| For Immediate Release | |
| January 5, 2010 | 585/319-1812 (Cell) |
| High resolution photos |
EstroFest Comedy Show Takes Stage in January!
Popular sketch-comedy troupe EstroFest returns to the stage this month, the final two weekends in January, following a five-year hiatus. Critically acclaimed EstroFest performs a comical palette of hilarious sketches and outrageous video vignettes, which The Toronto Star called “hugely funny … one at you won’t soon forget.”
The absence from the stage allowed cast members to focus on being moms and having babies. Now, three founding members of EstroFest, which formed in 1998, have been joined by three new cast members for the new 2010 show. EstroFest is Dresden Engle, Marlena Gaby-Dater, Andrea Holland, Norma Holland, Allison Roberts, and Freyda Schneider. These entertaining women write, produce, and perform all of their sketches and videos. Their work is reminiscent of such comedic legends as Gilda Radner and Carol Burnett, as well as the sketches and videos of Saturday Night Live and Mad TV.
The EstroFest Comedy Show 2010 performs at Nazareth College Arts Center, with six shows beginning Jan. 22. A different male guest star will join the cast on stage each night, plus several local performers, both male and female, are featured in the comedic videos screened throughout the production. EstroFest’s director is Don Kot, director of musical theater for Nazareth College.
The new show features audience involvement and a dash of improv, with sketches like “The Mother Moose Show,” which humorously reminds us how scary classic childhood stories really are; “The Mating Game,” where host Lucky Lucy introduces you to three colorful bachelorettes; “Old Testament Divas” and its first-person stories from Eve and Noah’s wife; and “On the Lawnfront,” where lawn ornaments, such as the flamingo, gnome, and lawn jockey, come to life to talk about neighborhood happenings. Video subjects span the “GPS for the Bedroom” advertisement to promos for upcoming TV shows, like SHUT UP SWAT, which sends in a team of law enforcement to remove long-winded talkers from party and office situations, and a reality show that bring together former Price Is Right models.
EstroFest has performed mainly in Rochester but also has performed Off-Broadway and in Toronto, earning four stars from The Toronto Star. EstroFest was the brainchild of Allison Roberts, who had an epiphany after witnessing a group of women laughing together on the street.
“We all need to laugh more,” said Roberts, “and EstroFest has provided an opportunity for both the cast and our audience to laugh out loud, at the little things we all encounter every day and may not realize the hilarity involved until EstroFest parades them before you in the most entertaining way.”
Here’s what the media has said: “I loved them. They were very, very funny. They even out-Streep Streep!” (Jack Garner); “Don't let the EstroFest name mislead you. I heard the men in the audience laughing even louder than the women!” (Tony Infantino, WARM radio); and “The zany EstroFest is as good as any show on Broadway.” (Rochester Magazine).
EstroFest Show Times:
8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22 (guest star: David Jason Kyle)
7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 (guest star: Jeff Siuda)
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 (guest star: Rick Staropoli)
7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 (guest star: B. Anthony Gibson)
10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 (guest star: Danny Hoskins)
7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31 (guest star: Kevin Sweeney)
Tickets are on sale now at all area Wegmans. Tickets are $20 general admission ($12 students with valid ID). For more information regarding tickets or EstroFest, please contact (585) (585) 461-9126 or email us at estro@rochester.rr.com. You can also learn more at estrofestlaughs.com.
Nazareth College Arts Center is located off East Avenue in Pittsford (street address is 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618). Plenty of free parking is available.
MEDIA INFORMATION:
High-res images are online at estrofestlaughs.com (click on Pressroom).