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Variety Pack
After its debut in 2025, VARIETY PACK is back and leveling up. Philadelphia’s festival dedicated to the chaotic, theatrical, unclassifiable corners of alt-comedy returns January 22 – 31, 2026 with two weekends of shows, twenty acts, and even more gloriously unhinged performances.
What started as a one-time experiment has now officially become its own producing entity: Variety Pack, an independent festival committed to giving Philly’s strangest comedic minds a home…
12:00 PM, WORKSHOP: Developing Your Show Ideas
In this workshop we will work through the brainstorming stage, the development stage, and touch on the producing stage of creating a show. come with at least 3-5 half/dumb show ideas you’ve had bouncing around to workshop with the group. They can be ideas for an improvised, scripted, or variety style show. Be prepared to work in small groups, in pairs, and at times alone. Come ready to work, come ready to laugh, and come with those dumb show ideas!
2:30 PM, Kidprov!
“Can I get a one-word suggestion from the audience?” is OVER! Now is the time for KIDS to shine! Some of Philly’s favorite improvisers ask the KID audiences for inspiration and then make up a sceneabout it right before your very eyes. No swearing, no violence, no cooties. (But that doesn’t mean no fun for grown-ups!) This show is best for audiences between 7-12 years old and their adults and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
4:00 PM, WORKSHOP: Acting in Stand-Up
A one day workshop that teaches you the acting tools and secrets to enhancing the performances of your stand up set. You will learn how to use professional acting techniques to help you find the perfect delivery for your joke.
7:00 PM, The Whole F*ckin Spider-Man Trilogy in 60 Minutes
Six Iconic Villains. Three Beloved Movies. One Emo Dance Sequence. What more can you ask for? How about all of it in 60 minutes (or less). Following their sold-out run of The Whole F**king Twilight Saga...in 60 Minutes, Theatre Contra is taking to the streets of Sam Raimi's NYC, in a world before the MCU, where with great power comes great responsibility, and they're doing the entire Tobey Maguire Spider-Man Trilogy in 60 minutes...hopefully. Can we do it and finally wield the power of the sun in the palm of our hands? Or will we blow up like a pumpkin bomb to the face? Only one way to find out...
8:30 PM, Weeding Out the Stoned
Weeding Out The Stoned is The Game Show of Sobriety Tests. Eight players enter the game. All but one of them are stoned! It's up to all of us to find the sober individual so everyone can win sweet prizes. Host Alex Grubard seeks audience testimony, plays mind games and administers sobriety tests to the world's most premier stoners, influencers and other petty criminals. Be part of the witch hunt!
10:00 PM, Nomaster Encircled
1 Goblin Guest must defend their beliefs against 9 other guests. The debate: Should Goblins have rights? The prize: Everyone will be memeing the dumbest things they said for 4 or 5 days!
