Hats off to Mask and Wig's Comedy Fest

Fans of NBC's 30 Rock can get taste of their favorite show two days early this week at the 11th Annual Mask and Wig Intercollegiate Comedy Festival.

Also known as ComFest, the event presented by The Mask and Wig Club and the Social Planning and Events Committee will be held tonight at 8 p.m. in the Zellerbach Theatre.

This year's ComFest will be hosted by Judah Friedlander, known for his role as the trucker-hat-wearing writer Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock. Previous hosts have included Bob Saget, Kevin Nealon, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Gilbert Gottfried, Ana Gasteyer, Dan Bakkedahl and Kenan Thompson.

ComFest is the nation's premier intercollegiate comedy festival, according to Mask and Wig's Web site. It showcases the talents of the best collegiate sketch comedy troupes and honors a well-known celebrity comedian.

The student performers tonight will include Penn's own Mask and Wig, Princeton University's Triangle Club, Yale University's Fifth Humor and the University of Maryland's SKETCHUP.

College senior Andrew Shults, who is treasurer of SPEC and one of the directors of ComFest, said Friedlander was chosen because "he is someone who Penn students know."

"His style of comedy will mix well with the kind of comedy portrayed in the skits," he added.

Wharton sophomore Alex Marcus agreed. "Judah Friedlander is really funny on 30 Rock," he said.

"I can't wait to see what his hat says," he added, referring to the different trucker hats that Friedlander wears on 30 Rock.

Additionally, Shults added that students will enjoy the performance because it allows them to see different comedy troupes from different universities - groups that he described as "the best and most talented."

Ashley Trocle, an Engineering sophomore, is itching to see this year's show. "Mask and Wig performances always live up to my expectations," she said.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the box office of the Zellerbach Theatre, on Locust Walk and online at CollegeComFest.com.

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