Wingspan Comedy - Sketches wanted for live sketch show

Hi all you lovely people.

You'll have seen me pop up here talking about a few opportunities but here's one I'm particularly excited about. A friend of mine runs a charity called BIRD that mentors young (16-25 yr olds) to help build relationships and improve wellbeing through creativity. If you're interested you can find out more about BIRD here: https://www.bird.org.uk/

They've been focused on music so far but now they're hoping to branch out into comedy which is where this comes in. Under the Wingspan name they are hoping to give up and coming creatives a chance to showcase their skills and Wingspan comedy is a chance for writers to get their work performed and actors a chance to get some credits on their CV. And so we're looking to put on a few live nights a year.

But we also want to make sure we're not taking advantage of people so we're looking to split the monies from these live nights roughly 1/3 for BIRD charity, 1/3 for the actors and 1/3 for the writers. So we do aim to pay everyone for sketches that get used and if the night becomes a roaring success the writers, as well as everyone else, will get paid more. Conversely, if we struggle the first few nights you might not be able to buy that new yacht you've always dreamed of.

Just to be clear we're linking up with a few youth organisations to get some young people involved in the writing and acting but it's not exclusively for them. The aim is to put on a good night and give a range of up and coming creatives an opportunity. So don't worry if you're not 16-25 you can still enter. (I've long since passed that bracket)

Sorry for quite a long intro but wanted to try and outline what we're hoping to do. If you'd like to get involved then drop me an e-mail at:
steve@wingspancomedy.co.uk
and I'll send you a full brief and template for sketches.

In terms of timings the deadline for submissions will be the end of May, then you'll have until mid-June for rewrites and the live show will be at the start of July. Date and venue is to be confirmed but we're hoping for somewhere in North or East London, Walthamstow is a leading candidate so far.

Any more information required drop us a line or reply to this thread.

Hi, you're welcome to this sketch:

https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/34360/#P1189534

Thanks for all those who've e-mailed me so far - great to hear people are up for submitting.

And Patrick, that sketch certainly hits a nerve with me so if you're up for submitting it drop us an e-mail and I can let you know how to submit it.

(Alas I won't be able to cut and paste sketches from other templates otherwise might never get a show together!)

In the words of Danté, awesome.

Sounds good. I might have a look at submitting something.

Just to say a huge thank you to everyone who submitted for this. I'm currently reading through the sketches and will let you have some feedback in a few days. Enjoy the weekend knowing there won't be any e-mails from me!

(Thought it easier to let everyone know via here rather than a group e-mail)

I'm very pleased to (finally) announce the date for this show. It will be on Monday 23rd July at the Virgin Money Lounge in Haymarket, Central London. Took a little longer than we hoped as never easy to get a free venue as want to maximise profits for the charity and the writers.

The full details are here and if you submitted or would like to submit in the future please do come along, get the feel of the gig and say hi. It should be a good show but also be good to catch up with a few of you on here afterwards.

https://www.facebook.com/events/260223684748179/

And even if you've not written for it feel free to come along to support the charity / actors / struggling writers!

Sounds great.

Stephen this is one I wrote years ago , I've jazzed it up a tad but I have always thought that it was ideal as a stage sketch as it can be a man or a women and no age is implied . I may be too late and it may not be of any use as comedy is subjective but here it is and feel free to do what you want with it amend cut or add etc

Two characters are sat either side of a desk in a doctor patient scenario.

DOCTOR:
I've had your results through Mr Kennedy

PATIENT:
Have you been able to work it out doctor? I am at my wits end. This morning I couldn't even brush my teeth I was that tired and I'd only just got out of bed!

DOCTOR:
It's not all bad news Mr Kennedy on the upside all the medical tests we have conducted show that you're in remarkably good shape considering your lack of sleep

PATIENT:
How can that be? I'm having nose bleeds and I'm flying off the handle at people over the smallest thing

DOCTOR:
We expected that might happen

PATIENT:
So, you know what's wrong with me?

DOCTOR:
The psychiatric side of the investigation appears to have borne some fruit

PATIENT:
Are you saying this is a mental thing?

DOCTOR:
No not at all. Your tiredness is quite understandable as is the irritability and the nose bleeds

PATIENT:
Well if it's not mental or physical what the hell is it?

DOCTOR:
Apparently when you underwent that course of hypnotism the hypnotherapist was able to discern that you have developed a second and quite unique personality

PATIENT:
You're telling me that I have two personalities?

DOCTOR:
Yes and it's quite amazing really. What we have been able to gather so far is that his name is "Tony" and I would have to say he is an extremely outgoing and funny type of person

PATIENT:
I'm sure he's hilarious, so what do we do? kill him off?

DOCTOR:
If only it was that easy

PATIENT:
Please doctor you have to help me now, I haven't slept in four weeks

DOCTOR:
We can at least attempt to resolve that side of it fairly quickly

PATIENT:
How? What do we do?

DOCTOR:
It would entail you being hypnotised again?

PATIENT:
That's no problem

DOCTOR:
Excellent, now from what we can gather, "Tony" has got a job working nights as a Taxi Driver, which would of course explain your exhaustion. We think you have been waking up at the exact time that ?Tony" goes to sleep. So, we need to ask him again if he will at least stop doing his night job until we have a chance to resolve the problems you both have

PATIENT:
What do you mean ask him again?

DOCTOR:
Embarrassed
To be honest we have asked him twice already and it's becoming increasingly clear that he is not keeping his word

PATIENT:
Not keeping his word!

DOCTOR:
When we spoke to him last, he promised he would try to cut his hours back. However that was over the Bank Holiday and as he explained it was "Clock and a half" so we weren't too hopeful.

PATIENT:
Clock and a half are you joking? I'm near suicidal and he's driving around on clock and a half

DOCTOR:
Mr Kennedy as it stands I'm afraid that outside of asking him politely to comply, there is little I could do, he has rights

PATIENT:
He's a figment of my imagination how the hell can he have rights?

DOCTOR:
I'm sorry but I can't go into it with you Mr Kennedy. I'm afraid you would have to take that up with Tony's solicitor

PATIENT:
So what you're telling me is that he's got a solicitor?

DOCTOR:
I'm afraid so and if you don't mind me saying so Mr Kennedy if I was in your position I would consider getting a solicitor myself

PATIENT:
Why would I need a solicitor?

DOCTOR:
I'm sorry but as you know there's a limit to what I can say , but I can tell you that Tony is appealing to the courts to have you erased

PATIENT:
You're telling me that a figment of my imagination has jumped up, got a job on the taxis, then employed a solicitor to appear before the courts to have me legally murdered and you not supposed to tell me?

DOCTOR:
My hands are tied Mr Kennedy. What I can tell you is that we have all gone to great lengths on your behalf and have taken the trouble to speak to "Tony" on a social level in a bid to get him to slow down his lifestyle until we can resolve the matter amicably as well as medically

PATIENT:
Do you think he will?

DOCTOR:
He said he would, but I have my doubts, especially after he got through to the final in the Karaoke contest at the pub over the road from the hospital

PATIENT:
He's singing f**king karaoke?

DOCTOR:
He certainly is and I wouldn't be surprised if he won it! My wife said at one point she closed her eyes and she would have sworn it was the real Robbie Williams up on the stage

PATIENT:
Are you f**king kidding me?

DOCTOR:
No, he really is that good

PATIENT:
I don't mean his singing voice, this bastard ripping my life to pieces and you're out singing and dancing with him!

DOCTOR:
Don't take this the wrong way Mr Kennedy but, "Tony? can be very charming he had everyone at the table laughing and at one point he did this amazing trick involving the champagne bucket and two cigars

PATIENT:
How the hell has this happened? What can you do Doctor, look at me I've got no appetite, nose bleeds, I'm arguing with people over the smallest things. I can't keep going on like this doctor, is there nothing you can do I'm at the end of my tether

DOCTOR:
I'm not sure, but whatever it is we must act soon. Obviously "Tony" is not getting much sleep either. The hypnotherapist seems to think that he may be using cocaine in an effort to stay awake

PATIENT:
Oh, my god I'm a drug addict?

DOCTOR:
Don't panic Mr Kennedy we will be able to wean you off the drugs he is using. At this point our principal concern is that because of these cocaine binges Tony seems to have developed a huge appetite for unprotected sex with prostitutes!

PATIENT:
Oh my dear god, I've probably got aids as well!

DOCTOR:
Mr Kennedy I've booked you in for a specialist hypnotherapy session next Tuesday. Until then all can suggest is that you try to remain as calm as possible and try not to worry

PATIENT:
Its only Thursday now, god knows what this Tony can get up to on a Bank Holiday?

DOCTOR:
Mr Kennedy that the best I can do at this juncture I'm afraid. So, if you could see my receptionist on the way out they will give the appointment details. And I will obviously be there as well so let's hope it goes the way we need it to.

PATIENT:
Ok doctor thank you so much, I still haven't got my head around it but I'll be there on Tuesday with bells on

As the patient leaves the surgery the intercom rings

RECEPTIONIST:

Doctor a Mr Williams Blake-Hythe is on the line in relation to his client Tony

DOCTOR:

Ah Mr Blake Hythe, I've just had a chat with shall we say the 'Other Party' I thought it best not to distress him unduly so I told him that it would just be a routine appointment. No sense in divulging that he has already lost the case. Anyway hows Tony? He must be over the moon so lets hope he doesn't hurt his voice celebrating as I got a tidy sum on him winning the karaoke next Wednesday and my receptionists have put half of their wages on it .

Hi Teddy - Sadly the deadline for the show has passed but we're hoping to be back again later in the year looking for new material.

And I should say that when you send a sketch to us it's best to do it via the e-mail and using the template provided, it's a nightmare at our end if we have to go through and format all the sketches!

In the meantime I'd recommend putting your sketch up on Critique here and seeing what others make of it.

Thanks!

No problem sorry about the format Stephen as I wanted to help rather than hinder, as for the sketch its an old one and was probably written on critique anyway .