Discover firsts, favs and FUN.
Ants to Gods is one of Rochester's funniest comedy trios. Known for their irreverent style of patient, thoughtful, dark humor, these former Improv Battle Royale champions have performed festivals with the Baltimore Improv Group and Brooklyn Comedy Collective, as well as right here at home on several stages. The act features comedians Elijah Crocker, Eno Okung, and Austin Scott.
The tournament du Fringe 2024: three teams enter, one team leaves. Who survives? You tell us! The Focus Theater presents Rochester Fringe’s Battle Royale improv contest. The winner from each semifinal show will advance to the tournament of champions, where fame, fortunate, and the praise of adoring fans awaits. Come out and cheer for competitive mirth!
Back by popular demand! It’s here! It’s queer! Jaye McBride (Netflix, Inside Amy Schumer) headlines an all-trans and nonbinary standup comedy lineup! Starring Roc’s best drag performer Kyla Minx, Roc’s 3rd funniest Gabby Garcia, and Brooklyn’s Kendall Allison. Plus The Onion's Max Gross (Thursday only) and Penny Sterling (Wednesday only). Hosted by the hilarious Tootsie. You’ll laugh so hard, rainbows might shoot out of your *ss! Cis/het folks welcome, but attendance may cause homo FOMO.
ComedySportz combines the quick wit of improvised comedy with the tension of your favorite sporting event, hence the name! Two teams of professional improvisers compete in scenes, songs, and games made up on the spot. The loyal fans (that's you) provide suggestions and inspiration, award points, and ultimately determine the winner. Every show has different games, players, and concepts. Presided over by a referee, Comedysportz is unlike any comedy show you've seen!
Can a pair of improvisational actors possibly do what seems…impossible? And are you clever enough to stump them? This show is designed to baffle and amaze you while challenging Karen and Andy, the first couple of comedy, to absorb your impossible suggestions and create theater on the spot. Presented by Defiant Monkey Improv - Bad monkey. Great improv!
Hollywood Fringe 2024 Award Winner - In Gameshow! Gameshow! Gameshow! A
chaotic host pits one side of the audience against the other in a bizarre
and riveting showdown! Get on your feet and compete in over 40 games, from
trivia and physical challenges to a custom built video game made just for
this show. — there’s something for everyone. It’s an electrifying hour of
unity, rivalry, and uproarious fun! “One of the best shows I’ve ever seen!”
– A real audience member!
The award-winning comedy troupe that you can’t get enough of is back by popular demand from its sold-out Rochester Fringe debut last year. These comedy queens combine just the right amount of spice, irreverence, and hysteria to bring down the house. They’ll capture your heart with their unique takes on life, love, and the pursuit of all things absurd. Long-form, short-form, and form-fitting, these ladies will have you busting a gut.
It’s “Ham Radio Presents: The Improvised Rockumentary!” Join the improvisational musical comedy troupe Ham Radio for a night of made-up melodies and spontaneous silliness. Before your eyes, the group will create the scenes and songs to tell the story of a fictional band—named by you, the audience!—and its meteoric rise into the musical firmament. It’s 55 minutes of fun.
Some of our favorite local improvisers and comedians duel it out digitally. Their weapons are their cellphones, and their arenas are the Jackbox Party games. But the fun isn’t only for our competitors: the audience can sway the vote and help determine who is the champion. This show is free at the Focus Theater. Please join us for lots of fun and excitement!
Improv Comedy Group: senior citizens version! Left For Dead is a Rochester improv comedy team that has walked this planet for many decades. They express the meaning of their exceedingly long lives through comedy–improv, sketch, and standup. This group made it through the pandemic so catch them while you still can at the 2024 Rochester Fringe Festival.
Dungeons & Dragons meets improv where a live dungeon master and three improvisers have the audience choose their powers, classes, and quests! Your ideas magically appear live, on stage, and acted out for your amazement. With colorful non-person characters and live skill checks this interactive show is sure to excite nerds of all backgrounds. No D&D experience needed to enjoy this show. Cosplay encouraged!
Trivia fans! Here is your shot at big bucks and outrageous fun! Standup comic Ralph Tetta is your host as you answer trivia questions or perform a wild stunt for another chance to spin the prize wheel! Will you keep the cash or gamble on the mystery box? It could hold a great prize...or a hilarious gag gift! The Real Deal Crazy Game Show is where knowledge meets mayhem! So bring your friends and get ready to laugh, cheer, and maybe even win big!
This is an improvised comedy unlike any other! Each performance, one lucky audience member is selected to be the hero of a unique story. The participant is guided on a journey by one actor serving as both narrator and all of the characters encountered. Their quest? To seek the shining emblem, an object of unimaginable power capable of granting one wish! How they find it (or if they bother with this quest at all) is totally up to them! All accompanied by a live score!
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.” TYK 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 theaters including iO, The Second City, and the Annoyance. TYK is a winner of The Missouri Review’s prestigious Miller Audio Prize for Humor.
Rochester's newest long-form improv troupe will create a once-in-a-lifetime, one time only, three-act play for your entertainment. A couple of suggestions from the audience is all we need to transport you away and make you feel all Fringe-y inside. Featuring Scott Adams, Joseph Barcia, Ross Johnson, Jeremy Sarachan, Tracey Ulterino, and Gretchen Woodworth.
