Sketchfest '08 is in full swing, and masterminds Brian Posen and Jill Valentine have done it again.

The Bastion popped into Sketchfest last Friday night and caught two Chicago sketch duos working their magic: Team Submarine and Sandy Takes a Break. Both duos packed the house (or the West Theater, at least) and kept the crowds giggling and bouncing around in their seats as they wove little vignettes into broader themes.

Team Submarine's Steve O'Brien and Nate Fernald, who seem to be constantly working on new material and then polishing it to a high sheen, included some unexpected special guests in their sketches, including Steve's very uptight "fiancee," who was less than pleased to find Steve smashed inside an ever-growing contingent of male strippers after warning him not to be caught doing anything gay. When it was revealed that she too, swung a little to the other side, a large and energetic bunch of dancing "gaybies" took the stage, in adult-sized diapers and tight sexy tees.

Sandy Takes A Break, the team of Chris Lee and Ben Seeder (who has been described as a protege of Chicago improv legend David Pasquesi), put some great details into their character work and proved once again that they're worth the hype that took them to the L.A. Comedy Festival last year. Highlights included uncomfortably funny familial discord between a recently-fired newscaster and his college age daughter, and a weird and hilarious car ride with a boy and his girlfriend's father.

Thanks to Bryan Bowden for the photos. A ton more Team Submarine pix can be seen here, and lots of Sandy Takes a Break can be gawked at here.

Here's a funny video from last year's Sketchfest, about the history of the fest itself:

- Elizabeth McQuern