Listen to a ten-minute play that Ken wrote and hear him walk you through his thought process. Lots of creative decisions need to be made. It’s a great lesson in how you craft a comedy scene.
This week's title drew me in at once like a moth to a cricket lighter, but I have to admit a bit of mixed deja vu here. Believe it or not, I was at the Ruskin that night sitting right next to Rupert and Ken, though unfortunately I remember talking to them on that occasion like I was being paid by the word. I'm just amazed I didn't turn up on the tape going on about Brecht while the actors were performing.
Since it was the first play of the night, I managed to catch both performances when the staff let me hang around while waiting for my cab. I can tell you that whatever you heard on that tape didn't fully catch the electricity in the house that night. Both audiences loved being invited into the play, which left them caught up in the anxiety attack that turned up, but ultimately released with a sense of reward.
Ken's remarks on the structure of shorter plays also reminded me of a bunch of comments I made recently about the movie LARCENY, INC, taken from a Mr and Mrs SJ Perlman play into an Edward G. Robinson vehicle that was remade two decades later as "The White Elephant," a Nat Hiken script for CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU.
In adapting a 100 minute feature into a 25 minute TV episode, Hiken turned the TV version into a basic story about a group of crooks making a choice. That's the structure of the 10 minute AVOCADO TOAST. What Hiken had to cut from LARCENY, INC was a further progression in which the crooks had to defend their choice after making it. When a writer has to deal with less space, the story has to find ways to get to a satisfying resolution in a simpler manner.
I'm glad you brought up "Saturday Night Live." Being a smart-ass myself, when you were explaining what a 10-minute play was, said to no one in particular "Saturday Night Live" should listen to this. Then you mentioned the show, which told me I was on the right track.
To my mind the old "Carol Burnett Show" was the ultimate sketch comedy variety hour because the writers there stuck to old school rules about their sketches - beginning, middle and end.
While "Saturday Night Live" is 44 years old, when it came out in 1975, it was meant to be new and radical. A lot of the content was "radical" but being new and radical doesn't mean you ignore the rules of good writing structure. (Don't bring up Monty Python. They did all sorts of crazy things with structure. A lot worked, but it didn't always work and just shut up.)
One question. Were you afraid that this play taking place in LA and being about the young folks might have been too "inside baseball" and too "old man yells at kids for playing on lawn?"
Anyway, it was very interesting to hear your thought process. This is very useful.
I liked it. "Maury Povich" didn't seem to get much of a laugh. Maybe mo one remembers him. Is "Dr. Phil" funnier? I think the revision at the end may be funnier, but the original is more in keeping with the character wanting to be more flexible, maybe with a little more hesitation, perhaps?
You made me look up "charcoal ice cream", and dammit, it's a real thing. I was 95% sure it was a made up joke, but had to check--trust but verify, as they say. I guess that's why no Millennial chicks will go out with me. That, and the fact that I don't ride those stupid green electric scooters.
And not that anyone asked, but I've been eating avocado with bread/toast for years, and nobody ever told me it was trendy. Maybe I started the whole thing, I don't know.
Ken, I enjoyed that. I also chuckled at how much you were laughing too. Thank you for that.
Here's something for YOU:
Howie Rose during the Mets play-by-play yesterday (Sept 11) on MLB decision to not allow the Mets Players to wear First Responders hats during the game.
Fantastic job of calling MLB out while calling the game at the same time. https://twitter.com/GottaBelievePod/status/1172168362962685954
Ken, I enjoyed that. I also chuckled at how much you were laughing too. Thank you for that.
Here's something for YOU:
Howie Rose during the Mets play-by-play yesterday (Sept 11) on MLB decision to not allow the Mets Players to wear First Responders hats during the game.
Fantastic job of calling MLB out while calling the game at the same time. https://twitter.com/GottaBelievePod/status/1172168362962685954
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This week's title drew me in at once like a moth to a cricket lighter, but I have to admit a bit of mixed deja vu here. Believe it or not, I was at the Ruskin that night sitting right next to Rupert and Ken, though unfortunately I remember talking to them on that occasion like I was being paid by the word. I'm just amazed I didn't turn up on the tape going on about Brecht while the actors were performing.
ReplyDeleteSince it was the first play of the night, I managed to catch both performances when the staff let me hang around while waiting for my cab. I can tell you that whatever you heard on that tape didn't fully catch the electricity in the house that night. Both audiences loved being invited into the play, which left them caught up in the anxiety attack that turned up, but ultimately released with a sense of reward.
Ken's remarks on the structure of shorter plays also reminded me of a bunch of comments I made recently about the movie LARCENY, INC, taken from a Mr and Mrs SJ Perlman play into an Edward G. Robinson vehicle that was remade two decades later as "The White Elephant," a Nat Hiken script for CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU.
In adapting a 100 minute feature into a 25 minute TV episode, Hiken turned the TV version into a basic story about a group of crooks making a choice. That's the structure of the 10 minute AVOCADO TOAST. What Hiken had to cut from LARCENY, INC was a further progression in which the crooks had to defend their choice after making it. When a writer has to deal with less space, the story has to find ways to get to a satisfying resolution in a simpler manner.
I'm glad you brought up "Saturday Night Live." Being a smart-ass myself, when you were explaining what a 10-minute play was, said to no one in particular "Saturday Night Live" should listen to this. Then you mentioned the show, which told me I was on the right track.
ReplyDeleteTo my mind the old "Carol Burnett Show" was the ultimate sketch comedy variety hour because the writers there stuck to old school rules about their sketches - beginning, middle and end.
While "Saturday Night Live" is 44 years old, when it came out in 1975, it was meant to be new and radical. A lot of the content was "radical" but being new and radical doesn't mean you ignore the rules of good writing structure. (Don't bring up Monty Python. They did all sorts of crazy things with structure. A lot worked, but it didn't always work and just shut up.)
One question. Were you afraid that this play taking place in LA and being about the young folks might have been too "inside baseball" and too "old man yells at kids for playing on lawn?"
Anyway, it was very interesting to hear your thought process. This is very useful.
I liked it.
ReplyDelete"Maury Povich" didn't seem to get much of a laugh. Maybe mo one remembers him. Is "Dr. Phil" funnier?
I think the revision at the end may be funnier, but the original is more in keeping with the character wanting to be more flexible, maybe with a little more hesitation, perhaps?
You made me look up "charcoal ice cream", and dammit, it's a real thing. I was 95% sure it was a made up joke, but had to check--trust but verify, as they say. I guess that's why no Millennial chicks will go out with me. That, and the fact that I don't ride those stupid green electric scooters.
ReplyDeleteAnd not that anyone asked, but I've been eating avocado with bread/toast for years, and nobody ever told me it was trendy. Maybe I started the whole thing, I don't know.
Ken, I enjoyed that. I also chuckled at how much you were laughing too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that.
Here's something for YOU:
Howie Rose during the Mets play-by-play yesterday (Sept 11) on MLB decision to not allow the Mets Players to wear First Responders hats during the game.
Fantastic job of calling MLB out while calling the game at the same time.
https://twitter.com/GottaBelievePod/status/1172168362962685954
Ken, I enjoyed that. I also chuckled at how much you were laughing too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that.
Here's something for YOU:
Howie Rose during the Mets play-by-play yesterday (Sept 11) on MLB decision to not allow the Mets Players to wear First Responders hats during the game.
Fantastic job of calling MLB out while calling the game at the same time.
https://twitter.com/GottaBelievePod/status/1172168362962685954
Thanks for this. The theater I perform at is going to have a 10 minute play festival and now I'm trying to figure out what to do for mine.
ReplyDeleteI tried the charcoal and...actually liked it. Go figure. And I normally hate ashy burned food/drink, but it was fine.
Bill and Cheri? Do the Steinkellners know about this play?
ReplyDelete