The Boston Sketch Company Uses Improv Techniques To Inspire Sketches

Directed by Matt Pina, The Boston Sketch Company unites alums of UCB NY, Improv Asylum, ImprovBoston, and ComedySportz to create their improv-driven sketch revues.

Improvisers consider the importance of scenes, characters, and moments. In the improv-to-sketch development process, writers focus on such improv concepts as scene structure, character, and point of view. Those elements are also crucial in sketch writing. "Coming up with funny ideas is easy, but figuring out why they're worth sharing with an audience is where sketch writing gets challenging," director Matt Pina explains.

Writers then use the "Yes, and" philosophy to generate material freely. "Our writers find funny in the ordinary, relatable experiences we all share, from work and travel to love and family," adds Pina. "We explore ideas using a mix of external inspiration and improv performed together during rehearsals. Improv helps us explore characters and dynamics we try to develop into full sketches. Our development process is equal parts idea generation through pitching and improv, writing (and rewriting), and rehearsing. It takes about three months to get a Boston Sketch Comedy revue ready."

"This troupe brings energy to every sketch," explains ImprovBoston Artistic Director Mike Descoteaux. "There's nothing more enjoyable for an audience than seeing a group of people having fun doing what they love. We hope this show will inspire broader recognition of and appreciation for sketch comedy here in Boston."

The Boston Sketch Company runs at 40 Prospect Street in Central Square, Cambridge, every Friday at 10PM in January. Tickets are $18 and available online at https://ibbostonsketchcompany.eventbrite.com. The show will continue on a monthly basis after the January run.

For over 30 years, ImprovBoston has been New England's leading theater and school dedicated to the art of comedy in all its forms. Voted "Best of Boston" by The Phoenix, The Improper Bostonian, and The Weekly Dig, ImprovBoston performers, teachers and students have included film stars, Emmy Award-winning comedians, and acclaimed producers, directors, musicians and writers. ImprovBoston alumni are featured on Conan, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, America's Got Talent, Funniest Wins, Playboy, Last Comic Standing and John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, to name a few. In 2014, the Independent Reviewers of New England honored ImprovBoston with an award recognizing its longstanding contributions to the Boston theater community. As a nonprofit arts organization, ImprovBoston serves the community through laughter with youth outreach programs, workshops for businesses, scholarships, a national touring company and, of course, performances at its theater complex in Central Square, Cambridge.

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