Scary Sketches to Watch in the Dark

Comedy The Gathering is bringing Scary Sketches to Watch in the Dark to the Arcade Comedy Theater on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24. Both shows start at 7 PM in the theater's downstairs space at 943 Liberty Avenue. It's a collection of original horror-themed sketches built for the Halloween season, all staged around a campfire.

The Gathering is a Pittsburgh sketch team, and this show leans into the kind of dark humor, silliness, and absurdist wit they're known for. The sketches are all original, and they range from the unsettling to the flat-out weird. One follows two parents who stumble upon a dark secret about their child; another features a woman who finds a cursed sandbox at a yard sale; a third brings together a group of friends who come face-to-face with a monstrous foe from their past. It's the kind of stuff that fits the campfire setting—stories told in the dark that lean into the eerie and the absurd.

On stage are Georgia Burr, Madeline Phillips, and Adam Lauver, with guest performers Arianne Joson and Stacia Paglieri joining in. The whole thing runs about 75 minutes, so it's a tight evening rather than a long haul. If you're 21 or over, you can bring a six-pack or a bottle of wine for a $5 per person corkage fee, which is a nice touch for a late October night.

Tickets are $15 general admission, with a $10 student discount. Between the two dates, you've got Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, both at 7 PM at the Arcade Comedy Theater downstairs.