SketchComedyShow

Show Format

I like the idea of piling in material in a variety of formats. I want to give the audience just a few more jokes than they can comfortably keep up with, and changing style on them instead of letting them get used to "I got it. It'll be a skit, and another skit, and another skit."

• Start with a series of traditional sketches

• Include other skits inside the main sketches, if possible

  • e. g. a character briefly turns on the television, and it's a movie trailer for Hard Core Priest.
  • Note that we could use these audio pieces as the intermission 'music'
• Have a connected series of shorter pieces interspersed throughout, establishing connective concept -- see "Possible Show Concepts"
• Also, a series or two of short sketches that are just a series of short jokes -- e. g. CelebritiesAsPimps
• Include filmed pieces if possible
• Record audio pieces; play them back during scene changes (don't let up on the audience)

• Include a variety of transitions. Instead of the traditional 'button, then blackout with a few seconds of music'

  • Blackout with an audio comedy piece
  • Wipe to next scene
  • Monty-Python-style segue to next scene
  • Recurring scene interrupts other scene (à la Spanish Inquisition)

  • Break fourth wall (talk to audience, talk as actors, et cetera)

    • Although I have my doubts about the efficacy of this technique these days; it seems a bit too precious to pretend that the fourth-wall-breaking isn't part of the script. :)

I also like the idea of alternating (possibly non-funny) music with a skit. I particularly like the idea of doing a Matthew-Sweet-style pop song (cheery melody, depressing lyrics), and following it with a straight-ahead comedy skit. The idea is that a somewhat pained song could bring out the darker, sadder, and weightier aspects of what is otherwise a fluff comedy piece (especially if you use the song melodies as an unintrusive but noticeable score for the stage action). We could really see the hurt and confusion of the guy whose girlfriend has never heard of Led Zeppelin, or the absolute fuck-this-shit rage of the girl whose boyfriend joined "The Wacky Monkeys," which would lend some... well... reason for existing to those scenes.

Plus I really like opening a show with a song. Gives us a chance to all be on stage at once, to take the stage one at a time in a pleasing manner, and start high energy.

Amount of Material Required

How much stuff have we got to write to get this off the ground?

(Bob pulls out the slide rule and starts ballparking...) Okay, say we have a 90 minute show, sketches are 4 minutes on average, with interstitial bits being 20 seconds each. There's a break in the middle of the show (assume it takes no time) and each half of the show must start with a normal scene (not interstitial bit.) Raw accounting says

(90 min = (2 * n) * 4 min + (2 * (n - 1) * 20/60), or

n = 268/26 = 10, giving 20 sketches and 18 bits.

That's conservative; bits will probably last longer, there's no accounting for the break really, and assuming each half's intro and outro take half as long as a sketch each, that drops the number of sketches to 18. Further, assume that a third of our ideas are crap (or at least not stageworthy) so we need 27 sketches and bits each. Accounting on bits is a little harder because they aren't necessarily independent ideas. Say half the bits are independent, and the other half are part of a three-bit gag; that'll give (say) 5 three-bit gags and 12 independent (single-bit) gags.

Okay, this is creepy. This gives us (5 + 12 + 27 = 44) ideas or roughly one idea for every two minutes of show with plenty of material left on the cutting room floor.

Best estimate (stretch sketches to 5 min and bits to 30 sec): 90 minute show - 10 minute break - 8 minutes for two pair of 2 minute intro/outros = (2 * n) * 5 min + 2 * (n - 1) * 30 sec

or 72 min = 10 min * n + n - 1

n = 73 / 11 = 7, giving 14 sketches and 12 bits.

Is this reasonable or too conservative? We'll only really know how long the show is after a rehearsal, but I think these are good writing targets and there's nothing wrong with having too much good material. What's the screenplay rate - 30 seconds per page of script?

Possible Show Concepts

• History of mankind, as explained by God screwing with people (Bob, do you remember this one any better?) (Bob: I recall we mulled over using The Fates or various deities and pantheons as well to avoid picking on only the Surly, Wrathful Old Testament God; It's really hard to beat those toads...)
• ???

Possible Venues

• Standing offer from Joey
• The Hideout
• ???

Other Logistics

Other stuff we have to sort out to get a show off the ground. Promotion, lighting, tech stuff, programs, box office, rehearsal space and scheduling... none of which really merits examination until there's a show written.