Crossroads Comedy Theater Announces First Ever Comedy Hub At Philadelphia's Fringe Arts Festival

Crossroads Comedy Theater, home to some of Philadelphia's most recognized comedy shows and programs, is coming to the 25th Annual Philadelphia Fringe Festival with their first ever "Comedy Hub." This series of performances and workshops will highlight the diversity of Crossroads' offerings while celebrating the city's celebrated Fringe Festival. The company will present their programming at South Philly's Theatre Exile (1340 S. 13th Street), following strict health and safety protocols from the CDC and the city of Philadelphia.

"We are so excited to provide such a robust amount of programming for this year's Philadelphia Fringe Festival," said Founder Mike Marbach. "We have offerings available for every type of comedy lover at our Comedy Hub, ranging from musicals and movies created on-the-spot to shows inspired by old school jams and college lectures to a night of stand-up celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. We hope audience members come out, enjoy our performances, and support the Festival."

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

GET YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE AND OVER A YEAR OF FREE SHOWS AT CROSSROADS!

Laughter is a great medicine, sure, but honestly, right now, the vaccine is the best. Crossroads Comedy Theater is hoping to push at least five people to get the jab. Unvaccinated comedy fans that get fully vaccinated between now and September 20, 2021 will be entered to win one of five passes good for two tickets each to all the comedy shows Crossroads Comedy Theater produces between 9/2021 and 12/2022. That's 1.4 years worth of laughs on the house/ Full details can be found at https://bit.ly/3rYxUYp.

WORKSHOP

RETURNING TO NORMAL THROUGH IMPROV

9/25 @ 12:30PM - 2:30PM | ENROLLMENT FEE: $40

After 18 months of lockdowns, quarantines, and closures, people are starting to get back to some sort of normal. Come remember what it's like interacting with real human beings in this one day improv workshop. Brush up on social skills, learn to loosen up, meet some new people, and have some fun while doing it. Participants will also learn the fundamentals of improv. This workshop is aimed at individuals 18 years of age and over who do not have an improv or performance background. All participants must be vaccinated.

SHOWS

THANK YOU, PLACES: AN IMPROVISED MUSICAL

9/22, 9/23, and 9/24 @ 7PM | 9/25 @ 3:30PM | Tickets start at $15

Broadway isn't fully open yet, but that doesn't mean you can't see a Broadway-style show! Crossroads Comedy Theater is proud to welcome a guest performance by Thank You Places: An Improvised Musical. This independently produced improvised show is a one-hour, Broadway-style musical that is entirely made up on the spot and created from a single audience suggestion! The story, the music, the lyrics...everything is created just for you.

NOT YET RATED: AN IMPROVISED MOVIE

9/22, 9/23, 9/24, and 9/25 @ 8:30pm | 9/25 @ 5pm | Tickets start at $15

In a world filled with movies... this one has not been made. Using movie tropes and audience suggestions, the amazing cast creates a movie you definitely won't see in theaters! The heroes and villains, twists and turns, special effects, even the soundtrack are all improvised on the spot. Action, Horror, Rom-Com, Sci-Fi, Western and more are on the table in this movie never seen before and never to be seen again. No script. No Props. No idea what's gonna happen! This Film Is Not Yet Rated.

SKETCH BUFFET: A SKETCH COMEDY SHOWCASE

9/24 @ 10pm | Tickets start at $12

It's like Saturday Night Live, but it's Friday, it's happening live right in front of you, and Alec Baldwin is nowhere to be seen! Come check out some of Philly's best sketch comedy groups put up an hour of sketch hilarity you won't see anywhere else!

STUDY HALL: COMEDY INSPIRED BY LECTURES

9/25 @ 7pm | Tickets start at $15

Study Hall is back live on stage for some in-person lessons and laughs! Now in its seventh year, Study Hall invites guests from the world of academia and beyond to present short lectures on a topic from their field. After each lecture, a cast of some of Philly's best and funniest performers will use what they've learned (or didn't) to improvise hilarious scenes right before your eyes. You'll learn and laugh in one side-splitting hour without worrying about getting detention.

BORROWED TIME FEATURING HOFFMAN, NYTESHIFT, AND JAKE MATTERA

9/25 @ 10pm | Tickets start at $12

Borrowed Time is a comedy showcase featuring a mix of improv and stand-up. Each show features different comedy acts not produced by Crossroads, so it's a chance to see performers that you might not otherwise get to see. This evening features improv teams Hoffman and NYTEShift and Stand-up from the hilarious Jake Mattera.

FREE IMPROV JAM AT THE CROSSROADS

9/26 @ 6pm | FREE!

Itching for some stage time after a year indoors? Looking to try improv for the first time ever? Come on out to our Free Improv Jam! All experience levels are welcome to sign up and hop on stage. Don't have any improv experience? No worries! You'll be paired with a more experienced improviser so you two can shine together. You'll do a scene or two, have some fun, and maybe make some new friends.

EXTREE! EXTREE! COMEDY INSPIRED BY THE NEWS

9/26 @ 7PM | Tickets start at $10

Extree! Extree! Read all about it! This comedy show discusses the news of the week and improvises hilarious scenes inspired by it. News articles and videos are presented to the cast who will be seeing them for the first time. Get caught up on the latest goings-on of this big blue marble and have a laugh with some of Philly's best improvisers. Features a core of regular performers, guests from other Crossroads shows and the world of improv at large.

NO DIGGITY: IMPROV INSPIRED BY OLD SCHOOL HIP HOP AND R&B

9/26 @ 8pm | Tickets start at $10

No Diggity host Tia Kemp curates a playlist of old-school hip hop and R&B music videos that inspire the improvised scenes. Audience members will be quizzed on their old-school knowledge and if you guess correctly you might get to pick which video inspires the cast! Early reviews include: "Never trust a big butt & a smile, but trust this show gon be off the hizzy!" - Alonzo from high school and "The first improv I've seen with an usher and Usher!" - Auntie.

STUDY HALL: PENN NURSING EDITION

9/27 @ 7pm | Tickets start at $12

Penn Nursing has taken over Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures and we need 500 cc's of comedy stat! Marion Leary (Director of Innovation at Penn Nursing) hosts this special edition of Study Hall featuring three Penn Nursing students each lecturing on a different topic. After each lesson, the Study Hall casts will use what they've learned (or didn't) to inspire the hilarious scenes they create right before your eyes.

LATINX 2044 WITH CHE GUERRERO

9/27 @ 8:30pm | Tickets start at $10

It's Hispanic Heritage Month and Che Guerrero wants you to know it! Che has assembled some of the best Latinx comics in the area for this special, one night only event. Come have a laugh and celebrate with us.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All audience members will be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination via their CDC vaccination card or a photo of the card on their portable device. All audience members and audience-facing staff will be required to wear a mask while in the building. All performers will be fully vaccinated, will be performing without a mask, and will be at least 10 feet from the closest audience members. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building. If the CDC and/or the city of Philadelphia eases or restricts guidelines, those changes will be considered before being implemented by Crossroads. Crossroads also reserves the right to tighten guidelines on their own accord.

Tickets and information can be found at xroadscomedy.com.