Giggle by giggle, gays are flitting their way up the Philly comedy ladder. And this week they're gettingspotlighted in Philly Improv Theater's (PHIT) first-ever QComedy Festival. The weeklong lineup at the Shubin Theatre highlights everything 
from gay-tinged improv and storytelling to sketch and standup. (For more info, visit qcomedyfest.com.)
Out Spoken Mon., Oct. 10, 8:30 p.m., $10-$15 Local standup comedian and festival producer Alejandro Morales says the event wouldn't be complete without this evening dedicated to queer storytelling — which he declares can be "just as uproarious as any standup or sketch act." Asked to share stories that touch on queer identity, the six-person lineup includes narrating pros like trans performance artist Rae Drew and "standup dramedian" R. Eric Thomas (pictured), who promises a juicy tale about his misadventures in online dating.
Poker Night Wed., Oct. 12, 8:30 p.m., $10-$15 To showcase PHIT's gang of gay improvisers, Ralph Andracchio organized this poker-night-themed romp starring three other homos and a bisexual lady. As far as content, all he knows is that they'll be shooting the breeze around a card table — but the actual topic of conversation is left up to the audience. "It's going to be very off-the-cuff," he says, "so I don't even know what's going to happen." Something orgy-centric, perhaps?
Eric Singel Thu.-Fri., Oct. 13-14, 8:30 p.m., $10-$15 Local actor Eric Singel will perform two character pieces in the sketch portion of the festival: In Jesus on Dating on Demand, he'll portray the world's most famous Jew pimping himself on cable for a date. And in a 15-minute monologue from his fresh-from-Fringe comedy The Wedding Consultant, he steps into the heels of Iris Holcombe, a stuffy Main Line society matron who accidentally gets roped into planning nuptials for a gay couple.
