Intro to Sketch Comedy: This is the place to start if you have never written sketch comedy before, or have dabbled in the past. Over eight weeks, students will watch and discuss a variety of sketches, break down scripts to see what makes them work, then write and revise some of your own material. You will begin to develop an individual voice and comic sensibility. The class will conclude with established comedians performing a staged reading of students’ favorite sketches.
Prerequisites: None!
Day: Sundays
Dates: 8/20, 8/27, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, and 10/8
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Sketch Student Jam: Saturday, October 15th, 2017 @ 4:00 p.m. (2nd Stage). This is a chance for you to bring a script you've written in class and see it performed live by members of the PHIT company.
Theater Location: 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Class Location: Rehearsal Room D (through the lobby in the basement)
Read through our terms and conditions of enrollment prior to enrolling for informatoin on refunds, attendance policies, and more. You will be asked if you read through everything at checkout.
INSTRUCTOR
Matthew Schmid
WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT MATTHEW
“Matt’s laid back ease made bringing our beginner sketch writing work to the table a much less intimidating experience. He’s so great.” — “Matt was very supportive and helpful in giving feedback to help us understand sketch and to help us discover our own individual voices as comedy writers.”
MATTHEW SCHMID BIO
Matthew Schmid is a comedy writer and performer based in Philadelphia, PA and a member of the PHIT Comedy house team The Flat Earth and the duo The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie.
The Flat Earth has traveled extensively to festivals all across North America including the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival (2016’s runner-up for Producer’s Pick), Montreal Sketchfest (2016’s Best New Act), San Francisco Sketchfest, and Chicago Sketchfest. The Flat Earth’s 2014 video “Burr” was a viral hit and featured in Nerdist and Huffington Post’s Funniest Moments Of 2014 list.
The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie have been featured on The AV Club, opened for national acts such as Emo Phillips, Brent Weinbach, and DJ Douggpound and have performed in the Toronto Sketch Fest, Montreal Sketchfest, and New York Comedy Festival.
Matthew has been teaching at the Phit Comedy since 2014 and has taught workshops at festivals and theaters all across North America.
Matthew’s writing can also be found on McSweeney’s, OkCupid’s blog, and Nerdist’s Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction Podcast. He is also the host of The Sketch Comedy Writer’s Podcast on the Rocket Podcast Network.
