A Clashtick Christmas
Dog Story Theater, Grand Rapids
Dec. 11, 12, 18, 19, 20
Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m.
$8
dogstorytheater.com, (616) 425-9234
Christmas is a time of joy, peace, togetherness... and strange traditions. Every family has at least one quirk that would lead most of us to cower in the corner with confusion.
It's these bizarre Christmas traditions and memories that inspired the holiday satire show, A Clashtick Chrismas. Written and directed by Grand Rapids native Amy Gascon, a graduate of Second City in Chicago, Gascon spent all summer listening to the Pandora Christmas Station for writing inspiration. It currently is the only local holiday comedy sketch show, made up of five local actors.
A Clashtick Christmas is a fast-paced, 90-minute comedy show not meant to be cheesy or get anyone’s panties in a bunch. There are satirical moments that audiences will pick out within the more intense scenes. It also features a mix of humors songs and sketches that poke fun at traditions and how people act during the holidays.
“My goal is for the audience to watch the show and recognize a bit of their own subconscious in it," Gascon said. "I wanted to provide a form of Christmas entertainment where people could just relax, wear their favorite pair of jeans and laugh. You need not squeeze into a velvet dress to fit in at this show. Unless you enjoy that, in which case, squeeze away.”
The show is meant to be an opportunity to laugh at the holiday craziness, and as Gascon believes, your chance to ask out that person you’ve been stalking on tinder.
“You can tell a lot about a person by what they laugh at, and I’ve always wanted to be a matchmaker,” she said.
At the end of each show, the actors perform 30 minutes of improvising, which means audiences take home inside jokes and hilarious moments unique to that night.
Whether your holiday memories and traditions consist of: bailing your sister out of jail on Christmas Eve, eating Christmas dinner in a hospital cafeteria or Grandma kissing Santa Claus, remember that it’s all weird, it’s all funny and it’s all the clash of what Christmas brings.
