Sketchwright

While I was at Chicago Sketchfest, I met Ed Toolis.  I noticed him quickly.  He was one of the few people to show up alone to Sketchfest early, like me, just hanging around the lobby.  And he had a laminated festival pass on a lanyard around his neck (my pass was just a printout).

Well, he spoke to me on the last day.  He asked if I was a reviewer.  I guess he’d noticed that I’d been around for the entire weekend, too.  And I was alone.  Anyway, we got to talking and afterwards he sent me a link to his blog:

http://web.mac.com/edtoolis/TheHumorOfEdToolis/On_Humor/On_Humor.html

I suggest y’all take a look at it.  Many of his posts relate to the kinds of things I’d like to put on this blog, if I weren’t so lazy.  And if I had a better grasp of my thoughts.

It is another blog written from the perspective of someone, like me, who likes some sketch comedy but doesn’t like all sketch comedy, and is exploring why he doesn’t like what he doesn’t like.  And he’s sharing his thoughts on how to be better at sketch, particularly writing.

Even though I’m somewhat active in the Seattle sketch community, I haven’t met many people who seem to have given a lot of thought as to what some sketches (or troupes) lack.  Do they not detect the poor quality of some of the work around here?  Do they not care?  Are they just trying to be nice by not saying anything negative?  Are they of the (mistaken) belief that you shouldn’t analyze comedy?  Do they just not want to talk to me about it?

So it’s refreshing to meet someone who also would like to try to make things better.  For himself.  And by sharing, for others.

This is not the last you’ll hear me mention Ed Toolis’s blog.  I intend to comment here on some of his posts.  Stay tuned!

When I decided I was going to Chicago Sketchfest this year, I wrote my plans up as an entry on this blog.  And one person found it as a result.  And then found me at Sketchfest (more on this later).  Because he used an online search to find me, I decided to bing and google myself.  And I cringed when I saw the first Pork Filled Players (PFP) videos that popped up.  For whatever reasons, what I consider to be my best work in PFP is grossly underrepresented in the PFP online presence.  Not a big deal, since I’m no longer with PFP, and it serves as a bit of motivation to start my own troupe, to get some material I like out there.

But others may also find the online examples of my PFP work, especially (since it’s been a few years) people who didn’t actually see my PFP work live.  Anyway, it got me to thinking that it was time I wrote up an entry about my work with the Pork Filled Players.

I was with the Pork Filled Players for seven years, and during that time I was very happy to explore my love of sketch comedy.  I made many friends as PFP became one of my primary social circles.  As I worked more with PFP, I earned greater responsibility, and got better (especially as a writer).  I also became more of a sketch comedy critic, seeing much more sketch than normal people and becoming more dissatisfied with overused sketch elements (premises, formats, concepts).  My focus was and is on the writing, because that’s just what I pay attention to most in sketches.

I love “good” sketch comedy, and hate “bad” sketch comedy, and my definitions of “good” and “bad” were shifting because of my increased experience, shifting in a way that made it difficult for PFP to keep up.    Some individual sketches were good, some were mediocre, and some were just bad.  And I felt more annoyed with mediocre and bad as time passed.

I always thought PFP was an average sketch troupe for Seattle.  There were always a few better, and there were always a few worse (much worse).  Average wasn’t bad, at first, but as my tastes changed average lost its appeal to me.  That also meant I became more dissatisfied with some of the other Seattle troupes as well, but there always seemed to be at least one good troupe that I really liked.  (And a few other people seemed to like but I thought were fairly crappy)

I was tired of working on sketches I really didn’t like, and I felt like I needed a new start.  Also, I didn’t want to be a part of a group that wasn’t focused on doing sketch comedy.  PFP was starting to produce more comedic plays, and I didn’t want the group’s identity to be part sketch and part play, especially since I didn’t want to be a part of the comedic plays and didn’t want to be associated with the group if the plays selected were lame.  I didn’t want my sketch comedy work to contribute to the marketing of plays I didn’t believe in.  I didn’t want PFP’s reputation affected by work I had no part in.  When I couldn’t get PFP to be just a sketch comedy troupe, and when I could get a solid wall built between PFP’s sketch and plays, I left, thinking I would just start another troupe.  I also started this blog.

Three and a half years later, I haven’t formed another troupe, and I haven’t written many sketches except the ones for some classes I’ve taken.  I seem to be undecided about whether or not I really want to do sketch again.  Really, I don’t think I’ve decided either way.  I’ve basically procrastinated any real decision.

I haven’t decided to give up sketch – I’ve seen other sketch comedians leave, and they rarely go to shows.  I still go to the sketch shows, have taken some sketch writing classes, took improv for over a year, joined the SketchFest Seattle board (that was because I still hung around SketchFest and volunteered, not because I did anything to try to join the board), and took a trip solely to see shows at Chicago Sketchfest.

I haven’t decided to come back to sketch – I barely update the blog and don’t write sketches except for in the few classes I’ve taken (and even then I haven’t done all the sketch writing homework for the classes).  It’s been over three years since I quit PFP and over four years since my last show, and I don’t have anything that shows me actually working to put up another show.

So I’m still procrastinating.  I love sketch comedy, but I might not love performing it enough to commit to doing another show.

I’m going to Chicago Sketchfest!

I’m going to the second week of Sketchfest, and I’m arriving on Friday so I’ll miss the Thursday evening shows.  I’m leaving Chicago on Monday, so I’ll see the Sunday shows.  Here’s what I’ve decided to see:

Friday
8pm The Backrow
9pm Punch in the Box
10pm Peter ‘n Chris
11pm Second City this Week

Saturday
6pm The Comic Thread
7pm Stir Friday Night
8pm The Cupid Players
9pm Pangea 3000
10pm Inside Joke Films
11pm Urlakis and Cusick

Sunday
3pm 35th and Addison
4pm Acid Reflux
5pm ? Girls gone MAD or Hi Betty – not enough info to decide
6pm Blacktacular!
7pm Sherra: Secret of the Ooze
8pm Shock T’s

Maybe later I’ll post some observations on my investigation.  I don’t know most of these troupes, so I made my decisions based on web research.  And with sixteen slots to fill, I didn’t want to spend much time doing the research.  Lots of the troupes don’t have much of a web presence, and that generally meant I didn’t select them.

I’m looking forward to finally going to Chicago Sketchfest, something I’ve wanted to see for almost a decade now.  And since I’m now a member of the SketchFest Seattle’s board, I have a great opener to talk with the performers.  So I’ll have a fun time networking as well.

Back in 2008, I listed a bunch of the sketch shows I’d seen and rated some troupes.

Today, I just want to mention the better sketch shows I’ve seen since 2008.

If you have the opportunity to see any of these groups, DO IT!

So, in no particular order:
1. The Cody Rivers Show – I was only somewhat of a fan in 2008, but their shows since then have really really really kicked ass, especially the stuff I saw in 2010. I think they’re currently on hiatus, but when they’re back go see them.
2. Last Call Cleveland – The hit of Sketchfest 2010. Their videos, even their music videos, aren’t as good as seeing them live. I would suggest you avoid seeing their videos until you’ve seen them live. And I suggest you see them live.
3. Hey You Millionaires – I loved them when I first saw them at Sketchfest 2008 (also in 2009). In 2010 they were temporarily missing a member, and I think the quality of the show suffered a little. But I still say go see them if you can. Apparently they’ve moved to L.A.
4. Shoshinz – Not much to say about this Japanese duo. They were great when they toured in the area back in 2009. They had no English dialogue in the show I saw, but had fun dance and music numbers. I’m a sketch curmudgeon, but I loved them and I highly recommend seeing them.
5. Peter n’ Chris Show – I saw them for the first time in 5/2011 and was blown away. They are (for me) the surprise new duo (from Vancouver).
6. Charles – Currently, the best sketch troupe in the Seattle area (Bellingham is not included in “Seattle area”). The duo is funny and clever, but often you can only see them performing with (opening for) another troupe. Even if you don’t like the other troupe, Charles is worth the price of admission.
7. Second City Touring Company show – They have performed at the Edmonds Center for the Arts in February for the last few years (and occasionally elsewhere in the area as well).

“What about group X?” some might ask me. “What do you think of them?”
Well, if they’ve been to Seattle in the past few years, I’ve probably seen them. I might have even enjoyed the show. But the seven I listed here are in a class above that group (at least).

So this is a sketch from “A Bit of Fry and Laurie”, a BBC show I’ve never seen but have heard of. I’ll probably be watching more of it based on this sketch.

(To the best of my ability to conceptualize and explain) This is why I like it:

The premise is really good and original. Many sketch premises are, but having a good premise is not quite enough. Many sketches take the premise, don’t do much with it, and then don’t reach the potential offered by the premise. What Fry and Laurie do with the premise makes this a three-star sketch!

The officer (Fry) accepts the situation. Mr. Nippl-e (Laurie) is eccentric, but apparently honest. The officer reacts as if this very weird situation is merely unusual, and accepts Nippl-e’s offer as sincere, after Nippl-e defends his position.

The sketch heightens well. The heightenings are surprises couched in the logic of the world they’ve created. They are exaggerations of the previous eccentric offers.

The straight man is eccentric. The straight man officer accepts the situation (as I mentioned earlier), and essentially becomes as eccentric as the eccentric character. I like that the straight man “wins” the conflict by beating the eccentric character at his own game, but not in an underhanded way (not by trying to “win”), but rather by just heightening the eccentricity while remaining apparently sincere. The officer just happens to “win”.

Also I like that, though characters were annoyed, their annoyance didn’t get too loud. I think getting loud is too common in sketch comedy conflicts (not necessarily bad any time it happens, but it happens a lot so when it doesn’t it is nice). Perhaps it’s a British thing.