Blackfriars Theatre Hosts Punchbowl: Comedy on the ROCS Next Month

On Friday, June 30th, Blackfriars Theatre (795 East Main Street, Rochester) will be offering a one night only comedy event. Is it a party? Is it a performance? Yes! Blackfriars Punchbowl: Comedy on the ROCS is a combination of some of the finest and funniest comedy folks in Rochester, with a party in the parking lot to kick off the fun. Featuring Ants to Gods, Unleashed! Improv, Alex Mallory, Bushwhacked, and Thank You Kiss, audiences will be treated to some of the smartest comedy Rochester has to offer.

The evening kicks off at 5:45 p.m. with food and beverage so audience members can happily pre-game for the show. Then, first up:  Ants to Gods - a fresh, new troupe with a creative and hilarious approach to improvisation. Using audience suggestions, Austin, Elijah, and Eno bring new worlds to life. No subject matter is too heavy or too obtuse for Ants to Gods and their unique, down-to-earth, and incredibly smart sense of humor.

Next up is Alex Mallory - a Rochester-based stand-up comedian who started writing jokes in the back of an art history class (and is still not entirely sure which pursuit has been more useful). His comedy—propelled largely by a 13-year Catholic education and a wandering mind—sits cheerfully at the intersection of “thoughtfully written/researched” and “something your grandfather who isn’t ‘all there’ would say to the gravy boat at Thanksgiving dinner.” A two-time finalist in the Rochester’s Funniest Competition, he and his trusty belt buckle collection dutifully sling jokes all across the eastern US.

Third in the lineup is Unleashed! Improv, Rochester's longest running long-form improv troupe. Unleashed! specializes in building characters and stories that not only leave audiences laughing, but also thinking. They have taken their strong physical humor and wit to far away lands such as Toronto and North Carolina, while also headlining the main stage in the Spiegeltent at the Rochester Fringe Festival in 2018. No two shows are ever alike and the troupe, made up of Abby DeVuyst, Dan Hart, Ken Klamm, Patti Lewis-Browne, Jeff Siuda, and Kerry Young, promise, “You won’t go home empty-headed.”

Selling out almost every show at the Rochester Fringe Festival, Abby DeVuyst and Kerry Young are the writers, improvisers, and actors behind Bushwhacked. Together they have created hundreds of interactive experiences for audiences, including Fringe favorites The Oboe Show, Band Geeks, Dashboard Dramas (plays that take place in parked cars), and the ever-evolving, interactive Bushwhacked experience (improvised shows that take place in a tent). In 2019, they created a unique, immersive theatre production for the Rochester Cocktail Revival entitled Nightcap, that was custom-designed for, and took place on, the Penthouse level of the Metropolitan. They've been invited to Ireland this summer to perform at Cavan Calling, Monroe's sister county festival!

And the piece de resistance: Thank You Kiss! “Satire and wit abound at Thank You Kiss sketch comedy shows.” Critics have lauded the group as “laugh-out-loud funny” with “‘hell yes social commentary.” Thank You Kiss blends satire, sincerity, and silliness through sketch, improvisation, and video. Members Marc D’Amico, Megan Mack, John Forrest Thompson, and Beth Winslow have studied and worked at renowned comedy theatres including iO, The Second City, and The Annoyance. The group is a winner of The Missouri Review’s prestigious Miller Audio Prize for Humor.