Last week a new non-profit theater organization popped up on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere by the name of The Philadelphia Joke Initiative. It’s the work of Alexis Simpson, former Artistic Director of the Philly Improv Theater and member of the improv groups Rare Bird Show (profile), Illegal Refill (profile), and ComedySportz and Kate Sabato, a veteran of the non-profit and theater worlds.

The organization’s purpose is clearly stated on their website: to “support and grow Philadelphia’s cultural community by regularly producing comedy events, nurturing local talent, encouraging that talent to remain in Philadelphia, and raising the profile of Philadelphia-grown comedy on the national market.” And while the PJI is certainly not the first non-profit comedy theater company in the city, the aforementioned PHIT and 1812 Productions are others, another group fighting the good fight is always welcome.

Being a new group, current plans are still tentative. There’s hope for a weekly Sunday night show of sketch, stand-up and improv at the Copabanana on South Street starting in October. “The owner of the Copabanana has been a business owner on South Street for three decades and he is saddened by how corporate it has become and remembers how it used to be the center for the art,” said Alexis by phone. So, the restaurant is renovating the second floor to host music events and hopefully comedy shows.

In January of next year, PJI hopes to mount “Cecily and Gwendolyn’s Fantastic Balloon Ride” in which Karen Getz and Kelly Jennings play “self proclaimed social anthropologists” that “‘discover’ new civilizations and boldly go where no self-respecting Victorian woman would ever dare.” Alexis has high hopes for this show: “It’s terrific, it’s such an amazing show. It’s totally improvised, but they play these time-traveling women that just chat with people about their lives.”

But the very first project from the new group is the internet video series All Over Philadelphia!, “Philadelphia’s only morning show available 24 hours a day.” It’s a parody of bright and cheery morning talk shows with mindless banter and inane how-to segments. Each episode will also feature an interview with an actual artist involved in this year’s Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe. The first episode is up now:

In the meantime, there are many details to sort out: grant applications, a board of directors, and tax exemption paperwork, but the wheels are in motion for more to come soon.

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