Weird Al, Spinal Tap Creators to Headline SF Sketchfest Comedy Festival

San Francisco Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, announced a massive 2015 lineup featuring more than 200 shows, including tributes to parody genius “Weird Al” Yankovic and Spinal Tap creators Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer.

The 18-day festival from January 22 to February 8 takes place in 20 venues across San Francisco. Performances by top comedic talents and some of the best up-and-coming global comedians for sketches, stand-up, alternative comedy, music, improv, films, tributes, live podcasts, workshops and panel discussions.

Tickets range from $10 to $50 and go on sale Sunday, December 14 at 10am.

Additional acts scheduled to appear at the 14th Annual SF Sketchfest:

SF Sketchfest Tributes & Salutes
SF Sketchfest Tribute: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer
SF Sketchfest Tribute: “Weird Al” Yankovic in conversation with Chris Hardwick with musical performances by Hard ‘n Phirm and Garfunkel & Oates
SF Sketchfest Tribute: Marc Maron
SF Sketchfest & Noise Pop Tribute: Scharpling & Wurster: Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster in conversation with Andy Kindler with musical guests John Darnielle, Ben Gibbard and Bob Mould
Salute to “NewsRadio”: 20th Anniversary with Dave Foley, Maura Tierney, Stephen Root, Andy Dick, Vicki Lewis and Khandi Alexander
Salute to Broken Lizard
Salute to Preston Sturges: “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek”

Big Night Special Events
Adam Devine in a Night of Stand-Up
Judge John Hodgman
Nerdist Podcast with Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray and Matt Mira
NPR’s Ask Me Another with Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton with guests Alex Borstein and Dan Savage
Princess Plays Purple Rain: Maya Rudolph & Gretchen Lieberum in an evening of the music of Prince
w00tstock Founders’ Night with Adam Savage, Wil Wheaton, Paul & Storm

Special Film Events
The Benson Movie Interruption with Doug Benson: “Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Parts 1 & 2”
“But I’m A Cheerleader”: The Peaches Christ Experience with special guest Natasha Lyonne
“Groundhog Day” on Groundhog Day with special guest Stephen Tobolowsky in a live Tobolowsky Files
“Misery Loves Comedy” SF Premiere of a new documentary by Kevin Pollak
SF Sketchfest and Alamo Drafthouse Present: “The Princess Bride” Quote-Along™ Party Screening with special guest Cary Elwes
RiffTrax Night of the Shorts V: A Good Day to Riff Hard with Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!” (nearly) 50th Anniversary with special guest Alan Arkin
“3 Still Standing” SF Documentary Premiere Screening and Performances by Will Durst, Johnny Steele and Larry “Bubbles” Brown

Special Television Events
“Animaniacs” with Jess Harnell, Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille and Randy Rogel
“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” Colon Taking Over SF Sketchfest with Dave Willis and Dana Snyder
“Dr. Katz Professional Therapist” 20th Anniversary Show with Jonathan Katz, Tom Snyder, Jon Benjamin and guest patients
“Futurama”: Still Canceled with John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr and Lauren Tom
Spotlight: “Another Period” with Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, Paget Brewster, Beth Dover, Jason Ritter, Armen Weitzman and Moshe Kasher
Spotlight: “The Hotwives of Orlando” with Tymberlee Hill, Angela Kinsey, Dannah Phirman, Andrea Savage, Kristen Schaal, Danielle Schneider and Casey Wilson
“Venture Bros.” with Michael Sinterniklaas, Dana Snyder and James Urbaniak

Special Theatrical Events
“Better Off Dead” 30th Anniversary Live Read with writer/director Savage Steve Holland, actors Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin, Kim Darby, Amanda Wyss and guest understudies
Celebrity Autobiography with Alan Arkin, John Cho, Tate Donovan, Janeane Garofalo, Jennifer Tilly and more
Julie Brown’s “The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Musical”
Thrilling Adventure Hour with Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Paul F. Tompkins, The WorkJuice Players, Scott Adsit, Scott Aukerman, John Hodgman, Mike Phirman, Melanie Lynskey, Jason Ritter and more

Debates
The Great Debate — Ferris Bueller: American Hero or the Man Directly Responsible for the Downfall of our Once Great Land?
Uptown Showdown Debate: Are We Getting Dumber vs. Are We Getting Smarter? with Maria Bamford, Jeff Garlin, Dave Hill, T.J. Miller, Aparna Nancherla, moderator Jared Logan and more

Film and Video
The First (and Probably Last) Annual SF Sketchfest Feline Film & Video Festival For Humans
Shouting at the Screen with Wyatt Cenac & Donwill
Totally Looped with Maria Bamford, Joe Liss, Laraine Newman, Oscar Nunez, Rick Overton, Gary Anthony Williams and more

Game Shows & Interactive Events
Cultivated Wit’s Comedy Hack Day Finals with judges Scott Aukerman, Natasha Leggero, Jonah Ray and more
Fancy Meeting You Here with Carl Arnheiter and Dave Hill
Iron Comic with Nato Green and Moshe Kasher
Point Break Live: Even Sketchier for SF Sketchfest Edition
Stardumb with Bil Dwyer
You’re The Expert with Chris Duffy

Improv Comedy
Bangarang!
Gravid Water with Scott Adsit, Lauren Lapkus, Ian Roberts and more
The Groundlings: The Black Version
The Groundlings: Personals
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
Prompter
Shitty Jobs
Speechless
Theme Park Improv with Ian Brennan, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Jessica Makinson, Oscar Nunez, Cole Stratton and Janet Varney
Upright Citizens Brigade ASSSSCAT with Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh and more
The Writers of Key & Peele Improv Show
Zamata & Byer with Sasheer Zamata and Nicole Byer

Kids Events
The Groundlings Childrens’ Show!
Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Comedians Do Storytime!

Music & Comedy
Bring the Rock with Greg Behrendt and the Reigning Monarchs
Eli Braden
Garfunkel & Oates
I Made You A Mix Tape with Eli Braden, Liam Sullivan and more
Wheels Off with Rhett Miller with Michael Chabon, Paul F. Tompkins and more

Podcasts
By The Way with Jeff Garlin
Come To Papa with Tom Papa
The Dana Gould Hour
Dead Authors with Paul F. Tompkins
The Harland Highway Podcast with Harland Williams
Hound Tall with Moshe Kasher
improv4humans with Matt Besser
Jonah Raydio with Jonah Ray
Jordan, Jesse, Go!
My Brother, My Brother and Me
Pop My Culture Podcast with Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland
Roderick on the Line with John Roderick and Merlin Mann
Ronna & Beverly
Sex Nerd Sandra
Superego
The Todd Barry Podcast
The Todd Glass Show
U Talkin’ U2 To Me? with Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott
Uhh Yeah Dude with Seth Romatelli and Jonathan Larroquette
Who Charted? with Kulap Vilaysack and Howard Kremer
The World of Phil Hendrie
You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Sketch Comedy
The Birthday Boys
BriTANick
Good Neighbor with Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Nick Rutherford and Dave McCary
Killing My Lobster

Storytelling/Theatrical
Bawdy Storytelling
Cheaper Than Therapy with Sarah Thyre and Louis Peitzman
Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction
The Groundlings: Charlotte’s Shorts
Mortified
Porchlight
RISK! with Kevin Allison
The Sharpies: staged reading of a new play by Eugene Pack

Variety and Stand-Up
Aparna Nancherla & Guy Branum: Diversity Quota: A Night of Comedy with an Indian Lady and a Gay Jew
BAKED with Brendon Small & Steve Agee
Brent Weinbach: Appealing to the Mainstream
Brian McCann’s Leisure Hour
The Business: Old Business/New Business
Come Laugh With Us with Lance Bangs
Derrick Brown
Eddie Pepitone
Edinburgh Fringe International Spotlight: Wil Anderson, Maeve Higgins, Matt Kirshen, Daniel Sloss and host Janeane Garofalo
Emily Heller
Emo Philips
Erin Foley
Imaginary Radio with Drennon Davis
Invite Them Up with Eugene Mirman & Bobby Tisdale
James Adomian
Jenny Slate & Friends
Jon Benjamin’s “Night of Not Interested in Hosting This Show”
Jon Daly
Justin Willman with Marcus Monroe
Kevin McDonald
Kristen Schaal & Friends
Leo Allen
Manboobs Family Showcase with Danny Tamberelli
Margaret Cho
Maria Bamford
Matt Braunger
Max Silvestri
Meltdown with Jonah Ray & Kumail Nanjiani
Morgan Murphy
Night Train with Wyatt Cenac
The Onion Past Bedtime
Phoebe Robinson
Put Your Hands Together with Cameron Esposito & Rhea Butcher
Rory Scovel
Set List
SF Sketchfest Comedy NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences
Smug Shift with Moshe Kasher and Brent Weinbach
Stand-Up Spotlight: Mike Lawrence & Dan St. Germain
Tinkle Twins with Dana Gould & Arden Myrin
T.J. Miller
Van Jam with the Spanglers
The SF Sketchfest Dozen, the Next Wave of Stand-Up Comedy Stars:
Sean Donnelly & Maronzio Vance
Andy Haynes & Christina Pazsitzky
Maeve Higgins & Beth Stelling
Randy Liedtke & Alice Wetterlund
Jared Logan & Eliza Skinner
Mark Normand & Michelle Wolf

Workshops
Improv and Sketch Workshop with Kevin McDonald of the Kids in the Hall
Sketch Writing Workshop with Kevin Allison of The State
Storytelling Skills with Kevin Allison of RISK!
Voice Acting Workshop with Rob Paulsen (“Animaniacs,” “Pinky and the Brain”)

In previous years, SF Sketchfest has featured renowned comedy artists such as Aziz Ansari, Dan Aykroyd, Jack Black, Dana Carvey, Margaret Cho, and Zach Galifianakis.

Written by Carlos Olin Montalvo

Follow me @carlosolin