Somewhere, at some point, you’ve thought to yourself, I’m pretty funny. I bet I could write comedy. It’s okay. We’ve all done it. Maybe with your friends, maybe alone where no one else can see, or maybe in front of a room full of strangers. Maybe you’ve got notebooks full of ideas waiting to be fleshed out, maybe you’re not even sure how people actually write sketches, or maybe you’re an old pro who’s looking for the next outlet to create something. The Sketch Mash-Up welcomes everyone of all experience levels, crams them together in a room for three days, and demands that they pitch, write, edit, rehearse and perform an hour-long (-ish) show. Why? Just to prove it can be done.

I signed up for the Mash-Up at the recommendation of Sketchfest’s Artistic Director Clayton Weller, who assured me, “It’ll be fun.” At only $25 for three days of fun and writing, how could I say no? (Full disclosure: yes I write for Sketchfest, which puts on these Mash-Ups, but I volunteer so they don’t pay me jack and therefore are not forcing me to say $25 is a good deal. It just is.) I figured it’d be a breeze! I’ve written sketch comedy before. It’d be a great way to meet people in the scene, since I’m relatively new to Seattle. They’ll probably think I’m super hilarious and awesome and I’ll have a new best friend by the time this thing’s done!

As Friday night approached, though, my bravado turned to dubiousness. What if I’m not funny? What if everyone else is funnier than me? What if they’re all somehow writers for SNL just doing this on a lark and I’m going to be the worst one and they’ll hate me and I’ll be terrible? It was every first day of school all over again. I briefly considered blowing the whole thing off, but thought better of it. After all, they were providing Thai food. I could endure a weekend of shame for some Pad Thai. I headed to the pitch meeting, notebook in hand and stomach growling for peanut sauce.

Friday. It starts.

The 10 (-ish) of us gathered in a conference room while Clayton and Dan, the show’s producers, started off with introductions and explanations as to how this whole thing would work. The group ran the gamut, from seasoned sketch pros to first-timers to a woman who literally was dragged along by her friend and wasn’t 100% sure she was ready for this. After learning everyone’s names, the pitch session began in earnest. The pitch brainstorm is always my favorite part of any writers’ room, because it’s basically a room full of people trying to crack each other up. For a week prior to the Mash-Up, we’d been submitting one sentence ideas to a shared document. Now we got to read them off, one at a time, and riff on them to try and flesh out the idea. It’s a very welcoming, “no bad ideas” kind of vibe. The stronger stuff kind of floats to the top via laughter or people adding more and more ideas to it.

Clayton finds that wild gesticulation always helps convey an idea.

After the initial onslaught of ideas, we took a quick break to feast (finally!) while Clayton and Dan narrowed down our extensive list to sort of rank the ideas they thought had the most potential. Everyone seemed to be on board, engaged, and excited; even the nervous first-timers. The intimidation I was worried about never materialized; the atmosphere could not have been more inviting and collaborative. It was great! It made me miss my sketch-writing days of old, and I swore to get back into that. After stuffing our faces with noodles, we reviewed all the ideas pitched and people called out the ideas they wanted to write. You only get one sketch, and it’s first-shout-first-serve, so you can’t be bashful. I missed out on the sketch I really wanted because I didn’t want to seem too eager, but I happily took my second choice before it could be snapped up.

(It turns out my second choice was sort of a joke suggestion that Clayton throws out for every pitch meeting to kind of get the juices flowing. He was surprised someone actually picked it, but he was excited to see what I could do with it.)

With our choices made, we broke camp and headed home to generate first drafts and show up with them for review in around 12 hours. I wasn’t worried as I drove back to my house; I was brimming with ideas, and I had all the hilarious feedback from the group to incorporate! This would be easy!

I stared at my laptop for about an hour before I started drinking.

But the words came. Slowly. Haltingly, even. But they came. The goal of the first draft is not to deliver a comedy masterpiece; the goal is to conquer the very act of writing a first draft. Put (digital) ink to (electronic) paper. That’s all you have to do. And reminding myself of that fact took a lot of the pressure off. I finished my first draft around midnight and went to bed shortly after to rest up for our Saturday editing session.

Saturday. When First Drafts Are Trimmed of Comedic Fat.

Saturday began with coffee, or would have had we not failed to figure out the coffee maker for roughly three hours. Instead we munched donuts and drank water while the shakier of us forged across the street for some espresso. We read our first drafts in front of the group, casting them on the fly with a hurried, “Uh, what was your name? Can you be the guy with the arrow in his face?” While the characters read, we all took notes on what we’d change, add, subtract, etc. Once all the sketches were read, we broke into teams of three or four and started editing.

Clayton and Sunny direct one of the sketches in rehearsal.

Editing’s a neat process, because you go from a large group dynamic to a smaller, more intimate duo or trio. You get to know your sketch-writing compatriots a little better, and you have to navigate how to dissect a sketch, find the game, and heighten that until it’s side-splittingly funny. Some sketches need little if any touching up. Others require slightly more assistance. It’s a balancing act, but it’s crunch time so you can’t spend all day daydreaming about a possible change. If you’re going to cut something, you’ve got to do it and do it quickly. Think the third beat would benefit from some good ol’ “guy gets hit in the junk” slapstick? Better make a strong case for it. Our helpful producers Clayton and Dan would pop by every hour or so to check in on our progress, answer any questions or help us overcome any writers’ block. Suddenly the afternoon had passed, it was time to go, and we had finished drafts.

Late that Saturday evening we got the email from our esteemed directors with the final casting for the show. Along with that came the caveat: we’d be performing these sketches tomorrow night, so we had to get to memorizing lines with a quickness. It’s a weird sort of panic that hits you (or maybe it’s just me) when you realize you have to memorize something in a short time. It’s sort of like cramming for a test, except the test is in front of a bunch of your friends you invited and if you fail it’s going to be very embarrassing.

I was cast in three(!) sketches, but one of the roles only had one line. I pored over my scripts for most of the night, until I started to wonder if I was doing more harm than good by trying to memorize three separate pieces simultaneously. I decided to pick one, my personal favorite, and hammer on it until I had it perfect. I worried the others might suffer, but I would rather turn in one amazing performance than three middling ones. I crammed and I crammed and I crammed before it was late enough that I worried I would feel like crap the next day, so I went to bed.

Sunday. Fun Day?

Sunday was a blur of activity, and started with all of us arriving at the performance space to rehearse. With 10 or 12 actors and two producers we had to improvise, dividing into smaller groups to read lines while each sketch was read, rehearsed, and blocked out (a Latin term meaning “you should stand here when you say this”). As I read the lines again and again I realized they had clicked; I wasn’t going to go up there and blank, I seemed to know my lines! All of them, not just the one sketch I’d focused on. This was going to be easy! I got the call: time to rehearse my first performance in front of the producers. No prob, I thought as I strolled to the stage.

And then I blanked.

Not completely. But enough. Enough that my newfound confidence was suddenly and rapidly receding. I fumbled through my lines once, twice, and a third time before wrapping up the scene and going back to my script to cram. But there was no time! I had another sketch to rehearse! In an instant I was back onstage, transformed from diabolical mastermind to cantankerous old man. I think the frenetic pace really helped me, to be honest: it kept me from fixating on the stuff that wasn’t perfect (something I’m known to do) and kept me in the moment, working on whatever the scene at hand was. It’s also a kind of reassuring mantra to tell yourself: It doesn’t have to be perfect, we did all this in three days.

But soon enough the music came up and the lights went down and people were filing in to take their seats. Real, actual people! All of them were surely invited by us, but still! I ducked out to say hello to my friends who graciously came out to support me before hiding backstage to go over last minute choreography and changes. Then the show started.

You can’t know what to expect, other than having fun.

I absolutely love the feeling of performing, and not just for the obvious “Gimme Attention” thrill everyone assumes (although that certainly helps). It’s a feeling I first got performing improv onstage, and it’s like gossamer: sure, it’s a little different from improv in that the sketch is written and rehearsed beforehand, but the audience has never seen it before. You’re sharing something completely new and unseen with them and you get to witness them experiencing it and it’s this shared moment that will never really ever exist again because the characters will change. I can get all sentimental and quasi-metaphysical about it, but that’s the gist.

The show was a blur of adrenaline, nerves, bright lights, and (thankfully) laughter. There were a couple hiccups, sure, but overall things went great! Having a supportive audience made it much easier to go out on stage and be silly for a bit. Afterwards we met in a giddy, giggly heap and congratulated each other on a job well done. We’d done it! We put on an entire sketch comedy show just days after meeting each other! It was time to do what anyone in this situation would do: we headed to the bar to celebrate.

All this is to say that I would recommend the experience to anyone looking to write, perform, or just meet some cool people and have a fun weekend doing something different. Drop us a line if you’re interested in attending the next one!

Want to try YOUR hand at producing a sketch comedy show in just a weekend? Check out our Classes page for opportunities like the Mash-Up, SketchWriting Thunderdome, and more!

For the entire month of June SketchFest has rented out the Ballard Underground [2220 NW Market St].  To what ends? Simple, to give more that 10 local sketch comedy groups a venue wherein to ply their hilarious trade.

2 nights every weekend
2 shows every night
2 groups every show

We’ll be doing big contests, competitions, shows, showcases, and much much more. You know you want to come. Get your TICKETS now!

See your favorites. See someone new. See all of these wonderful performers:

Ubiquitous They
Chad Chats
Charles
Drop the Root Beer and Run
The Entertainment Show
Comedy on Trial
Jason ‘n Spike in Your Living Room
Pork Filled Players
Worst Case Scenario
Love Snack
…and other, yet to be titled, brand new groups

For a complete calendar of events go to our Brown Paper Tickets page. What are you waiting for?

So what would you like to see from SketchFest this year? Fill out the form below and make your voice heard in this fine democracy and we’ll be sure to share all your ideas at the January staff meeting. While we can’t guarantee that all of your requests will be met this year, we’ll be sure to give it the ol’ college try.

Check out the transcript below:

MO: Matt Olson
BF: Bayley Freeman
ZN: Zak Nelson
MH: Matt Hatfield
(Not in attendance: Caitlin Obom)

I HAVE TO ASK, HOW DID YOU GUYS MEET AND START DtRBaR, AS IT’S LOVINGLY CALLED?

MO: I saw that question coming.
BF: Super obvious.
ZN: We met at the Evergreen State College. That’s where this all started.
BF: In a group called Generation Friends.
MH: We all met via the college. We all went to Evergreen and were a part of the sketch/improv group Generation Friends.
MO: Let’s answer every question the same in 4 different ways.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR COMEDIC STYLE?

MH: Dark Whimsy.
ZN: Yep.
MH: Only two words you really need there.
MO: That’s a term we’ve always used to describe it, I don’t know if it still applies as strongly as it used to.
BF: Pretty much.
MO: All of my sketches are people yelling at each other usually.
BF: We’re still pretty freaking weird.
MH: I always aim to be as weird as possible.

DO YOU THINK THAT’S PART OF YOUR APPEAL?

BF: Never too much.
MO: I think we’re more silly than weird, but that’s just me.
MO: Appeal?
MH: If that isn’t, nothing is.
ZN: Maybe, I don’t really understand the concept of appeal.
ZN: I just want to be friends.
MO: I think they just like us for our bodies.
BF: Yea, we just want to be friends with everyone!

(At this point, we briefly lost connection with Bayley. Technology.)

ZN: Baylie fell in a Gcal hole.
ZN: It’s okay she got back up.
BF: But I climbed out for what it’s worth.
MO: Does that answer your question?
BF: Okay, super focused.
ZN: Appeal.

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU GUYS. DO YOU THINK THAT COMEDY IS LESS ABOUT APPEALING TO THE AUDIENCE AND MORE ABOUT AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE? OR IS IT SOMETHING ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT…

MO: We’re all thinking very hard about this question.
BF: I’m leaning toward the altogether different part more.
BF: Nothing wrong with that.
ZN: I think comedy is basically about having fun, between group members and the audience.
MH: It’s all pretty important, you want to give them something they haven’t seen before and you want to make them happy in the process; at least that’s what it is for me.
BF: But making ourselves happy is important too. We just like to perform stuff that appeals to us.

I LIKE THAT. SO YOU PROBABLY KNEW THIS ONE WAS COMING: LOTS OF GROUPS HAVE WILD NAMES, BUT YOURS IS PRETTY UNIQUE. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?

ZN: Get ready.
ZN: Here.
ZN: It.
ZN: Comes.
ZN: Soon.
ZN: Maybe?
MO: Cut it out, Zak.
BF: Zak’s stacking up too much pressure.
MH: Stack.
BF: Hatfield’s gonna blow!
MH: So when I started the group along with Corbin Smith, who is no longer in the group, he came up with the name while watching Mad Man, apparently there’s a scene where a kid has a bottle of root beer that he drops and then runs.
ZN: Ahem. Mad Men.
MH: At first I thought the name was a little anti-Root Beer so we were Root Beer Harvest for a bit, but DTRBAR had a better ring to it.

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST PLACE YOU’VE PERFORMED – INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP?

MO: We’re used to performing in bars, which is not a great improv venue.
MH: This isn’t so much a place… but we once did an improv set for only my parents… that was pretty awkward.
MO: In the Generation Friends days we did a show in a bar and had to warm up in the adjoining hair salon because we were underage, and had the police called on us by the crazy, drunk owners.
ZN: We also once did a sketch set only for my family. And a family friend.
BF: The last rehearsal for our most recent show resulted in me hitting my head on a chair leg because it’s stupid to do physical comedy in tiny kitchens.
ZN: Also the band we were opening for at that bar ended up tuning up behind us, BEFORE we were done with our improv set.
MO: I did an improv show in a backyard, opening for jugglers once.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IMPROV AND SKETCH COMING TOGETHER? DO YOU THINK ONE LEADS TO THE OTHER, LIKE A GATEWAY DRUG?

MO: They should, but sadly that’s not always the case.

WHY’S THAT?

BF: Not for me, improv’s never really been my bag but I will say that certain elements of one are useful in the other.
BF: …Is one of them so you can pick up a scene in case you fumble in sketch?
BF: I’ve read enough about improv and done a little and it does help me a bit.
MH: I did improv first, and found sketch much later. Occasionally we’ll get a sketch idea from an improv scene, but that doesn’t happen too often.
ZN: If you’re willing to go over an improv scene a bunch of times until its perfect, then melding the two together can be better. Personally writing whatever comes into one’s head has always worked for me. I think that both complement each other, and there are elements of one in the other.
MO: I think knowing how to do improv makes writing sketch much, much easier. I would not know how to write sketch comedy without using improv techniques.
MH: Game theory applies to both, so once you’ve gotten that down in one you’re good in the other.
ZN: Yes, I think having both in your bag of tricks is great. If for nothing else, when you mess up a line you can cover it up and no one will be the wiser.
MO: To answer you’re other question, I really don’t know why there’s not more fluidity between the improv and sketch scenes than there is, especially in Seattle.
BF: I started in traditional acting so sketch comes easier but I’m glad I studied improv. I think it makes for a stronger performer in many situations. It also develops your versatility and confidence.
MH: We’ve changed chunks of sketches spontaneously during a show a few times, and that’s always fun.
ZN: Yeah, sometimes ad-libbing for the last night of a show can be fun.
ZN: My whole outlook to that has kind of changed though recently. Kevin McDonald did a workshop here in Seattle that I got to attend and he basically showed you how to turn improv into sketch.
MO: Goddamn name-dropper.
ZN: I will not drop Kevin McDonald’s name ever…I’m going to hold it close to my chest and let it keep me warm at night.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF WORKING IN A LARGE GROUP? WHAT THINGS SHOULD NEW TROUPES WATCH OUT FOR?

MO: Scheduling between 4 or 5 people is a big problem.
ZN: Lots of ideas happen in a large group.
MO: Especially as some of us work nights and some of us work days.
MO: We can never meet as much as we want/need to.
MH: Best part is all the voices that are contributing at different angles, we all see things when writing that others might not see.
ZN: The writing is much faster because you have lot’s more sketches coming in.
BF: Well we’ve been such good friends for so long the ideas just flow out effortlessly it seems.
MO: Everybody in the group is also great at picking up production roles.
BF: It’s also good for developing chemistry on stage because we’re so comfortable, really anything goes.
MO: All the scheduling, logistics, and tech stuff doesn’t get tossed on one or two people, because we’ve all been producing shows long enough that any one of us could pick up pretty much any task and get it done. It makes us a lot more efficient.
BF: And we can trust each other to be really critical when we need it.

WELL, I CAN TELL YOU GUYS HAVE A PRETTY GREAT RELATIONSHIP AND THAT IS SUPER IMPORTANT. ON THAT NOTE, NO MATTER WHO’S TO BLAME, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SKETCH YOU’VE PERFORMED? WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE? WHY?

MO: Tough one.
ZN: Wow, here come some hurt feelings.
BF: Also, this could take a while.
MH: I’m a pretty big fan of performing Carrying Monologue, because the audience always eats that one up.
ZN: I’m a pretty big fan of you performing Carrying Monologue, too.
MO: My favorite to perform is called Parrot Fell Detective. It’s not our most popular sketch by a long shot, but it’s pretty much just for me. It’s just so much fun to do.
MH: Also “All Aboard” because I basically just get to be adorable.
MO: Yes.
MH: Yes.
BF: The salmon sketch between Olson and me, because it is so ridiculous and such a fun build.
MO: Carrying Monologue might be my favorite sketch to watch though.
ZN: My favorite sketch to perform is probably a new one called Emergency Broadcast.
ZN: I really (for some reason) like roles that are non-speaking.
ZN: Least favorite one I’ve performed is probably one we did called Protest.
ZN: I liked the idea, but Olson never liked it period. We still made him put it in the show.

HERE’S A REALLY BIG ONE….WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT SKETCH COMEDY?

MO: What else is there?
MO: To me, sketch comedy has more potential than any other form of narrative, to really go anywhere, really quickly.

WHY?

MO: I mean, you could have a short scene with jokes in it, that isn’t a comedy sketch.
MH: To me it’s important to take the time to approach whatever you’re writing at an angle you think is new, and to keep working at it until you have the moment of “YES!” “THIS IS A NEAT THING.”
ZN: I think sketch comedy is really good at turning negative ideas, thoughts, or feelings and being able to hold them up for us to laugh at. Thereby making them positive.
MH: Surprise. Surprise is so important.
MO: Sketch comedy is all about patterns, games being played, ideas taken to impossibly high conclusions, and it makes it really easy to get away with writing the stupidest ideas you’ve ever had in your life and make them seem credible.
BF: For me it’s all about showing people something they’ve never seen before and taking them somewhere they never expected. I don’t write so for me it’s all about jerking them out of their seats with your energy.
ZN: Sketch comedy is like playing jazz with a ruler, artistic, but mathematical at the same time.
MO: That’s beautiful, Zak.
MH: Good use of words.
BF: also it is amazing to me that these guys can come up with new things all that time despite the magnitude of material already out there.
ZN: There’s never an end to the possibilities.

Don’t miss Drop the Root Beer and Run at SketchFest on Friday 10/5 at 7pm as the open for NYC group Missing Earl! Also, like them on Facebook or follow their Tumblr for the latest news on their full-length show to come in early 2013!

Get a little taste of the Root Beer right here from last weekend’s SketchFest Local Showcase:

We’re super stoked to be involved with another awesome festival this weekend, Arts Crush! Make your way to the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center on September 23rd to give us a wave, high-five or one of those pretty smiles you do oh-so-well while we tend to our table at the Arts Crush Kick-off Fair!

If that wasn’t enough for you,  SketchFest will be sponsoring one of our wild and crazy Mash-Ups at the  Arts Crush Fair  October 14th through the 16th. For those of you not in the know, that’s a glorious two-day extravaganza of creativity in which participants concept, write, rehearse and perform a sketch show in only 48 hours. Yes, your read that right folks.

Want to join us or just learn more about this sweet festival of artistic wonders? Check them out here or here. And here, here or here.  And also there.

About Arts Crush:

ArtsCrush is 31 days of creative adventures in art, literature, music, theatre, dance, film and more.  Connect with artists, arts groups, and your fellow citizens in unique and unexpected ways.  This month-long festival features hundreds of special offers, creative experiences, and once-a-year interactive arts opportunities for all ages.  Visit www.artscrush.org to join in the fun.

While the word ‘titillated’ is a tad on the 50 Shades of Angst-Ridden Housewife side, there’s no better word for that tingly feeling we get when Charles presents Seattle with a brand-spanking new offering of comedic genius. Want to sweeten the deal? The boys from Stanford are pairing up with SketchFest’s own Ubiquitous They and Drop the Root Beer and Run for this journey of jest along with the super sophisticated collective from the north, Pump Trolley.

You want “deets” as the kids say? You got ‘em:

Facebook Event
Brown Paper Ticket

The Ballard Underground
2220 Market Street

Saturday, August 18th, 10:30PM w/ Pump Trolley (Vancouver BC)
Saturday, August 18th, 10:30PM w/ Pump Trolley (Vancouver BC)
Sunday, August 19th, 8:00PM w/ Pump Trolley (Vancouver BC)
Saturday, August 25th, Midnight w/ Drop the Root Beer & Run
Sunday, August 26th, 8:00PM w/ Drop the Root Beer & Run
Saturday, September 1st, Midnight w/ Ubiquitous They
Sunday, September 2nd, 8:00PM w/ Ubiquitous They

Have you clicked the links yet? Why haven’t you clicked the links yet? What are you even DOING here still?!

You’re welcome for sparing you the obvious “Bump into you at Bumbershoot” reference. Let’s move on…

Guess what?! SketchFest will be at the Theater Stage (Armory/Center House Stage) on Sunday September 2nd from 3:45-5 pm and if you’re not there during that time, well then you probably should be! If you don’t make it, here is a tantalizing list of comedic talents you will miss:

CHARLES

A cerebral and imaginative sketch duo from Seattle, Charles is intelligent without sacrificing accessibility, seamlessly combining highbrow and lowbrow sensibilities into a brand of humor they call unibrow. Charles has performed throughout the US and Canada, including the San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and Toronto Sketchfests; the Los Angeles Comedy Festival; the People’s Improv Theater New York; and the Toronto and Victoria Fringe Festivals.

UBIQUITOUS THEY
Ubiquitous They presents ”Jason and Spike In Your House!” um…”In your theater auditorium!” Ubiquitous They have performed at Bumbershoot, SF sketchfest, and Seattle Sketchfest. Spike and Jason have performed at Emily’s house! Do you know Emily? She has a waffle maker!

THE ENTERTAINMENT SHOW The Entertainment Show is Kevin Clarke and Travis Vogt–Stranger Genius Award-Nominated filmmakers/sketch comedians, and creators of the epic sci-fi feature film Steel Of Fire Warriors: 2010 AD, the six-part mini-series Adventure Buddies and countless laugh-inducing short films and mind-bending live sketches.

Alright, let’s not beat around the brass tacks. How’d you guys get so funny? (i.e. when did your love of comedy begin?)

Jesse: We had really different paths to get where we are today. I’ve always loved comedy. I mean, it’s really hard not to; it’s an art form that just creates happiness. Of course you’re gonna love that. But I never worked on being funny or anything before I started standup. Maybe I was a little funny naturally, but I think mainly just annoying. I started standup out of pure arrogance and boredom; I was 19 and extremely miserable and looking for something to do. Thinking of myself at 19 sends a shiver up my back, but I’m really glad the standup stuck. That was a great thing to pull out of the wreckage of adolescence.

Courtney: I think trying to be funny is rarely effective. My dad has one of the best senses of humor I’ve ever encountered, and he just revels in the eccentricities of life. I would always delight in recounting absurd experiences to him, but they were always based in reality. I was a straight actress focusing on classical theatre before I stumbled onto the comedy scene, but it’s really not much different. You know…tragedy plus time equals comedy. Also, Chekhov had quite a funny bone.

Tell us about the birth of your web series Normal.

Jesse: It was a natural birth. We had a midwife on hand the whole time but barely needed her at all. The breathing exercises were key.

Courtney: And my super loose vagina. Just slid right out.

Jesse: SO loose.  In truth, it happened the way all sketch shows start: we got a great deal on a good camera. That kicked the whole thing off, really. We both have a way of adapting our ideas to our resources at the time, and the environment had just given us a kick ass camera. Before that, I only had a kick ass microphone, and at that time I had a podcast.

Courtney: It was a natural progression. It started as a one-off idea, which led to other brainstorming in that vein, and, ultimately, we thought it all worked well under the abnormal coupledom umbrella that we’re using now.

I have to ask Jesse, is it great working with a not only beautiful but utterly hilarious cohort like Courtney Kocak?

Jesse: Courtney’s an awesome collaborator. We have two very different backgrounds with entertainment, but we find the same things funny. She’s, like, a legitimate actor. Not the kind that was in one play in middle school and then got implants and moved to LA, but like a legit actor, trained in classical theatre and all that. So it’s a little intimidating working with her for how subtle and nuanced she is, and I’m just balls out funny faces and weird voices. Every time we film I learn something new from her. And she is really beautiful, and that’s fucking weird, too. She’s gotta have macular degeneration or something to be with me. I don’t get it at all. I really don’t know how I pulled this off, nor do any of my friends or family. I keep thinking she’s just a super long-term call girl and I’m going to be billed a few million dollars at any time.

Courtney, how do you concentrate on your work while staring into Jesse’s gorgeous face on a daily basis?

Courtney: I turn him over. Staring at his ass is a great reminder of how much remains to be done. JOKE. JOKE. Everyone relax. God, people get so uptight when it comes to male standards of beauty. Seriously, though, Jesse is amazing. The first time I saw him, he was performing, and I’ve been in awe ever since. He’s a total pro. He works really hard, but he makes everything look so easy. We do this weird foreplay thing where he makes me call him a comic genius. Don’t tell him this, but I’d totally do it on my free will.

You spent some time in Seattle. Do you miss us terribly?

Jesse: Courtney and I spent this last Christmas in Seattle, which was a blast, but I lived in Seattle for two years before I moved to LA. Honestly, I miss it with all my heart.  I find myself going to places in LA that remind me of it. It was a crucial time for me, too – that 22-24 period – as it is for anyone, so it made a life-long impression on me. I miss walking around Capitol Hill and Ballard, I miss my old crappy apartment, I miss the comedy venues, I miss my friends; I even miss the weather.  And, yes, the coffee in Seattle actually is the best in the world. The baristas in LA are a joke.

How do you feel about YouTube as a vehicle for sketch comedy?

Jesse: YouTube is not so much a vehicle as a garage that everyone can hang out in, waiting on their vehicle. It’s an open cloud, so it’s basically just a corkboard that you hope people will stop to look at. It’s no secret that most of YouTube is terrible. Anyone with a camera has a voice, so there’s very little validation in it.  Having a YouTube channel is like having a Facebook page; it’s easy. But that makes it a level playing field, and that’s a good thing.

Courtney: Needless to say, we want more. Our views aren’t exactly off the charts, but a lot of great things have come out of YouTube for people, if the content is solid. Our main concern is making great sketches. The cream rises, and hopefully we’re learning to make great cream. We’re learning a lot and the sketches are getting better. We’re getting better and faster at producing them and establishing our workflow. We’re going to keep doing it and see what happens.

Jesse, what is it you enjoy the most about doing both sketch and stand-up? What do you find the most difficult?

Jesse:  This will sound really diplomatic and fake, but they’re two different beasts and equally difficult to do well.  Stand-up is more nerve-wracking, that’s for sure, which I think many people would confuse for difficulty.  There’s no wall, and you’re all alone.  Every audience is different.  With video sketches, the environment is completely in our control.  But that adds more pressures in it’s own way.  As a standup, the results of your labors are immediate, in the form of a live laugh, but you have to fit into this persona box or else it becomes “performance art”, which is usually garbage.  With sketch, the possibilities are endless.    So I guess I love standup for it’s limitations, and sketch for it’s lack of them.

Courtney, do you prefer performing sketches you have written or do you enjoy acting out sketches by other writers?

Courtney: Gah, I hate either/or questions. Both. They’re different (see above). When you work on classical texts, each word is so important. I come from memorizing very precisely and any deviation from that is jarring to me. It’s liberating to perform my own shit because the reverence isn’t there. Performing is always fun, though. What’s awesome about being in a sketch that isn’t yours is that after you’re done playing, you get to go home, and it’s not your job to get it out the door. Sometimes it’s fun to have the control and sometimes it’s fun not to have the responsibility.

What is your favorite sketch you ever performed?

Jesse: Well, there are sketches that I think are the funniest, but then sketches that were the most fun to do. When that overlaps, it’s awesome. If everyone involved is ruining takes by breaking character and cracking up, then you’re on the right track. The first one we did, “Japan,” is really solid I think.  We couldn’t stop laughing when we were filming it. We save all of our outtakes, which we’ll probably release at some point, but I did about 30 takes of just the annoying slurp of coffee that opened the scene.  Subtle stuff like that is way funnier to us than “whacky, zany” comedy. We’re trying to do more micro, nuanced stuff. We have some doozies coming up, if I say so myself. But all of our favorites involve food. Just overeating, basically.

Courtney: We’ve been in LA too long. Eating has become utterly absurd.

What do you find is the most important reason for keeping sketch comedy alive?

Jesse: Sketch comedy is alive?

OK, point taken. Any upcoming projects the world needs to know about?

Courtney: We finished a screenplay recently, and we’re working on a TV pilot and a million other little things, as well as our separate endeavors. But we have a few ideas each week that we decide to commit to, because we have no concept of time.

Jesse: We’re morons, but stuff’s happening. Nothing’s a thing until it’s a thing, though, so right now, a lot more NORMAL.

Where can fans learn more about you and find out where to watch you perform?

Jesse:  Well, I think all of our “fans” know us personally, so they can just call us. But if anyone loses their phone or something, they can go to the YouTube channel or follow us on twitter at twitter.com/jessecase and twitter.com/courtneykocak. Thanks!

Check out the latest episodes on the NORMAL channel or if you have an irrational fear of commitment, just let yourself get hooked on the video below and we promise you’ll be back for more…

Find out more and apply here!

FINAL date for applications is now June 13th at Midnight which means you have an entire month to get your very best material together.

We can’t wait to see some of sketch comedy’s most hilarious groups represented, including our very own Seattle sketch scene. With two out-of-town and one local showcase, and a laughtastic Film Festival there are plenty of ways for you to share your talents with the crowd.

We can’t wait to see you all in the Fall!