Theatre: writing, performing, directing and backstage.

 

Once a term we organize a sketch show that is written, performed, directed and put on by students. In case you don't know, a sketch is a short piece of theatrical comedy (usually no longer than three pages). The show is a compilation of sketches written by the society tied up by a story that we call a narrative. The sketch show usually takes place around week 9 of every term and it's the result of a lot of rehearsals and hard work. The price is usually £4 for non-members and £2 for society members.

There are many different ways that you can get involved as you can see, and because the sketch show is once every term you can try them all across the terms. Let's take a closer look at each of these roles.

 

Writing

Everyone is welcome to write a sketch at any point. Writing sketches is one of the easiest ways of getting involved because you can do it from the comfort of your own home. We have a society Dropbox where people can submit their sketches so directors can use them in their shows. We recommend you use Celtx when writing your sketch. It's an app that will help you with the correct formatting and it's the one that the society uses. It's completely free and very easy to use (no, we're not sponsored by Celtx).

Also, during vacations, we have sketch competitions. This is a way to motivate ourselves to write more sketches than usual. The first week of the term, we announce the winners and give them a prize! We give a prize to the best sketch of course, but they are many categories that can be won like most sketches written, best newcomer, best short sketch... etc. 

If you want feedback for the sketches you've written, we have sketch meetings at the beginning of the term until we start sketch show rehearsals. They happen on Tuesday from 6 pm to 8 pm in a Bowland Seminar Room. We post the number of the room on our Facebook group because it changes depending on the term.

 

Performing

Once the director is done compiling sketches and making the final script, they will hold auditions. Auditions take place instead of a sketch meeting. You don't need to memorize anything, you will be given a script with some sketches and some scenes from the narrative. No experience is required, and we love to see new faces at auditions. In fact, it's not unusual that directors cast inexperienced members. We like to make our shows as professional as possible but our number one priority is to have fun during rehearsals. This means that we love to see new members auditioning and being part of the cast. Just try your best and then we will teach you how to act during rehearsals. Many of our members have grown as actors thanks to the sketch shows. This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to the world of theatre, so give yourself a chance and come to auditions. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and our Facebook group to know when and where our auditions are taking place.

In terms of rehearsals, as we said, the director tries to create a friendly environment for everyone. The role of the director is obviously to coordinate everyone, but the staging of the sketch show is a collaborative effort. Everyone on the cast is free to give suggestions and the whole production feels like it's everyone's doing. That’s why multiple actors end up directing sketch show’s in following terms or getting involved in the backstage team in future terms. 

 

Backstage

This is one of the most underrated aspects of a show by the regular audience but without it, the show would not exist. The crew of a sketch show is responsible for publicizing the show, finding, buying and sorting the props and costumes (or sometimes even making them themselves!), finding music and sound effects and playing them on cue, and doing the light design of the show. The backstage team is ideally formed by four members, each dedicated to a different task:

Backstage director: coordinates the team and supervises the overall state of the backstage, ensuring that the show has lights, props, music, and publicity. Basically, they are a fourth person that helps all the other roles. They work closely with the director so they can help them achieve their vision for the show. Also, it's usually their job to organize the sketch show social (yes! there is an exclusive social for sketch show members only!)

Assistant Stage Manager: this person is responsible for the props and costumes. They have to create a prop list and find everything that actors need for the sketches. The day of the show, they will help with transitions between sketches, making everything run smoothly. 

Tech Assistant: they are in charge of the lights and the sound of the show. You will find the tech assistant searching for songs and sounds on the internet during rehearsals or trying to change the light to make the sketch more immersive. On the day of the show, they will be the person sitting on a table, playing the sound cues and controlling the light.

Publicity Assistant: there is no point doing the show if there's no audience right? The publicity assistant is in charge of the social media for the sketch show (usually we do a FB page or a FB event) and they also have to design the posters and graphics for the show. Sometimes the director wants a trailer and publicity assistants will help to film it and give it visibility. 

 

We cannot emphasize enough how fun and creative these roles are. We know they are not as "flashy" as acting but they are key in every show and allow members to give their personal touch in a way that is not performing. If you don't feel comfortable enough to perform or you want to try something new or you just love backstage as much we do, this is your place. Ask any exec member about the backstage role or just message the FB page.

 

Directing

Someone has to be in charge. The director is chosen by the exec. Basically, anyone who has enough experience and wants to direct that term is a good candidate. Sometimes, there are even two directors, so if you make a good friend in the society you could direct together (hurray for friendship). This is sometimes good because it helps to share responsibilities. A director has to schedule rehearsals, block the sketches, book the venue for the show... It's a lot of work and that is why the director has to be someone that knows how our sketch shows work or at least has some experience directing. If you want to direct, we recommend you get involved with sketch show as much as possible so you can learn how the sketch show works.

 

That's everything you need to know! Keep an eye on our Facebook page to know when auditions are or just message us if you want to get involved. Below you will find a video of our last sketchshow, enjoy!