Sketch Pad: Writing Sketch Comedy for Improvisers

Thursdays, 7:00 – 10:00 PM

May 3rd – June 7th, 2018
Bayfront Theater, San Francisco

Schedule: 6 sessions, once a week for 6 weeks
Class times/dates: 7–10 pm on Thursdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, and June 7
Class size: 16 students maximum
Class length: 3 hours (18 hours total)
Prerequisite: Foundation 2

Want to be the next Key & Peele? Write the next Sean Spicer sketch for Melissa McCarthy or create the next Portlandia? This class will get you on your way!

Sketch comedy and improv are natural companions, and in this class we’ll look at how they support each other. Students will learn the fundamentals of sketch comedy writing – generating ideas, developing premises, comedic characters, the genres of sketch (parody, satire, etc.), scene structure and the various types of scenes commonly created for sketches (fish out of water, list scenes, simple but impossible goal, inappropriate response, and many others).

We’ll focus on how improv and sketch work together – using sketch writing as tool to create stronger improv scenes and characters, and using improv to create unique and surprisingsketches and work through trouble spots.

There will be weekly homework writing assignments, in-class exercises and table reads to help students develop strong writing habits and get comfortable with having their material performed.