WESTERLY — The United will host the inaugural United Alt Comedy Fest, a day full of of improv and comedy, this weekend.
The festival, which begins Saturday and concludes Sunday with a screening of the documentary “Blood Sweat and Beers,” is an example of how the United is “pushing the boundaries of what sort of comedy you can see in South County,” according to Lee Metzger, the United’s brand and content manager, who organized the event.
“We wanted to set ourselves apart from some of the other kinds of comedy shows you can see in the area,” Metzger said, “and we have been super lucky to have found partners in Rhode Island that share that mentality.
“From Providence Improv Guild and Kismet Improv of Pawtucket, and partnering with FringePVD last summer,” he added, “the shows we have put up have been wild, raucous fun.”
The event will kick off Saturday at 11 a.m. with “Saying Yes & Group Mind,” an improv workshop with Ryan Rosenberg, a member of Big Grande. At 2 p.m., Big Grande member Dan Lippert will give a two-hour workshop on the method of Premise Based Improv.
At 5 p.m., a Regional Showcase will feature United’s After School youth improvisers; the United’s house team, Crotch Davidson; Kismet Improv of Pawtucket; and Providence Improv Group.
Wrapping up the night of laughs at 8 p.m. will be Big Grande, a comedy rock group based out of Los Angeles, and the Sloppy Boys, the party-rock band hailing from Los Feliz, Calif.
On May 12, the award-winning documentary “Blood Sweat and Beers,” which follows the collaboration between musician “Money Mark” Ramos Nishita and the Sloppy Boys at Sonic Ranch studio. The director, El Paso news anchor Robert Holguin, will talk and answer questions after the film.
Tickets are available at unitedtheatre.org. The United is located at 5 Canal St., downtown Westerly.
