Philadelphia Comedy Month celebrates all types of humor

THE NEWLY FORMED Philadelphia Comedy Collective will host the first Philadelphia Comedy Month beginning today. Joke's on us: It's only three weeks long.

The sorta-month, which lasts until Nov. 21, is meant to be a celebration of all things funny, with the purpose of putting Philly on the map as a comedy town. "It's almost like comedy is this forgotten stepchild," said Alexis Simpson, artistic director of the Philadelphia Joke Initiative, a member of the collective.

The schedule is separated into three mini-fests: The Philadelphia Improv Festival goes first and is all about spontaneous, off-the-cuff laughs. The Philly Sketchfest is up next and, unlike the previous week, is filled with prewritten and rehearsed shows. The third week is programmed by PJI, which has scheduled a hodgepodge of comedic styles, from stand-ups like Doogie Horner, who recently appeared on "America's Got Talent," to NED Talks - a take on the popular TED Talks from annual technology, entertainment and design conferences - that will attempt to discuss comedy without dissecting it to death. (There's no NED namesake - organizer Don Montrey just thinks the pun is funny.)

"In any kind of performing, personalities and egos can get in the way," said Sara Carano, of veteran sketch group the Waitstaff, which takes the stage at 10 p.m. Nov. 12. "But all these different comedy genres are coming together to build a sense of the comedy community."

It all began when the Improv Fest, now in its sixth year, was having trouble finding a suitable venue that would allow it to book only a week's worth of programming, rather than a longer run. Enter PJI. "We could get a better venue with a better price," Simpson, who had produced the Improv Fest in previous years, said about joining forces. "We could declare it something bigger."

The younger Sketchfest was having similar issues with venues and joined the party. "We loved the idea of being part of the bigger picture and the cross-pollination of the audience," said Dave Terruso, Sketchfest founder and a member of the troupe Animosity Pierre. "It would be stupid not to be a part of it."

Along with local regulars - like ComedySportz (doing improvised Shakespeare) and the Rare Bird Show - comic talent from Boston to Los Angeles will converge on Philadelphia. This melding of minds is just as important as the entertaining of audiences for Improv Fest Executive Producer Matt Nelson, who said he believes that the melding of talents will allow Philly improv teams "to open up artistically."

Nelson also believes that Comedy Month will spread the word - especially to its own residents - about the wealth of comedic talent Philadelphia's scene possesses.

Terruso said that the scene has certainly evolved and grown in the past decade - he's seen a marked increase in the amount of sketch teams around the city - but it's still under the radar. He hopes that Comedy Month will improve, or even create, Philly's comedy reputation. "Building the scene draws the talent," he said.

Comedy Month will foster scene-building by holding educational workshops and discussions throughout. For example, the Improv Festival will host a variety of workshops, including a master class from improv legends Joe Bill and Dave Razowsky (who also perform together for the first time on a festival stage at the Ethical Society on Friday) and a lecture on how to market your team to the media by publicist Carrie Gorn.

"Education is a huge aspect," said Nelson. "No matter how great you are, you never stop learning. Instructors will say they continue to learn from their students. Each improviser is their own unique entity. They create their own school of thought. Each one is going to give a different story of what's important to them."

But with three weeks full of events, will it be too much for audiences to handle, especially for those new to seeing live comedy?

"We need the exposure," said Simpson. "My belief is that you put all the products out there and the ones that aren't worthy die off. We'll find out at the end of this month what works and what doesn't."

Philadelphia Comedy Month, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St., today-Nov. 21. 215-496-9722, phlcomedy.com, $10-$100.