Famous Last Words

Prepare for a night of laughter with Famous Last Words: Sketches About The End presented by Bad Medicine Comedy, where DC’s top sketch comedians hilariously tackle the topic of death. This show, a unique blend of the best improv actors and best sketch comedy writers, dives into our society’s relationship with life’s inevitable end. Directed by improv veteran Shawn Westfall, the production features unforgettable characters, funny songs, and wild high jinks. Join us for an evening where even the grim can’t escape a good laugh!

Famous Last Words — Sketches About The End, will premiere on Saturday, November 9th at 7pm and 9:30pm at the DC Improv Comedy Club in Washington DC. This show has sold out.

For almost 50 years, Saturday Night Live has set the bar for sketch comedy. Its sketches, crafted by talented writers and performers, have become ingrained in our cultural identity and have driven significant changes in entertainment. What makes SNL consistently influential over such a long period? Its proven four-step formula, developed from the outset.

  1. Take the best comedy writers (such as the writers of National Lampoon magazine), and
  2. Take the best improvisational comedians (like talent from Second City or The Groundlings), and
  3. Put them in a room, and
  4. Sit back and watch the magic happen as they brainstorm, collaborate, produce, and perform.

For this upcoming production, Bad Medicine has gather some of the best sketch writers and improv actors in the region, inspired by SNL’s creative process. With the goal to create a thematic sketch show centered around the tropes, rituals, and cliches associated with the end of life.

Actors: Zach Myers, Paul Soto, Kathryn Russo, Caroline Gould, Samiyyah Ali, Eva Lewis, Chris Ulrich, and Chizobam Nwagwu

Writers: Zoe Becker, Rasheeda Campbell, Morgan Elwell, Joshua Union, Jena Frick, Danielle Steger, Cameron Her, Brandon Ingram, and Beth Ann Powers

Director: Shawn Westfall

Shawn Westfall has been teaching improv for over two decades. For 13 years, he was the exclusive teacher at the DC Improv, where he started the first improv comedy class and developed the DC Improv Comedy School curriculum. He co-founded The Unified Scene Theater in Washington, DC, serving as Artistic Director and teaching various improv classes and workshops. Most recently, he taught long-form improv at Curious Comedy Theater in Portland.

Shawn has been performing improv for nearly three decades at various theaters. His most successful project has been the long-form improv duo ShawnMikael[s], co-founded in 2010 with Mikael Johnson. The duo has performed nationwide, winning numerous accolades and selling out a monthly show for 33 consecutive months. They currently have a monthly show at Galactic Panther Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

Head Writer: Anna Huntley

Anna is a sketch and stand-up comedian and all-around pretty nice person. She’s the co-founder of Chaps, DC’s all-women sketch supergroup, and has entertained audiences around the country as a writer/performer with Rails Comedy.

Anna has featured in multiple videos for the humor site Cracked, including the popular “Honest Ads” series, and was previously a regular cast member with DC’s political comedy troupe, The Constituents (now The Washington Roast). 

Producer: Isaiah Headen

Isaiah grew up in Northern Virginia and went to film school in Washington, DC. He’s a founding member of Bad Medicine and DC Sketchfest. Despite having a small background in dance theater he fancies himself more of a writer/producer than an actor.

Isaiah’s surrealist humor is rooted in cartoons from classics like Dexter’s Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls to modern breakouts such as Adventure Time and Gravity Falls. As he pursues his own odd comedy dreams he plots to turn DC into a sketch comedy capital.

Theater: Bad Medicine Comedy

Bad Medicine was conceived over a plate of tater tots in 2013 and has since flourished into an award winning sketch comedy troupe that produces sketch shows and teaches sketch comedy at the historic DC Improv Comedy Club. Bad Medicine is also a cofounder of DC Sketchfest. Washington DC’s only sketch comedy festival.

A component of Bad Medicine’s mission statement is to grow the sketch comedy scene in Washington DC and supporting productions like the Westfall sketch troupe aligns with this goal.