SKetch Night

Hey all you sketchy people! There are now more ways than ever to get involved with sketch comedy at Mockingbird Improv!

We will be continuing our open-submission sketch nights in July and August on the fourth Thursdays of the month, rehearsal at 7:00pm and show at 8:30pm. As in past months, the show will consist entirely of sketches submitted by members of the community to sketch@mockingbirdimprov.org. August show submissions are open right now, so if you’ve got a sketch, send it in! As in the past, writers are the producers and directors of their sketches, and are responsible for casting their actors and coordinating all necessary props, costumes and set pieces that their sketches require.

Coming in September…

We are also putting together new Mockingbird Sketch Teams! These teams will start meeting in early August, and will present Mockingbird’s first Sketch Team Show in September. There will be two teams at first: a team of sketch writers, and a team of performers who will serve as the actors for the sketches the writing team writes. These teams will be distinct but can overlap – an individual can apply to be considered for either or both! For this first round, we are looking for 6-12 writers for the sketch Writing Team and a cast roster of approximately 12 performers for the sketch Performance Team.

Writers Wing

The writing team, “Writers Wing” will be overseen by a director who will guide the creation of monthly sketch shows to take place in September, October, November, and possibly December (TBD). Although the show schedule has not yet been finalized, shows will be presented either on the third Thursday of the month at 8:30pm or on the third Saturday of the month at 10pm. Shows will be approximately 1 hour long and will consist primarily of new material written by the sketch team, with 2-3 “open” slots reserved for submissions from members of the Mockingbird community. 

The writing team will generally meet once per week for writers’ meetings and rehearsals. Writers’ meetings will most likely be on Monday evenings from approximately 6:30-8:30pm, with the exact time to be finalized once team membership has been determined. Every writing team member is also expected to attend rehearsals and performances. 

Writing Team members are expected to submit a minimum of one new sketch every two weeks, to rewrite sketches based on feedback from writers’ meetings, and to provide constructive feedback on teammates’ material and be an active participant in the writers’ room. Writers are not guaranteed to have a sketch in every show, but

it is our intention to work toward the goal of including at least one sketch per writer per show. Writers are the producers of their sketches, and responsible for coordinating all necessary props, costumes and set pieces that their sketch requires.

To be considered for the Writing Team, applicants should submit a writing packet that includes 2 sketches and 5 pitches for new sketches that have not been written or produced. Pitches should be less than 50 words each and all be contained on one page. Please note that sketches should be no longer than 5 pages in standard script format, and that the strongest sketches/pitches should be the first ones in your packet. 

Sketch Performers

The Sketch Performance Team will be a roster of actors from which the Writing Team will draw to cast roles in the sketches developed each month. Members of the Performance Team will be neither required to nor guaranteed to perform every month.

To be considered for the Performance Team, applicants should submit a resume that includes all relevant training, performing experience, and special skills, as well as a headshot (which can be professional or simply a photo by friend or selfie as is available). Some applicants may be asked to participate in a performance audition, currently planned for August 11 at 11:00am.