Sketch Comedy Writing Read online

  “Gay Wall” was originally improvised and scripted over 5 years ago by the The Improvisation News Team. The sketch showed promise but never made it into a show. IN-Studios members excavated the sketch, gave it a fresh look and a few tweaks. Breaking through the barriers of time and space, GW represents the best of what it means to collaborate artistically. Here’s to breaking down barriers and walls of every kind - personally, professionally and socially! Hats off to our writers (Mary Hynes, Caitlin Vail, Scotty Watson, Elizabeth Parish, Israel Savage) and actors (Ellen Ko, Laura Rose Cook, Chris O’Neill). Special thanks to Michael Coyne.

  We will use the following sketch as an example to illustrate the 4 questions and the use of plot points. The sketch is formatted differently (font/type size) to better accommodate book format.

  You can watch it here: WATCH THE GAY WALL VIDEO

  YouTube: SUBSCRIBE

  …

  Title: Gay Wall

  Written By: Liz Parish, Scotty Watson, Mary Hynes, Caitlin Vail, Israel Savage, IN Studios

  Plot Point Diagram (PPD)

  BEGINNING

  PP1: Christina is secretly visiting her sister Sara at the gay wall (actually an electric fence).

  PP2: There is tension and awkwardness at first.

  PP3: Christina breaks through by letting Sara know she’s worried about her.

  MIDDLE

  PP4: Christina passes a casserole to Sara, and they get electric shocks (in the style of the game “Operation”

  PP5: Sara points out that the food situation is great on the gay side and offers Christina cheese.

  PP6: Christina reluctantly eats the gay cheese and the sisters grow closer. Christina passes Sara a handmade sweater she made for her.

  END:

  PP7: Christina reveals that she is living in a sad, bland world without salons, Bloomingdales and rainbows.

  PP8: Sara suggests she come over the gay side.

  PP9: Christina refuses to commit a “mortal” sin to go over to the gay side, but then thinks

  “impure thoughts” which is enough for the gay alarms to go off.

  POINT OF VIEW:

  Christina

  MESSAGE:

  Embracing differences makes us better.

  EMOTIONAL PATTERNS:

  Physically, Christina offers gifts to Sara, only to find they are not needed (that’s the “game”.) But emotionally, Christina offers pity, then when met by Sara’s happiness, finds envy. This is the dance they do throughout the scene.

  PROPS:

  Basket or bag of food

  Bag with sweater

  CHARACTERS:

  Sara

  Christina

  Announcer

  SCRIPT:

  LIGHTS UP

  (Two sisters are on either side of a space fence (made of stools?). They are talking to each other through the fence. The sister on the straight side of the fence has on a scarf and sunglasses, like she is hiding. She is very conservative but is secretly visiting her sister.)

  ANNOUNCER: It’s the year 2019. All homosexuals have been separated from the population and moved to an internment camp. Visiting the camp is strictly prohibited and punishable by law.

  CHRISTINA: (Christina looks around to make sure no one sees her) I brought you something. Is there a hole somewhere?

  SARA: Over here. Careful…

  CHRISTINA: (She crosses herself) God forgive me for the sin of aiding a homosexual.

  (Christina passes a basket of food through the hole. The fence is electrified. It’s like a game of “Operation” where they both try not to get electric shocks but do. We hear “ouch,” “careful,” etc).

  SARA: (opening the basket) Your green bean Church casserole (she is touched by her sister’s gesture) Thank you, that was thoughtful.

  CHRISTINA: I’m worried about you. I figured you’re not getting proper nutrition over there.

  SARA: Oh… we’re doing pretty nicely food wise. We’ve got Jamie Oliver, Anne Burrell, Cat Cora … and don’t tell anybody… we’ve got Paula Deen now.

  CHRISTINA: (Sniffs the air) Really? I smell gruyere.

  SARA: Yup, she deep fries it. It’s delicious. Have a taste.

  CHRISTINA: I can’t eat gay cheese.

  SARA: The cow is straight. Here taste…

  She passes the cheese through the fence. The whole “operation” thing happens with “careful” and “ouch,” etc.

  CHRISTINA: (she crosses herself and then eats the cheese) Wow, that is good. The only restaurant we’ve got left is Chick-fil-A.

  SARA: (laughs) You look good.

  CHRISTINA: Oh please, I look awful. My roots. All the salons had to close. No more hairdressers.

  SARA: I like the gray. It’s very god fearing.

  CHRISTINA I brought you another surprise.

  (She passes a bag through the wall. It’s another round of the “Operation” game with shocks, etc.)

  SARA: (Taking it out of the bag) You knitted me a sweater.

  CHRISTINA: (whispering) I made it in Church. I was worried you were cold. I know it’s a bit dull. They only sell muted colors now.

  SARA: Thank you. I love it, and it’ll look great with the Kaftan that Isaac Mizrahi made for me.

  CHRISTINA: Mizrahi?

  SARA: Yeah, I live in the fashion compound. Mizrahi lives next door. We’ve got Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang, Dolce and Gabbana.

  CHRISTINA: Bloomingdales had to close.

  SARA: Wow, that’s rough.

  CHRISTINA: You guys got everything, even the rainbows.

  SARA: Yup, we also got the blue skies, soft rain and winter snow.

  CHRISTINA: I just don’t see how winter snow is homosexual. It’s part of Christmas.

  SARA: It’s the frolicking.

  CHRISTINA: I see.

  SARA: Christina, why don’t you come over here?

  CHRISTINA: I couldn’t. It’s a mortal sin.

  SARA: You don’t have to actually do it. Just think it.

  CHRISTINA: Impure thoughts are enough?

  SARA: Absolutely! You know … Portia de Rossi is gay. (seductively) And Melissa Etheridge … Jodie Foster … Cynthia Nixon.

  (The gay alarms start to go off.)

  ANNOUNCER: Code rainbow! Code rainbow!

  (The alarm continues.)

  (The sisters smile at each other. Guards come out and take Christina.)

  SARA: (yells to Christina as they are taking her away) I’ll save you a seat at dinner.

  BLACKOUT

  COLLABORATING

  If you’re seeking a career in professional writing, you’ll often be ask asked to collaborate. Sometimes you’ll collaborate unofficially and sometimes in a structured setting like a Writers’ Room. Either way, it’s an important skill to master and can truly help you sustain and enjoy a long career.

  “You are like the 5 people with whom you spend the most time.” - Jim Rohn

  We are at our best when we are working with others. We were designed that way. Think about it. It’s in your DNA. If two people hadn’t come together you wouldn’t exist.

  I have an accountability partner, that’s what I call her. And from Monday to Friday I phone her (she’s in CA, I’m in NYC) and ask her how she’s coming with her writing goals from the day before and she asks me the same. It’s only 15 minutes, but a very important conversation.

  Why do I have that person in place? Because I own my own business, like all of you own your own businesses. Some of you are writers and some of you are actors, but you are all entrepreneurs. Our progress needs to matter to someone other than ourselves.

  “You are like the 5 people with whom you spend the most time,” as Jim Rohn famously said. Think about what your average is for yourself? Who are the five people you spend the most time with? Does that spell career success? That doesn’t mean you dump all your out of work actor/writer friends, but it does mean you are in control of going after relationships that challenge you to be better.

  Have you ever been running lat
e for a meeting or a rehearsal and you take a cab and you get there and you are sweating and you just pay 15 bucks from your pocket, meanwhile you see some of the people strolling in, holding a cup of coffee. Has that ever happened to you?

  Who do you think changes over time, the one person who is conscientious or the other 14 people who are strolling in? Of course the one person would be foolish to continue to spend money on cabs when it doesn’t matter.

  There is POWER IN ASSOCIATION. You need to be surround by people who push you, who challenge you, who inspire you.

  Sketch Comedy is at its best when it’s collaborative. Collaborations happen easier when there is a shared goal, an openness and a spirit of yes and.

  If you want to work professionally as a writer, you need to learn to collaborate. Whether you are taking notes from an editor, director, producer, co-writer or a head writer, it’s rare that you won’t have to listen to and incorporate the thoughts of others.

  Yes And

  Yes And is an improvisation principle and a necessary component for a truly successful, full life. In essence, you accept and consider what’s given and add to it. I think of it like taking a deep breath in (that’s considering and accepting the suggestion), then taking a step forward - that’s the “And.”

  It doesn’t cost you anything to consider an idea, to say “yes, what if we did that, what would that be like?” Try it on, see if it fits. You don’t have to buy it if it doesn’t fit. For most concepts, ideas and suggestions, when you say yes and accept what’s given and even add a little to it you move forward in a direction that is not only full of ease, but joyful collaboration.

  Truthfully you can always find a “yes”. Liz Parish, our advisor, always uses the example of a child begging for candy at 9AM. “Yes” you can absolutely have some candy. You can feel the child calming down when the “no,” the resistance is removed. “We’ll make sure you can have some after dinner tonight.” There’s the “And.” Moms are sneaky aren’t they?

  Finding common ground doesn’t mean you have to let go of your point of view. Imagine if parents, romantic partners, heads of state truly embraced this concept? Imagine the joy and ease that would follow for all involved?

  Brainstorming

  Whether we’re running workshops for middle-aged business executives or nine-year-olds, when we ask the following question we are always met with a flurry of hands: “Have you ever been working in a group or on a team and offered an idea only to have that idea shot down?”

  So often our inclination is to say “no” to an impulse or idea, whether it’s someone else’s offer, or our own. Ideas are often met with, “No that won’t work” or “We tried it already” or “Costs too much” or…

  Chances are you’ve been on the receiving end of a “no” like that. How does it feel? Does it make you more or less willing to offer ideas? There is a time to question and even say no, but the time isn’t during when ideas are being generated. It’s like attempting to edit yourself and write fresh new material at the same time, you’ll never make it past a blank page.

  At some point during our writers’ training, I always show the commercial from General Electric. I get a little teary-eyed every time.

  Ideas are scary.

  They come into this world ugly and messy.

  Ideas are frightening because they threaten what is known.

  They are the natural born enemy of the way things are.

  Yes ideas are scary and messy and fragile,

  but under the proper care,

  they become something beautiful.

  Writers’ Room

  The writers’ room is a room in which TV or theatrical stories are conceived and honed.

  Head Writer

  A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits.

  One of our Head Writers, Michael Coyne, put together a list describing the IN Studios writing process from a Head Writer’s point of view.

  …

  At IN Studios, a Head Writer’s goal is to lead the way in creating and supporting the foundation for a collaborative sketch show:

  1. The Head Writer, Producer and Director come together and agree on a working theme for that month’s show. A theme is a single overarching idea that anchors the sketches to the show. Themes generally correlate to seasonal/holiday motifs (Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Spring Fever) but can sometimes vary (Star Wars, Twilight Zone etc),

  2. The Head Writer then lead’s a ‘Pitch Session’ with the writers. A ‘Pitch Session’ is an open forum meeting where all the writers for a sketch show discuss ideas or have sketches read to possibly be performed in an upcoming show. The pitches/sketches generally revolve around the theme. However, that doesn’t mean that pitches/sketches that don’t revolve around the theme should be ignored: they could be retooled down the line to fit in the theme with rewrites or direction.

  3. After the ‘Pitch Session’, the writers are given 24 hours to have their pitches/sketches listed and linked on the ‘Production List’ aka the show bible. The writers are then given till the end of the week to have a first draft of their sketches put up, which the head writer will make notes and comments on. The first drafts will then be read during a rehearsal and the edits will be discussed in depth with time given to the writers to work on their own.

  4. After the edits are made, the ‘slaying of the first born’ or cutting of sketches occurs. Sketches are put into three classes: Solid, Needs Work and Not Up To Snuff. Solid sketches are golden, ready to go that may need the minimalist work. Needs Work Sketches are sketches that have a solid foundation but are weak in areas that need tweaking. Not Up To Snuff sketches are the ones that are cut, they lack foundation or are just simply not workable.

  Word of advice: Keep the Needs Work pile to a minimum: three or four at most and let the Not Up To Snuff section fill up as needed. Cut hard. There’s nothing worse that performing triage on a sketch as a head writer. Its grueling and time consuming. However, if a writer of a sketch that is Not Up To Snuff takes time upon learning the cut and does triage on their own then take heed of that. They exhibit patience, passion and persistence in their creative endeavors and should be noted.

  5. 20 pages for a sketch show is a minimum (not including plot point diagram pages). Every sketch should be formatted with a 14 pt. font, be double spaced between lines and have the line formatted like so:

  Line: (tab) (tab) Dialogue blah.

  Line 2: (tab) (tab) Dialogue blah.

  It translates to a minute a page and we generally go for a twenty minute sketch show. Blackouts count for half a page. If the pitch session does not generate twenty minutes of sketch material then it is your job to fill the remaining time. IN does have its archives and you can certainly create the remaining time.

  6. Throughout the entire generating process, the director should have input to help facilitate the process. When the generating process is over, the script is handed to the director to work out staging.

  7. Before the initial read through and casting, the Head Writer will email the writers and ask for ‘Dream Casting’ for the sketches, i.e who in the sketch team would they like to be cast in their sketches. Keep in mind that this is DREAM CASTING and at the end of the day casting and staging is done at a director’s discretion.

  8. During the staging process, a Head Writer’s job is to communicate with the writers in making sure that the director’s vision is in line with the writer’s vision. Acting as a go between with the writer-director relationship helps ensure that everyone is being heard, that the ‘writer’s room’ is being properly taken care of and that the sketch is excellently executed.

  9. ‘Live edits’, edits to a script that occur during a staging process can happen. Sometimes it can be a matter of cleaning up language to facilitate the actor’s performance, a discovery of something to help make the sketch str
onger or a rewrite for something that isn’t working. The director, writer and head writer should all be part of this process to figure it out. Matters of dialogue should concern the Head Writer/Writer with matters of staging concerning the director.

  10. After the producer review and notes, the head writer acts as a go between with the producer and the writer’s room. A head writer’s goal in working with a producer is to preserve the integrity of the writer’s voice in a sketch while incorporating the producer’s notes. This often is the most important and daunting part of the process. Last minute changes are made that shake the foundation of a sketch show and need to be handled gracefully and forcefully. This is when the most beautiful work happens.