hayes Valley, The Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, and The Castro Theatre. Enjoy!

 

Star Talk Live! (Friday, January 23rd)

 

Tomorrow night, check out Star Talk Live! with hosts Bill Nye the Science Guy and Eugene Mirman. The show is the traveling, in-person edition of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s award-winning podcast, Star Talk. You probably remember Bill Nye’s science-for-the-younger-layperson programming from yesteryear, and Mirman has been all over stand-up and television for quite a while (currently, he’s the voice of Gene from Bob’s Burgers). Join them as they tackle some of the big issues of the cosmos in front of a live audience. 7:30pm – 9pm. $35.

 

SF Sketchfest Tribute to Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer in conversation with Adam Savage (Saturday, January 31st)

 

Join these comic legends in a live discussion moderated by Myth Busters’ Adam Savage. Although you probably recognize them from the movies Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman and Best In Show, the accomplishments of these three far exceed their individual roles. As pioneers of the mockumentary genre, there’s bound to be some interesting talking points at this unique event. 7:30pm – 9:45pm. $35.

 

 

SF Sketchfest Comedy Nightlife: What’s So Funny About Love, Sex and Science? (Thursday, January 29th)

 

If you like science, drinking, and laughing, this might be the night for you. Mosey around the Academy of Sciences and drop in on stand-up comedians, sex educators, improv groups and more as Sketchfest takes over the entire museum. All the regular exhibits will be available and, of course, booze and food will be served. Did we mention there will be “Competitive Erotic Science Fan Fiction”? Well, now we did. Don’t miss it. 6pm – 10pm. $12.

 

NPR’s Ask Me Another with Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton and guests Brad Bird, Alex Borstein and Dan Savage (Monday, January 26th)

 

Take this opportunity to attend an installment of NPR’s widely popular pseudo game show. Contestants field questions and challenges tossed out by host Ophira Eisenberg to the musical backdrop of Jonathan Coulton’s one-man soundtrack. This one should be pretty special: Alex Borstein plays Lois on Family Guy, Brad Bird wrote and directed “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille” and Dan Savage is, well, Dan Savage! Don’t miss it. 8pm – 10pm. $35.

NPR 

“The Princess Bride” Quote-Along Party Screening with very special guest Cary Elwes (Monday, February 2nd)

 

"My name is Inigo Montoya ..." Spend the evening calling out your favorite lines with hundreds of like-minded strangers as you watch this classic interactively. Props will be distributed to the crowd and everyone is invited to participate as you watch the Dread Pirate Roberts (not the one from the Internet) get the girl in the end. Afterwards, stick around for an extended Q&A with Cary Elwes, live and in-person. 7:30pm – 9:30pm. $27.50.

 

SF Sketchfest Tribute to “Weird Al” Yankovich, in conversation with Chris Hardwick, with guests Garfunkel and Oates, Hard n’ Phirm, and Jonah Ray (Friday, February 6th)

 

The one and only Weird Al will grace The Castro Theatre with his presence at this music-forward evening, along with a cast of funny and decidedly melodic personalities from the stage, television and the Internet. Big name shows like this have the tendency to sell out early, so if you plan on going, be sure to snag a ticket while you can. 7pm – 8:30pm. $30.

 

SF Sketchfest Tribute to Christopher Lloyd with a 30th Anniversary Screening of “Back to the Future”, moderated by Scott Adsit (Friday, February 6th)

 

If you plan on going to the Weird Al and friends shindig, why not make it a double feature and check out Back to the Future, now celebrating three decades in our collective consciousness? A Q&A with the legendary Christopher Lloyd will be moderated by 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit. Bonus points if you show up in a DeLorean. 9:30-11:45pm, $25.