Sketch Show Casts

How do producers find great sketch comedy performers?

You have to know sources. You have to know the community. You have to know the managers and the agents. You have to watch television. It's important to go to theater, and it's important to go to showcases and to go to night clubs and see comedians, if that's in fact what you do for a living. I have to know the marketplace, and not feel like I'm reducing personalities to products, you have got to know what's out there, and who is available, and who represents. I have to know if I need a writer or an actor, I have to be available to go to somebody that, especially if you're on a tight deadline, you have got to go to reliable people who you know have a point of view and a sensibility, and you can trust these people. It's about knowing the community. It's knowing what's in the community.

How to you generate chemistry in a sketch comedy cast?

I think it's hours and hours of people working together. And obviously, a good casting director, and a good producer know how to paint that picture, and knows how to find people and talents that complement each other. That's, once again, what a Lorne Michael's knows how to do better than anybody.

What happens if a sketch isn't working in rehearsal?

Well, I mean, that's the benefit of dress rehearsal. You know, if something doesn't work in front of an audience the first time, you have two options; one, going with your gut, which unfortunately doesn't happen that much anymore because the stakes are so high. And two, it's being able to have something to fit in there and rework the piece and rework a format and timing and all that nonesense, you know. I mean I always prefer, you know, look, if I'm producing a show and I put something in there, obviously I believe in it to put it onto a show, you know, so if the audience doesn't buy it the first time, you know, I'm, I've been around long enough to know it's just the audience or it's just this, it's just that, you know, it'd be 50 different factors that affect it. So I'm generally okay with going with my gut, but, you know, not everybody has so many years doing it.