Did you guys know that Bill and I do more comedy than just this website? It’s true! Sometimes, we each do our own thing- stand up, storytelling, etc. And sometimes we do shows together.

Bill and I produce, direct, host, and perform in a recurring sketch show series called Young and Fearless. We co-produce it with Fearless Comedy Productions. They handle the administrative bullshit, and we make a show.

I really hate administrative bullshit, so it works out really well for me.

Our logo makes me giggle every time.

There are a couple of important things to know about sketch comedy in the Twin Cities. First off, in this theater town of stand ups, improvisers, and thespians, there is precious little sketch. There’s Brave New Workshop, and then there’s a few other sketch groups that do sketch every few months or so (look, when you’re the famous folk troubadour duo Denson and Young, you have to space it out for your fan’s sake. There’s only so much awesome a person can take). But that’s it. For a metro area that prides itself on its theater, we are sadly lacking in sketch.

The other important thing to know about sketch is that no one in this town seems to know what it is.

The way Young and Fearless works is we take sketch submissions from comedians, performers, and… well, anyone. Bill and I (mostly Bill) sift through the submissions to see which are the funniest, which ones best fit the theme, and mostly, which ones are even sketches. We’ve gotten a lot of submissions that are short plays. Scenes that are complex, that have exposition, that have layers . We get submissions that are mostly long monologues, or stories, or even stand up material. But we get very little in the way of actual sketch comedy.

And honestly, that’s a huge part of why YoungNotions and Fearless Comedy Productions decided to start a sketch show. Because we want to help.

We don’t just take submissions and accept or deny them as is. What we do is look them over for places to improve. If we get a story, can it be turned into a sketch? Are there spots that have too much exposition? Can we cut these three inter-weaving concepts down to one?

And I have to be clear here- we do not try to take other sketches and make them fit the YoungNotions or Young and Fearless brand. Bill has a very cartoony way of writing sketch that appeals to a wide variety of people. But we don’t want all our sketch to be cartoony. We want each writer to have their own voice in our show.

Last Friday, we had sketches from 7 very different backgrounds and styles. Some were light and 2 dimensional fluffy. Some were dark Tarantino-ish humor. Some were slow and patient… some were quick and on top of each other. Some writers were seasoned sketch writers. And for many, it was their first time writing a sketch.

It creates a show with variety and dimension that just tickles me. Each audience member has their favorites- ones they connected to better than others. All of them different ones. I can’t tell you how much I LOVE that about our show.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Because there is so little sketch in the Twin Cities, there’s also very little opportunity to perform it. So we cultivate new performers, work with people who have never seen the inside of a two-dimensional show (well, not one that was supposed to be, anyway). People trained to be focused on the deeper meaning, to play various levels at the same time, to tone down their intensity and be real.

We tell them to scrap all that. We want impressionism. We want Monet to drama’s realistic Michelangelo. We want the outline and not the gritty details. And we want their intensity, their one-sided characterizations.

Our last show had a variety of performers from a variety of backgrounds. Some with over 10 years of sketch, some with none. Some who have studied in NYC, some who have a drama background.

One of my players hadn’t been on a stage in over 5 years.

We worked various angles, found the best characterizations, and played to each performer’s strengths. The audience had no idea who the seasoned vets were, or who the newbies might be. All they knew was that we were a cohesive cast providing many and varied laughs.

I mean, isn’t that the point?

So, I say to you, Twin Cities… would you like to learn the art of Sketch? Would you like to have your works performed? Would you like permission to perform a one-sided character?

The next Young and Fearless show will take place at the end of August. It’s “A night at a Restaurant,” and we are looking for sketches that fit a restaurant theme. Though we have a pretty solid group of performers, we are always willing to consider more players. Any interest in performing or sketch submissions should be mailed to YoungFearless@fearlesscomedyproductions.com by June 22nd.

We look forward to hearing from you.