Literary Academia and Sketch Comedy Production
I'm taking a sketch comedy writing class on Sundays at a local improv theater. (I hate improv.) I was really hoping that when we were to introduce ourselves, we wouldn't be asked why we were taking the class. Of course, we were asked just that. I think my statement went something like "I'm Kirsten, I'm an architect and I'm (kindof,) working toward a PhD in architectural history and theory, and I don't know how to write dialog." Ha, said the teacher. Blank looks from the rest of the class, with the exception of the girl in the hoodie who clearly thought I was name-dropping when I said "architect" because she rolled her eyes. Most everyone else there works in film in one way or another.
What I realized from the first session was, that, writing a dissertation or a thesis is really just the same thing as comedy in the biz. First of all, I thought this class would be about technique and that it would be up to each individual to hone their best technique and work alone to make their sketch funny. But we spent most of the class making story pitches and throwing ideas out to build on others' pitches. The teacher said that in a working situation, the deal is that you make a pitch and its yours, anyone else's ideas about it can be rightfully absorbed into your work. But if you come up with an idea tangentially related to another person's pitch, it's theirs. Academia is like this. When I wrote my grad thesis, half of it was conceived on the smoking porch during late-night chain-smoking sessions. Maybe others would say that this was cheap; i disagree and I believe this is why my thesis was successful- because I took into account what ideas were most popular among my colleagues. In comedy, you add the things that other people think are funny. Really, you just need a testing ground for your ideas and as long as you use it-- as long as you're good conversationally, you have it made. In sketch comedy they realize this. The teacher was telling us about this one guy who's been a "writer" for The Simpsons for 11 years and he's only written on 3 shows, but he's made his career by building on other writers' ideas. In academia, it's not writing that matters most- it's talk! Academics just don't seem to acknowledge that their field is heavily reliant on conversation.
It's funny that I often think about leaving my job to write, but I shy away from the idea when I envision it. I imagine it being a solitary, quiet, discussion-less lifestyle in which I will fail- unless I'm very, very, happy with who I am alone. I bet it's not so. Any type of writing that generates a career is bound to be a collaborative effort.
What I realized from the first session was, that, writing a dissertation or a thesis is really just the same thing as comedy in the biz. First of all, I thought this class would be about technique and that it would be up to each individual to hone their best technique and work alone to make their sketch funny. But we spent most of the class making story pitches and throwing ideas out to build on others' pitches. The teacher said that in a working situation, the deal is that you make a pitch and its yours, anyone else's ideas about it can be rightfully absorbed into your work. But if you come up with an idea tangentially related to another person's pitch, it's theirs. Academia is like this. When I wrote my grad thesis, half of it was conceived on the smoking porch during late-night chain-smoking sessions. Maybe others would say that this was cheap; i disagree and I believe this is why my thesis was successful- because I took into account what ideas were most popular among my colleagues. In comedy, you add the things that other people think are funny. Really, you just need a testing ground for your ideas and as long as you use it-- as long as you're good conversationally, you have it made. In sketch comedy they realize this. The teacher was telling us about this one guy who's been a "writer" for The Simpsons for 11 years and he's only written on 3 shows, but he's made his career by building on other writers' ideas. In academia, it's not writing that matters most- it's talk! Academics just don't seem to acknowledge that their field is heavily reliant on conversation.
It's funny that I often think about leaving my job to write, but I shy away from the idea when I envision it. I imagine it being a solitary, quiet, discussion-less lifestyle in which I will fail- unless I'm very, very, happy with who I am alone. I bet it's not so. Any type of writing that generates a career is bound to be a collaborative effort.
posted by Kir at 7:41 PM
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