I am looking for submissions of short skits, 5 minutes or less. Though
there is a potential for you to make some money on this concept, please
keep in mind that we are a cash-strapped community theatre so we can't
offer
you any money to start but, if your skit is chosen we will send you a
video
tape of the skit performed live. If you would like to visit
our website please go to www.theatreonmain.ca We are hoping this will
blossom into something larger. The concept goes like
this:
A skit contest, wherein writers are encouraged to submit skits prior to a
dead line.(our first deadline is July 1, 2006)
We are trying this out initially at our little 65 seat theatre to see if
there is any interest out there from you writers. Eventually we
would like to see Individual theatres run the shows 5 times per year .
Each will revue about 20 skits (number picked arbitrarily). The viewing
audience will be asked to vote, actual vote results will be kept private
until the fifth show.
For the fifth and final show of the series, the winning skits from the
previous four shows will be featured, re-done, sort of like a play-off.
Final voting will take place on that final day and the winning
writers crowned live, if possible. ( then extend to have "play-offs"
between various Community Theatre groups, then on and on.)
Skits will be original material, maximum 5:00 minutes, maximum 6
characters.
Skits fall into 3 categories Musical/parody, Skit and Jokommercials.
Each
show there will be winners in each category. The revue "run" is not
limited to one night. In our case we will be running them in a rotation
of
Thursday, Friday, Saturday for three weeks in a row, just like our
regualar
play rotation.
Categories definitions are:
Musical/parody: orginal humerous numbers and original parodies
Jokommercials: parody of existing ad or totally invented product.
Skits are skits, which include humour.
We are also toying with "dramatic short" as a category but we are not
quite
certain it will fit. If you wish to submit these it won't hurt.
How does the show look?
We establish a Character with a side kick, ala Martin Mull and Barth
Gimble
from Fernwood Tonight (if you are unfamiliar, a very cheesy Johnny
Carson/Ed
McMahon take-off). the show will have guests, likely characters in the
skits, and have musical numbers and skits tied together like a variety
show.
The Jokommercials would be intersperesed as though they are the actual
sponsors. The audience will be instructed at the opening as to what is
expected of them and where the whole thing is heading and ballots provided
with entries listed in the appropriate categories.
What's in it for the writers?
Initially, all I can offer, if your skit is chosen to be performed, is a
video taping of your skit being performed and sent to you. Eventually, I
am
hoping to obtain a title sponsor who will hold a "bank" of skits from
which
the competing theatres can draw. All skits have the chance of being
chosen
by more than one theatre, so as you can see, the well written skits will
have greater potential of being performed. By having one "holder of the
skits" for those skits that are chosen the writers can be properly
compensated for their efforts from the central title sponsor. if a skit
is
never chosen, the writer is never compensated. If the skit is immensely
popular the compensation could be great. I have to show that this works
first in order to get that sponsor. I think the potential is huge and I
think we can all benefit if done properly. So if you are interested,
please
submit your skits to colin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
I am eagerly looking forward to
hearing from you.
Colin Murphy.
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