CAMP WOODS PLUS Set for 1/31 at L'Etage

CAMP WOODS PLUS, a new monthly comedy showcase hosted by local sketch comedy group Camp Woods, will hold its second edition Tuesday, January 31 at L'Etage in Queen Village. The show - Philadelphia's only alternative sketch comedy showcase - debuted in November to a sold-out crowd, and is quickly taking its place as a must-see event within the city's burgeoning comedy scene.

Each month, CAMP WOODS PLUS will feature one local sketch group, one out-of-town sketch group, and a brand-new 30-minute set from Camp Woods. This month, the showcase will feature local legends Secret Pants (who scored a viral hit in 2008 with the video "Bush or Batman?") and New York's Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting, whom The Guardian called the "biggest revelation" of the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Camp Woods recently made an appearance at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, one of North America's biggest and most selective comedy festivals. Their performances, which typically utilize a combination of live stage sketches and video shorts in the silly, absurdist vein of Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Kids In the Hall, Mr. Show, and Chappelle's Show, have garnered positive reviews from Gapers Block, the Indianapolis Business Journal, and WitOut.

In addition to the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, Camp Woods has performed in the Boston Improv Festival, North Carolina Comedy Arts Fest, Chicago Snubfest,Philly Sketchfest, and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, as well as New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and ABC No Rio.

"When we go to these out-of-town festivals, we end up meeting sketch groups from all over the country, especially New York," says Sam Narisi, one of seven members of Camp Woods. "So we wanted to bring some of them to Philadelphia for CAMP WOODS PLUS and introduce them to the strong scene that's being built here."

In addition to its festival selections, the group was recently nominated for a WitOut Award for Best Sketch Group in Philadelphia, and three Camp Woods sketches were nominated for Best Sketch of 2011.

While Camp Woods has accomplished a considerable amount in its three-year existence, the list of accomplishments for the individual members of the group is equally impressive. Billy Bob Thompson has had his voice-acting work featured on Pokemon: Black and White and the video game Alien Breed Revolution. Brendan Kennedy has appeared as a guest on the Opie and Anthony and KiddChris radio shows for his work as a stand-up comic. Rob Baniewicz, with his previous group Meg & Rob, has twice been named a finalist in SketchFest Seattle's Comedy Film Festival, and works as a Story Producer for Animal Planet's Tanked. Patrick Foy has had his humor writing published on McSweeney's Internet Tendency and HumorPress. As an improviser, JP Boudwin has performed in the Chicago Improv Festival, the Del Close Marathon at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and at New York's Magnet Theater. Madonna Marie Refugia was a head writer for POP - Sketch Comedy for the Gifted and recently performed in the Walnut Street Theatre's production of The King and I. Sam Narisi was a member of the writing staff of a satirical student newspaper that caused a considerable uproar at Saint Joseph's University in 2007.

The members of Camp Woods have studied improvisation and sketch comedy writing at Upright Citizens Brigade and the Philly Improv Theater, and have learned from UCB's Matt Besser, Saturday Night Live's Christine Nangle, The State's Kevin Allison, Funny Or Die Presents' Lennon Parham and Mystery Team's Neil Casey.

L'Etage is located at 624 South 6th Street, above the Creperie Beaumonde. Visit them online.

Camp Woods is a sketch comedy troupe from Philadelphia, PA that was formed in 2009. Its members are Rob Baniewicz, JP Boudwin, Patrick Foy, Brendan Kennedy, Sam Narisi, Madonna Marie Refugia, and Billy Bob Thompson. The group blends sharp absurdism and energetic performances with homemade props, sets, puppets, and costumes to create a memorable live experience that is sometimes smart, sometimes stupid, and always fun. For more information, visit http://vimeo.com/user7354298.

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