Going live
Published: Thursday 22nd August 2024
Micheál Jacob's long career as an executive producer and script editor encompasses a plethora of television and radio comedies, including Birds Of A Feather, Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, Goodnight Sweetheart, My Family, Eyes Down, Thieves Like Us, The Smoking Room, Not For Turning and Dead Canny.
It's always interesting to fall into some new and unexpected area. I never thought I'd spend five years producing and writing for a sketch group. And I never thought I'd get involved in helping to develop live spoken word shows, and now as well a character comedy hour.
The first spoken word/storytelling piece came through a friend I made in the sketch group, who at the time was more of a performer and actor than a writer, since she lacked the confidence to try. But having made inroads into the spoken word scene around Manchester, she thought she'd try something full-length.
Unfortunately, by the time she asked me to get involved it was in quite an advanced state, so I couldn't help as much as I would have liked. The next year we worked together from the outset, and now we're in the early stages of talking about the third in what is going to be a loosely thematic trilogy, aiming at Edinburgh next year.
Then, unexpectedly, an established character comedian and writer was introduced by a mutual friend after my own solo fringe show, and now we're having very entertaining conversations about something quite ambitious.
There are obviously different ways of approaching these things, but this is mine.
First, the show has to be about something, with a theme running through it. It could be a broad theme, such as belonging, or acquiring self-knowledge (or not acquiring self-knowledge), or having a goal - something universal that an audience can feel empathy with.
Then, the script needs a shape, like any piece of writing. It's the rule of three again. There can be a bit of a preamble before the theme properly kicks in, something to settle down the performer and the audience, but ideally no more than a page - and there should be a call-back to the beginning at the end. In other words, a prologue and a resolution to what the prologue touches on.
The main body of the piece, the three acts, should have three 'scenes' or sections within each act, each act based on the theme, perhaps approaching it from different angles, but all relevant.
Naturally humour is good, but this kind of show is narrative rather than stand-up, so shoehorning in gags isn't really the point, and may well get in the way. Even an essentially comic hour (or practically 50 minutes) demands some breathing space, some reflection, some moments of sincerity or pathos.
My instinct is always to decide on the theme, think about the three sections, then write a first draft and use that to analyse and refine and rewrite.
That's where friends are useful - reading the script aloud to someone is very helpful in hearing what bits work and what don't, what bits are dull and what gets a reaction. And how long it runs for. Then try it out on a different friend. And repeat.
Doing ten minute chunks at spoken word nights or cabaret nights is good. And work in progress previews of the whole show can be very informative, if nerve-wracking, though inviting an audience of friends is sensible. If they hate it they won't say, but you'll be able to tell.
If you have an overload of writerly sensibility (and a lot of writers would die rather than stand on a stage), it would be worth thinking about finding someone to perform it. But if you're not a writer-performer, don't feel you have to learn it - reading is fine. Though I would recommend paper rather than a phone or i-Pad. Nervous scrolling could play havoc.
And a kazoo is a wonderful icebreaker.
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