TOSketchFestBlog
Meet the sketch comedians hitting the midnight stage in July
July 5 & 12 at 11:30pm | VideoCabaret, Leslieville
Fringe by day, Sketchfest by night.
This July, we’re taking the late-night slot and filling it with fast, funny, fearless sketch comedy. After you wrap up your last Toronto Fringe show for the day, make your way over to VideoCabaret in Leslieville for the Sketchfest Comedy Cabaret, our monthly series of bite-sized brilliance from some of the city’s sharpest sketch troupes.
Both July 5 and July 12 at 11:30pm, we’re serving up fresh lineups, big laughs, and the kind of chaotic creativity that only happens when sketch comedy stays up past its bedtime.
Come sketch party with us.
Check out the full lineups below and grab your tickets before they’re gone! 🎟️
Hosted by Dave Barclay, on July 5th you’ll see sketch comedy from…
Cheap Wine
We are Cheap Wine. We won the Sketchiest Sketch Troupe Award at TO Sketchfest 2023, the Best Newcomer Award at Sketch to the Death 2020, and produced our own sold-out run of our full-length sketch comedy and wine-tasting show, IS IT JUICE? at the Assembly Theatre in Toronto. Our biggest comedy influences are probably Armando Iannucci, Anton Chekhov, Tim Robinson, and Sex-T-Rex. Jack, our head writer, is a data scientist with a philosophy degree, and Jesse and Charlotte are classically-trained actors who spent three years at Stella Adler’s NYC Conservatory doing mostly Shakespeare and Greek Tragedy — and when you see our stuff, you’ll be like “yeah, that checks out”.
Brain Frogs
Brain Frogs is a mixed bag comedy troupe that examines the condition of the urban Canadian. The new age of relationships, mystic rental conditions and the safety of our communities. Also poop butt joke where applicable. Emerge from the brain fog and join the Brain Frogs.
Legally Brown
Legally Brown explores pop culture, current events and politics… with only a few commercial breaks!
Summer Dad
Kids, Daddy’s home! That’s right, Summer Dad is BACK with their ninth original sketch revue to date. After a year of festivals, holiday shows, and traveling across the country to bring their shenanigans to the East Coast, the living breathing party that is Summer Dad is here to make you laugh with all different perspectives from each of their many members. This ensemble of Gen Z/ Millennial codependent hotties brings elevated comedy through the means of their writing, acting, and musical talents. Daddy Issues? More like Daddy Solutions.
Beggar’s Canyon
Featuring Canadian Comedy Award nominees and 20-year sketch comedy veterans Pete Hill & Ian MacIntyre, Beggar’s Canyon are a charming two-man sketch troupe who delight in delivering fun, clever scenes that spoof pop culture and all its franchise forms.
Rakhee Morzaria
Absurdist auto-fiction meets broadway euphoria!
Hosted by CHEAP WINE, on July 12th you’ll see sketch comedy from…
Potato Potato
Potato Potato makes work about changing climates, both political and environmental. In a world obsessed with the US, Potato Potato shows the Canadian side of the story, throwing light (and shade). Part political satire, part sketch show, and with a generous dose of dread. This is a platform for the problems that terrify us and leave us feeling hopeless, an opportunity to discuss the things that get you in trouble at thanksgiving dinner, and a space to laugh at the things that make you cry. Prepare for bad impressions, heated debates and maybe even a song or two (or six!). Potato Potato is Daniel Bagg, Callan Forrester, Rami Khan, Ashlyn Kusch, Erika Rogstad and Lizzie Song.
MILK!
According to its wikipedia page, MILK! is a “Toronto-based doomsday cult whose members believe that enlightenment comes from consumption of copious dairy products”. MILK! sketch comedy simmers in the awkward moments of daily life, churns the serious cream of humanity into big buttery characters, and ages itself with references to 1990s and 2000s era pop stars and musicians. MILK! walks the line between excruciating awkwardness and satisfying relief, whether it’s larger than life superheroes, a hustlin’ young lad from the days of yore, or just the hijinks average dairy-loving family.
Hillary Yaas
Hillary Yaas is Toronto’s only drag queen who does comedy! Known for her solo shows MISERABLE OLD WHITE WOMAN, PART-TIME EVERYTHING & CHROFATICA she also works as a comedy duo with Yaas & Vyle (see: 2 time Canadian podcast winner SQUIRREL TALK!) and appeared as a finalist on the 4th season of OutTV’s campy drag reality competition Camp Wannakiki! She now delights as a solo-sketch-stand-up-comedy-kidfriendly-improv-tramp (SSSUCKIT!) artist as she galavants through the GTA performing drag nights, bingos and friend to the elderly and children alike!
Janelle McGuinness
Janelle is a Toronto-based comedian, actor and content creator with 7 years of experience in comedy. Her most notable stage credits include understudying Second City Toronto’s sketch comedy revue, If I Could #Throwback Time, as well as, producing, co-writing and performing in the Best of Fringe winning sketch comedy revue, Carpe into my DMs at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Her sketches and songs can be seen online on Tik Tok and IG with sketches reaching as high as 2.4 million views. Additionally, Janelle can be found performing with her improv troupes Soft Ruffians, Birdhouse and MIRV-ish. Check out her online content @janellemcguinness on IG, Tik Tok and Youtube Shorts.
Two2Mango
Two2Mango the duo that clowns, dances and improvises – the duo behind communities like Hinprov and shows like Colonial Circus.
Andy Assaf
Andy Assaf, originally from Montreal, is a Toronto based sketch and improv comedian and is a Second City Toronto Mainstage alumni where he wrote and performed 3 Sketch Revues. You might know him from as the Cravensworth’s MONSTER on season 6 of What We Do In The Shadows on Fx, the Recruit on Netflix, or you might have seen him as that Canadian guy in the Domino’s commercial. He has performed across Canada and the US including: NYC – Del Close Marathon, Montreal + Toronto Sketchfest, DC sketchfest, Vancouver Improv Festival Ensemble and the Rapid Fire Theatre in Edmonton.
That’s your late-night lineup, folks! Whether you’re riding the Toronto Fringe high or just looking for something fun and unfiltered to cap off your night, the Sketchfest Comedy Cabaret is your excuse to stay out a little later and laugh a lot harder. Come support bold, brilliant sketch comedy and keep the good vibes going.
