onStage Pittsburgh: From the deck of the Titanic, to a scene on Mars, to a motel in the year 0 B.C., Sketchville is a production filled with surprises. Directed by Parag S. Gohel and written by over 15 local authors, the show offers audiences a chance to be transported into a world of wild ideas, big characters, and timely satire.
4 comments:
2. I have actually been getting lots of Facebook ads for this show! It sounds like a really fun time with a variety of sketches. I wonder how writers are compensated, if at all. I think writers (and any creatives) should always be cautious about submitting to contest-like calls in which your compensation is unclear, conditional, or non-existent. It is really important to protect your intellectual property. I am not saying that this particular endeavor is manipulative, but it is good to be careful and thoughtful when submitting your work with uncertain outcomes. Considering this production has been going on for 10 years, Arcade Comedy Theater must have a really good handle on how to work with writers in a way that is respectful and equitable. It would probably not be too difficult to see who had their work presented in the past and ask them about their experience with Arcade.
Honestly, sketch comedy like this is not something I know much about, if anything. But- this sounds intriguing! Going from no show, to 60 writer’s submissions, to 12 sketches in the final comedy show sounds really interesting (and, shoutout to TJ Young for being on the judging panel!!) And, they’ve put the show together in only 5 weeks. That is not too different from our rehearsal periods for shows, but still not super long - especially considering that they have 8 actors playing over 50 characters! That is the part that is very different from what we do at CMU. It sounds like they are weaving multiple stories and writers into one performance, and I wonder how their process looks different from a play, for example. Especially from the design aspect? Are there a ton of costumes? Or is the focus more heavily resting on the acting/writing of the sketches. Now off to buy tickets…
This is bound to be an interesting production. Having over a dozen writers and performers it is bound to have some snafus. I do like that it is community grown. Having gone from 60 submissions to the final line up. I have not had the chance to see a production a this venue or with this company but their work interests me. I love comedy and feel we in theatre do not get to work on them often enough, especially in academia. Ha! I read the line about having Kazoos and immediately thought of Annika who is an alumni who wrote her playground piece to be a kazoo musical, she would love this. I appreciate that the article acknowledges the production manager but wish it also credited more on the production side. Such as the stage manager, set designer, sound mixer/designer, costume designer, etc. Overall I am looking forward to this production and hope to see it.
At this point, I shouldn't be surprised by the discovery of new things in the Pittsburgh arts scene, but I always am. This is the first I'm hearing about Arcade Comedy Theatre, and honestly, it's just making me think that the drama department at CMU needs to do a better job of keeping the students connected to the local theatre. Or maybe it's just the management types that are out of touch. Because clearly with one of our own involved with this project (nice to see TJ Young mentioned in the article!) CMU is still really connected in the local theatre. But this is bound to be a delightful experience of theatre and comedy. I've done improv, but not sketch comedy, and I think the danger always lies in playing the same character over-and-over and making the same choices. I would be interested to see how well these sketches work together while still standing apart, and my hat is already off to these performers for being willing to tackle so many characters in a single evening. That is no easy feat. Anyway, I think it would be cool for the department to advertise local theatre more widely; maybe organizing group trips could be a advantageous way of bonding as a community and integrating into the local scene.
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