Feral Chihuahuas

Founded in 2002, The Feral Chihuahuas sketch comedy troupe has performed over 150 shows in the Asheville area-everywhere from proper theaters to smoky bars. However, their most committed following erupted humbly in a two-car garage in Asheville, North Carolina. The members, who at that time lived together, took it upon themselves to convert the simple building into a small black box theater that would seat about twenty-three. The plan and challenge was this: Write, rehearse and produce a 30 to 45 minute show every other Friday for 14 weeks. They decided to perform the show twice so that the limited seating would allow for more people to see the performance. Their first season in "The Shed", as it's affectionately known, started slowly but built to some success, where even in the cold of December crowds of up to thirty would pile into "The Shed" with some even shivering outside peeking through the windows to watch the show. The second season in "The Shed" grew an even larger following where the last three weeks of performances saw as many as seventy people per show crowding around the garage to catch a glimpse of the funny. With parking at a premium and the neighbors beginning to complain, it was time for an upgrade.

The Chihuahuas began performing at an area theater called 35 Below in 2007, a theater that seated almost eighty people. They were initially scheduled to have nine shows that summer, but on eight different occasions they had to add second, late shows in order to accommodate demand. 2008 was an even bigger year with a twenty-show season, selling out completely for sixteen of those dates and in fact having to turn people away on most occasions. It was grueling schedule-filming, rehearsing and performing while holding down day jobs. Especially when the Chihuahuas write and prepare a new show for each summer performance. They are committed to the extra work to keep the shows fresh and evolving, and when they step on the stage, you can tell it's all worth it.

Why the name Feral Chihuahuas? It was story related one night in the early days of the group by a founding member who has since left. He had met a friend in Waynesville at a grocery store who appeared broken up about something. The friend related that the family's litter of baby goats had been killed the night before by a pack of feral Chihuahuas. As unbelievable as this sounds there have been other eyewitnesses to corroborate this phenomenon in the rural outskirts of Asheville. When the story was finished, a light went off in their heads and they realized that the style of humor that they enjoyed was dark, but funny. Dark and funny like a pack of vicious little dogs on the prowl.

The Feral Chihuahuas formed and continue to perform through a common love of comedy and especially the form of sketch comedy. Drawing from several different styles, the Chihuahuas love to create comedy with social and political commentary, absurdism, satire and even existentialism. Their biggest influences are disparate but notable and include: Monty Python, Mr. Show, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Kids in the Hall and numerous other non traditional sources. With a nod to Lenny Bruce, they are also known to push the bounds of comedy to at times an offensive level. Not without a purpose, a message is often imbedded in even the most disturbing moments. Working hard not to skimp on production value, a Chihuahuas shows is always a multimedia affair; complete with live sketches, detailed sound effects, elaborate costumes, music, well crafted video sketches, songs and yes, they own lots of wigs.