LOL: Suburban talent part of Chicago Sketch Comedy's 15th fest
A person exuding confidence on the outside may very well be hiding inadequacy on the inside.
That's the theme of the sketch show The Inept, featuring Jennifer Mitchell from Arlington Heights and Nick Bernardi from Prospect Heights, to be shown at the upcoming Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival.
Their performance, at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, highlight's people's imperfections by exploring themes of insecurity, awkwardness, social dependencies and vices.
The show is one of 186 acts to take place at this year's festival, which has grown from 33 local groups in 2002 to being one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world, with more than 1,000 artists and 10,000 fans. This year's 15th anniversary edition takes place Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 7-10 and 14-17, at Stage 773 in Chicago.
Highlights from the 165 groups performing include Saturday Night Live writers, award-winning ensembles, reunion performances by all-star groups from the festival's past, local favorites and groups with diverse voices. The lineup also includes local favorites, such as Schaumburg native Colleen Claes of the group Charmaine, Lake Zurich native Steven Tobiasz of the group Citizens Abroad and Arlington Heights resident Kristin Althoff making her festival debut with the group Sketch Marks.
It's also the first time Mitchell and Bernardi, who met at classes at Second City, will be performing at the comedy festival. After throwing out various ideas for a skit, they discovered they had a running theme — man's inadequacy.
“A lot of it is lack of confidence and trying to put yourself out there, whether you're trying to do better in your career or romantic relationships. Maybe you're falling short and don't have the confidence you should have,” Mitchell said. “People want it all but don't know quite how to get there. “
The duo play a number of different characters in the skit. “It's social satire material, exploring everything from relationships to professionalism and a grass-is-always-greener attitude,” Bernardi says.
One sketch, for example, revolves around a guy with a horrible physical flaw who asks out a girl and gets rejected. It ends with the girl confessing her own flaw, and him, in turn, shooting her down.
“There's a lot of physical comedy,” Bernardi says. “It's a realistic perspective of how shallow people can be. The sketch has variations of themes of how people treat each other.”
One of the most challenging aspects of their show was finding a way to change up the energy and characters to keep the audience engaged for 40 minutes, Mitchell says.
“We're trying to change up our voices and the way we write,” she says. “We want to keep the audience interested in seeing the two of us goofing off on stage.”
For Bernardi, wearing multiple hats as producer, writer and actor was challenging at times.
“The toughest thing was trying to balance every aspect of the show,” he says.
Both actors, who have day jobs and indulge in sketch comedy as a side passion, say they want the audience to realize it's OK to be imperfect.
“You just have to have the confidence to go out into the world,” Mitchell says. “You may say and do silly or stupid things, but if you get back up, you'll be fine.”
Though Bernardi has one warning for the audience. You may not want to come, he says, if “you're offended by produce damage. Some fruit will get smashed.”
Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival
When: Various times Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 7-10 and 14-17
Where: Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Tickets: $15 for individual shows; an all-festival pass costs $165
Info: (773) 327-5252 or <a href="">stage773.com/ChicagoSketchfest</a>