Comedy troupe Discount Tuna presents "Fresh Out of Water: An Evening of Sketch Comedy" on June 27 and 28 at Coalition Theater. (Photo by Craig Zirpolo)
Sketch comedy is a serious business. Well, not really — but it does involve a lot of serious artistic commitment and creativity, something the sketch comedy group Discount Tuna has in steady supply.
The troupe's founders, Chandler Matkins, Rachel Lamb and Dante Piro, first started performing together regularly at the No-Shame Variety Show held in VCU’s Shafer Street Playhouse. Soon after, the trio formed their own troupe.
“After seeing a previous sketch comedy group leave, Rachel, Chandler and I came together as friends to fill that void,” says Piro. “We each have a slightly different take on comedy, the blending of which gives us that distinct 'Tuna' flavor.”
Though they may have different artistic approaches and styles to their comedy, they all seem to agree on what draws them to sketch comedy in particular.
“Sketch comedy is such a great form because it gives you so much freedom,” says Lamb. “So much can happen in an incredibly short amount of time, and then, after the sketch is over, you can move on very quickly to another world. It gives you the chance to experiment.”
Merging their different styles, Discount Tuna officially formed in August 2016. Since then the troupe has performed 13 times at the Shafer Street Playhouse, but will have their first public performances June 27 and 28 at the Coalition Theater in Jackson Ward.
Image courtesy Discount Tuna
“Technically, you can expect eight original comedy sketches written and performed by young, energetic artists,” says Piro. “More specifically, you can expect bridge trolls, a dad fight, a very special spelling bee and the sketch where Chandler falls down a lot. That one's my favorite.”
As a sort of celebration of their movement into the public eye, Discount Tuna has added four new members, dubbed their “Summer Ensemble.” Those members include Matt Riley, Tara Malaka, Dixon Cashwell and production/stage manager Mason Hemphill.
Discount Tuna has no plans to stop their momentum, expanding not only their show slate but moving into film work as well. Though their days at Shafer Street Playhouse are numbered, Matkins doesn’t seem to have any fears about their future.
“We will return to The No Shame Variety Show for 14 biweekly sketches in the 2017-18 season for all VCU students exclusively and have our final performance, on that stage, in April 2018,” says Matkins. “We have plans to partner with multiple Virginia theaters and art spaces in the year to come. We hope to launch more media-filmed sketches specifically, to reach wider audiences in the future.”
Discount Tuna will perform Fresh Out of Water: An Evening of Sketch Comedy on Tuesday, June 27, and Wednesday, June 28, at Coalition Theater. Tickets are $5 at the door, and the performance starts at 8 p.m.
