Seven Dials Playhouse to launch sketch collective
Seven Dials Playhouse, the venue in London's Covent Garden, is set to establish a new sketch comedy collective, taking inspiration from the iconic Los Angeles comedy company The Groundlings, whose alumni include comedy greats such as Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Jennifer Coolidge, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Lisa Kudrow and Maya Rudolph.
The initiative will begin with a 12-week, subsidised programme aimed at developing performers' skills in character and sketch comedy. The course will conclude with a public showcase, after which a number of performers will be invited to join a paid sketch comedy residency at the venue.
Places will be available when the programme launches in the autumn, with applications opening in July.
Seven Dials Playhouse have confirmed that the programme will be subsidised to keep costs to performers to a minimum and course fees will be £10 per session.
This new collective forms part of a broader artist development strategy from Seven Dials Playhouse, designed to support theatre-makers and creatives across a variety of disciplines.
Amanda Davey, Chief Executive of Seven Dials Playhouse, says: "This new chapter is about creating meaningful opportunities for artists to take creative risks and to feel genuinely supported in doing so."
Katie Pesskin, Creative Director of Seven Dials Playhouse, adds: "The Sketch Comedy Collective is an exciting new way for performers to engage with Seven Dials Playhouse. Whether you have experience as a comic performer, or are just beginning to explore it, this programme will offer the space, tools and community to develop your craft. I can't wait to meet the first cohort and see what brilliant, boundary-pushing work emerges from the collective."