THE
BEST OF THE BEST SKETCH FEST 2004
DON'T
CALL THEM SKITS!
A&E COVER STORY
Friday, July 16, 2004
Holly Johnson - Special To The Oregonian
What is it that makes us laugh?
Skewed versions of our own lives, surreal takes on the
human existence, satirical references to politicians we
don't like? Forget the question: We're about to find out
what tickles us and what doesn't, and the answer is
different for everyone.
"The Best of the Best Sketch Fest," Portland's second
annual national sketch comedy festival -- featuring nine
sketch comedy groups from San Francisco, New York, Seattle,
Los Angeles and Chicago, plus Portland's host group, the
3rd Floor -- will bring us up to speed this weekend with a
laugh-a-thon providing plenty to ponder on the nature of
humor. In its second year, the festival has grown from
eight groups to nine this summer, adding New York ensembles
MEAT and Elephant Larry and the duo Brychael from Los
Angeles.
What is sketch comedy, you ask? We know it from
television's "Saturday Night Live," from "Monty Python's
Flying Circus," even from "Your Show of Shows" from the
1950s. Neither improv nor stand-up, this genre, so perfect
for TV but even more exciting live, is written and
rehearsed by the actors, often with music, costumes, props
and sets. It's a form actors love because they create their
own mini-worlds. As Livia Scott of MEAT observes, where
else can you portray an evil British child and a bear in a
good season?
Sketch comedy may stand in the shadow of full-length plays,
but small can be powerful. It's the short story next to the
novel, the quick watercolor sketch compared with the big
oil painting. Kevin Chesley, a member of L.A.'s Troop!
performing this weekend, says a friend of his in the
business likens improv to jazz and sketch comedy to rock
'n' roll.
"Somewhere, trapped between the comedy listings and the
theater section lies sketch," Chesley said. "Even while
'Saturday Night Live' is known the world over and college
dorm rooms ring with the quotes of 'Monty Python,' 'Mr.
Show' and 'The Kids in the Hall,' to most, sketch is a bit
of an odd duck. To those who choose to work in it . . . it
is somehow the past and the future of both comedy and live
theater."
Many groups are spawned from college drama departments.
Some, like 3rd Floor, which has had 36 members since 1996,
have a revolving-door policy where actors perform a while
and go off to do a play, then come back again.
Ted Douglass, co-founder of 3rd Floor and a main force
behind the Portland festival, says styles tend to differ
geographically. "The West Coast is theatrical in
presentation, whereas the Midwest and East Coast tend to
use improv as a tool to come up with material."
No groups auditioned for the Portland event, he adds:
They're all hand-picked. "We've seen each group in person"
when performing in festivals in Chicago and Seattle, "and
consider them to be the finest of the festival circuit.
It's this great web of friends we have all over the
country," Douglass said.
Portland's laugh-o-rama may be small compared to others,
but it impressed Brandon Campbell, one of 3rd Floor's
co-founders and now associate producer for the annual
January Chicago Sketch Fest, which featured 75 groups on
three stages last year, including 3rd Floor. The Portland
ensemble has consistently earned enthusiastic reviews in
the Windy City, including praise from the esteemed Second
City, king of Chicago's 65 or more sketch groups.
"I liked Portland's approach: I liked its intimacy, and
because it was only happening on two nights, I think it
helped make it more of an event," Campbell said. "There
were a couple of moments in the Portland festival that
Chicago has wanted to model, even though we're a lot
larger."
What makes a strong sketch company? Nine 3rd Floor members
performing this weekend would agree that tight material
comes from good minds in sync. And what could be better
than writing your own material and performing it to see
what works and what doesn't? Douglass, Jordana Barnes, Andy
Buzan, Loren Hoskins, Jason Keller, Andy Lindberg,
Kevin-Michael Moore, Daria O'Neill and Tony St. Clair took
a break to talk shop, amid much laughter, one Saturday
afternoon.
"I think one of the strengths is that everybody in the
group is talented beyond what the group itself entails,"
said St. Clair, a Portland actor who recently performed in
"The Big House" at Artists Repertory Theatre. "We all work
in other theaters, all do a lot of commercial work, we're
singers and dancers. So when you have that kind of
multi-talented aspect, it makes it easier to write
something. You know if you bring in something good, you've
got people with the chops to handle it."
O'Neill, radio personality on KRSK (105.1 FM), has done her
share of plays but believes sketch work is unique in its
altruism.
"Maybe it's just this particular group of people, but
there's a really amazing sense of appreciation,
encouragement and excitement from the beginning of the
writing process," O'Neill said. "People seem just as
excited about a concept that's funny that comes from
someone else as they do from their own ideas. It's really a
collaborative process like no other."
