Killing My Lobster

The Whole Megillah 2: Uncut

miriam — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:04:27 +0000

The Whole Megillah 2: Uncut

Purim Sketch Comedy with Killing My Lobster

Directed by The Hub’s Dan Wolf

Comedy troupe Killing My Lobster and The Hub at the JCCSF return with their popular treif Purim Sketch Comedy Show. This year they are bringing back old favorites (Seinfeld, Drag Queens and Interventions, anyone?) and returning to the writing room to see what other trouble they can get into. One thing is for certain: the Book of Esther will never be the same.

March 1, 2, 8 & 9, 8:00 pm
March 3 & 10, 7:00 pm & 10:00 pm
The Jewish Theatre
470 Florida St

March 7, 8:00 pm
JCCSF’s Kanbar Hall

Tickets available here

We’re back at SF Sketchfest!

miriam — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:45:42 +0000

We’re Back! Killing My Lobster Performs 2 Shows in SF Sketchfest 2012

To say we are excited about performing in SF Sketchfest 2012 would be an understatement! KML will be performing our “Best of Show 2011” show. You’ll see the best sketches and videos from 2011, plus we’ll be premiering a brand new comedy video, and dusting off a “Greatest Hit” sketch from 2006’s “KML Faces The Music”! Also, our musical accompaniment for both shows will be the wildly popular

and hilarious band, The Boneless Children Foundation.

The Huffington Post picked KML as a “Highlight” from this year’s SF Sketchfest! Read
all about it here.

On January 28^th, we are honored to be the opening act for Rick Overton’s new show “Substitute Global Ambassador”. Come see us open with a 30-minute set and stay for Rick’s hilarious new show!

The show will be recorded by Sirius Radio and The
Raw Dog Comedy Channel for a later
broadcast, so let your laughter be heard!

Also check us out in San Francisco Magazine!

On February 1^st, we are HEADLINING and will treat you to a full hour set from the best sketches and videos of our 2011 shows! Our “Best Of Show 2011” show includes sketches about sexy butter churning, to murder on a chessboard, to a typical dysfunctional family celebrating Arbor Day. Not to mention a few of our best videos from last year. This is going to be a great night and we are pleased to be working with the comedy act “Thunderstood”.

KML with Rick Overton (opening)

WHAT: Best of Show 2011 show
WHERE: The Eureka Theater
WHEN: Saturday January 28^th
TIME: 8 pm
TICKETS: http://www.sfsketchfest.com/schedule/#Jan282012

KML with Thunderstood (headlining)

WHAT: Best of Show 2011 show
WHERE: The Eureka Theater
WHEN: Wednesday February 1st
TIME: 8 pm
TICKETS: http://www.sfsketchfest.com/schedule/#Feb012012

KML Theater Space Update

todd — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:16:28 +0000

We wanted to wish you a happy holiday and provide an update on the Kickstarter project you generously supported this fall. In case you don’t recall, you helped Killing My Lobster reach our goal of securing a permanent home and theater at a commercial space formerly known as Darlene’s Fabric Store at Mission and 24th in San Francisco.

Unfortunately, after nearly six months of discussions and two months of actual negotiations – and shortly after our Kickstarter campaign had closed – we received an email from the real estate agency representing the owners of the building saying, without explanation, that the landlord had declined our offer to lease the space. So we are sorry to report that, despite our best efforts, we are at an impasse with the landlord and do not expect to come to an agreement with them in the coming months, if at all.

Having received your support in our efforts to secure this space, we fully appreciate any further questions this may raise. If you are curious as to exactly how the negotiations transpired, let us know and we can provide greater detail.

So what’s next? Simple: we stay committed to securing a space.

We’re still looking for ways to continue the discussion with the landlord in Mission Street. Until someone else signs a lease on the space, we’ll continue to pursue it. We’ve reached out to Supervisor David Campos, who represents the neighborhood in question, and we’re hoping that he might contact the landlords on our behalf. And we’re acting on other ideas of how to proactively and productively reengage the owners. Along these lines, we have discussed the situation with our friends in the Bay Area theatrical and nonprofit communities in hope of strengthening our position in future real estate negotiations, whether with this landlord or another one.

What if that space doesn’t work out? We have some other ideas.

There are more than a few “For Rent” signs in windows around the Mission (and the rest of the City). After our fundraising success and all of the planning we’ve done in 2011, we’re in a stronger position than ever before to secure a permanent home. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our fans this year, it’s that you are just as ready for us to have a place to call home as we are. Whether that home is at Mission and 24th or elsewhere in the City, we are committed to keeping the search going.

What happens to the money we raised? We intend to use it as planned, just not right away and not at the space we’d hoped for. This is not an unprecedented situation; a similar thing happened with our friends at the Parkway Theater in Oakland.

So, back to Darlene’s.

We wish we had better news as we wrap up 2011 and enter our fifteenth year – that we’re ready to sign that damned lease. But regardless of what happens with Darlene’s, we are moving toward finding a real home for Killing My Lobster. We’re ready for it and we can do it. All of our hard work the past few months has shown us that.

We should still celebrate, because even if we don’t know exactly where we’ll land, we know we’re pointed in the right direction. We know how to get there. And we couldn’t have gotten as far as we have without you. We can never thank you enough for confirming our belief that a home for KML is more than possible, it’s inevitable.

Thank you, and we’ll continue to provide you updates as we begin 2012.

Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year,

Shane O’Connor
President, Board of Directors
The Lobster Theater Project

KMLZ Holidaze

andy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:06:58 +0000

San Francisco’s premiere sketch comedy group, Killing My Lobster, teams up with the Bay Area’s best new works company, Z Space, for a special one-night-only event: “KMLZ Holidaze.” A little bit “30 Rock,” a little bit “Star Search,” and a whole lot of holiday madness, KMLZ Holidaze answers the question: What do you get when you lock a dozen comedic writers/performers in a room for 50 hours between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Something weird, funny, and holiday-lightful.

A veritable advent calendar of hilarity, KMLZ Holidaze will feature sketches and shenanigans all about family, tradition, that weird channel on the TV that plays the fireplace, animals singing Christmas carols, the proper spelling of Channukah, yule logs, fruitcakes, and nutjobs.

Join us for this one-night only holiday celebration on December 17th at 7pm and 10pm.

Buy your tickets here and now: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/209441

Top Five Reasons This New Space is Perfect for KML

andy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:10:07 +0000

Thank you to all who’ve donated so far. To anyone who may need convincing still, we’ve come up with our short list of why this space is just right:

#5) Perfectly situated among SF’s best burrito, best sausage, and best pie joints.

#4) Let’s make it EASY for people to attend our shows. Like next-to-a-BART-stop easy.

#3) More classes to teach the masses how to employ humor as a living philosophy.

#2) More shows, cabarets, movie nights, and dance finales to make Viacom & Fox super jealous.

#1) Nomadism is so 10,000 B.C. Finally, a place to call home!

A Home for Killing My Lobster

andy — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:46:31 +0000

THANK YOU DONORS FOR GETTING US TO $21,500!

Killing My Lobster has finally found the perfect location to build a premier theater space. A project which brings to an end 15 years of wandering from theater rental to theater rental. The space resides in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission district on 24th and Mission St.

The new venue would be a creative hub to hundreds of artists including actors, writers, choreographers, musicians, stand-up comedians and whoever else requires a theater for their production. Killing My Lobster also needs a versatile work space to allow them to expand the classes they make available to the community.

But the clock is ticking, as KML must acquire enough funds to secure the lease and move into the building within 30 days.

Killing My Lobster will need to raise an estimated $150,000 to convert this former fabric store into a fully operational theater. This first batch of funding will go directly toward securing the space and initial renovations.

The first goal is to have the theater operational by February of 2012 for a show celebrating our 15th birthday (February 14th, 1997).

The new space would include an expansive performance space with the front portion of the space functioning as a cafe/bar while the back areas would be built out for use as a scene-shop, greenroom, and offices that would double as classrooms.

This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who has ever been interested in supporting the arts to get in on the ground floor! Thank you again for your support.

Click here to help build a Home for Killing My Lobster: http://goo.gl/gTplx

Thanks for coming to see Killing My Lobster Conquers the Galaxy!

miriam — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:52:53 +0000

Tickets available here!

The coolest media sites on the planet have taken note of “Why is Everybody Here?”. The film is one small part of our big funny LIVE comedy show running now through October 9th at The Jewish Theatre.

Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/killing-my-lobster-releases-film_n_986220.html
KQED news: http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2011/09/29/killing-my-lobster-video-doesnt-anybody-work-in-san-francisco/
Laughing Squid: http://laughingsquid.com/twilight-zone-san-francisco-why-is-everybody-here/
Boing Boing:http: //boingboing.net/2011/09/23/twilight-zone-san-francisco-why-is-everybody-here.html
The Daily What: http://thedailywh.at/2011/09/23/this-is-funny-you-should-watch-it-of-the-day-30/

Strap on your anti-gravity boots, grab your phaser and jump into another dimension for THREE WEEKENDS: September 22 – October 9th when Killing My Lobster Conquers the Galaxy! We’ve dived into wormholes, crossed through portals and traveled back in time to bring you the finest comedy science fiction has to offer in our newest full-length sketch comedy show.

Sketches and shenanigans include the real story of how Dr. Who chooses his time-traveling companions; Space Wizard antics; Italians running a space station and more.

All in 3D with no glasses required!

Directed by KML veteran Wylie Herman

Starring: Andy Alabran, Molly Benson, Millie DeBenedet, Allison Page, Chris Quintos and Danny Webber

Head Writer: Miriam Wild-Smith

Written by: Brian Allen, Damon Brennen, Erin Carter, Janne Campbell, Ken Grobe, Stephen Kalmakis, Sang S. Kim, Chris Parisi, Sabina Piersol, Sharon Rowley, Andy Sciamanna, and Ken Slattery

When: Sep 22, 2011 8:00 PM – Oct 09, 2011 7:00 PM

Where: TJT Theatre, 470 Florida between 17th & Mariposa, San Francisco, CA

“An Alien Asks”

andy — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:40:04 +0000

The creators of “Conquers the Galaxy” sat down with Zixipo from planet Pharur to answer some of his questions after landing on Earth. Take a moment to read how we acclimated our visitor from another galaxy.

If you could get into a time machine, what year would you set it to and why?

“Anytime before Justin Bieber was invented. Remember when that was? So peaceful.” (Andy Sciamanna, writer)

“Whenever Homo Erectus was around, because he sounds fun.” (Sharon Rowley, writer)

“To 1600-ish to find Shakespeare and verify his existence and get a sonnet written about me. Duh.” (Sabina Piersol, writer)

What special power does your ray gun have?

“The ability to instantly vaporize any person named “Ray” within a 20 mile radius…Except for Ray Romano, everybody loves Raymond.” (Wylie Herman, director)

“Wraps things in bacon!’ (Njon Weinroth, assistant producer)

“My ray gun has the power to completely soak an individual with water. Ok my ray gun is actually just a Super Soaker.” (Brian Allen, writer)

“The ability to make the Giants score more than two runs in a single game. Sadly my ray gun has been broken for much of 2011.” (Damon Brennen, writer)

If an alien, like me, landed on Earth and came up to you and said: “Take me to your leader.”, who would you take him to?

“My land lord, as long as the alien doesn’t have pets. Otherwise he’d have to pay an extra deposit.” (Allison Page, actor)

“My cat, Henry.” (Sharon Rowley, writer)

“Huh? My dog of course. As long as the alien doesn’t have a skateboard for a spaceship, they should get on fine.” (Ken Slattery, writer)

What is the next movie Will Smith makes about aliens going to be called?

“Cowboys vs. Aliens 2: The Battle of Arizona. Former President turned Cyborg Ba?rak Obama leads a group of illegal immigrants to breakthrough the wall built between Arizona and Mexico in an effort to secure free healthcare. The true test of Smith’s acting skills though will be his portrayal of the cryogenically preserved head of Former Senator turned leader of the Cowboys John McCain.” (Darl Andrew Packard, lighting designer)

“I Am Alien.” (Millie DeBenedet, actor)

If Kryptonite is Superman’s weakness, what’s yours?

“The Pasodoble.” (Stephen Kalmakis, writer)

“Jackée.” (Ken Grobe, writer)

“Coffee heath bar crunch from Ben and Jerry’s.” (Danny Webber, actor)

“Italian Food. Really delicious Italian Food. And the muppets. And sappy RoCo’s. (Romantic Comedies). And wine. And candles….wait, I think I’m describing a cheesy date I once went on…oh, cheese….mmmmm cheese.” (Molly Benson, actor)

Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, or Empire Strikes Back?

“Empire Strikes Back. It’s a touching story; Luke meets his dad and Han Solo is made into a paper weight. What’s not to like?” (Andy Sciamanna, writer)

“Return of the Jedi. Two syllables: E-Wok.” (Chris Quintos, actor)

“Empire Strikes Back.” (Emily Hagen, costume designer)

“I remember my mom hissing in the theater at the end of Empire Strikes Back. So that one.” (Sabina Piersol, writer)

KML Advanced Sketch Writing – Spring Semester

miriam — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:40:45 +0000

Date: Mondays, April 23 – June 4 7-9:30pm
Location: Killing My Lobster Headquarters
2101 Folsom St. (@ 17th), SF
Tuition:$275
Instructor: Ken Grobe

KML Advanced Sketch Writing – Spring Semester 2012

Take your comedy writing skills to the next level with our level 2 class: Advanced Sketch Writing! This seven week intensive class will focus on in-depth work-shopping of sketches and revision/refinement of original ideas to get to the ultimate goal: written, completed, polished material that will be performed by KML actors during a script-in-hand-reading.

Students will work on crafting quality pieces…and have fun doing it! Some topics of study will include: character development, ensemble pieces, and writing for female characters.

Limit of 10 students per class. Pre-requisite: KML Writing 1. Students who have not completed Writing 1 will not be admitted.
Please note, this class includes two "actor workshops" (dates TBD) where your pieces will be blocked with KML actors.

Instructor - Ken Grobe
Monday nights, 7pm - 9:30pm
April 23 - June 4
Please note: there will be two additional evening workshops for this class TBD

We’re seeking directors for our 2012 season!

miriam — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:00:49 +0000

Got what it takes to captain a boat-load of comedians? Killing My Lobster is looking for directors for it’s 2012 season of sketch shows! If you think you’ve got the vision and the comedic chops, send us your resume along with the director application below to directorsearch@killingmylobster.com

Killing My Lobster Director Proposal