Festival Events
One of the best parts of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival is the events, parties and professional development opportunities that take place outside of the performance schedule. Workshops and panels shift the
focus away from the stage, and examine the 'nuts and bolts' of sketch comedy.
Producing comedy, creating a buzz, relationships with media, editing scripts,
the role of a director... these topics an many more will be up for discussion
in November. And then of course there's the fun-filled parties and networking opportunities - some specifically for the artists, and some for the public at large!
The movieola 48 hr video challenge
You've got 2 days to produce the funniest video short. Deadlines are a bitch!
The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival and Movieola have once again teamed up to propose an open challenge. We'll give you 2 days to write and produce a video short. The funniest one will air on Movieola - The Short Film Channel.
We'll screen all of the entries on Wednesday, November 11th at Comedy Bar, and the audience will help determine the winner!
Rules - All films must:
- All films must have a duration of minimum 2min - maximum 3min.
- All films must contain the following line of dialogue:
"I gots the skills that pays the bills."
- In all films, the following prop must appear:
Sandals
- Your film must be delivered on DVD (autoplay - no menus) by 8:45pm - Wednesday, Nov. 11th at Comedy Bar - 945 Bloor St. W. If you're submitting more than one film, please supply each on its own DVD.
Further to the above, entrants must download Movieola's submissions checklist (link below). In addition to copyright infringement, it covers a number of broadcast criteria that must be met in order for the winning entry to be aired on Movieola - The Short Film Channel.
Movieola Submission Checklist
If you have any questions regarding the checklist, please direct them to Anna Tsoulogiannis Anna.T@tvchannelzero.com
THE MOVIEOLA 48 HR VIDEO CHALLENGE
Submission Screening and Voting
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
9pm - Comedy Bar
Tickets: $12 - SketchFest passes accepted
Some Conditions Apply: A Night of Commercial Parodies
Sharpe Blackmore presents a showcase of SketchFest artists lampooning the ad industry in one of sketch comedy's staple forms, the commercial parody. Four finalist troupes will then compete in an on-the-spot commercial parody contest before a stellar panel of judges including:
Mike Clattenburg: Creator / Director, Trailer Park Boys
Adrian Carter: Creator / Director, Odd Job Jack
William Cranor: Executive Producer, Cartilage Inc.
Klaus Schuller: Executive Director, The Second City
Ron Tite: Vice President, Creative Director, Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG
Featuring Commercial Parodies by:
Accidental Company
punchDRYSDALE
Shoeless
Tang
The Understudies
The Local Singles
Big Tease
Approximately 3 Peters
Cash Prize: $500 to the first place troupe
(courtesy of Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG)
SHARPE BLACKMORE'S COMMERCIAL PARODY CONTEST
Live Performance and Contest
Friday, November 13, 2009
7pm - Comedy Bar
Tickets: $12 - SketchFest passes accepted
VOICE WORK PANEL
Saturday, November 14th
12:00 - 1:00
The Second City Training Centre – John Candy Box Theatre
Registration is open to SketchFest performers as well as members of the comedy community
pd@torontosketchfest.com
Commercial and animation voiceover is an attractive industry for comics and actors, but it's not an easy one to enter. There aren't any secrets, but we'll tell you how we did it, and tell you how to be prepared. You'll hear about what casting directors are looking for, what goes into a solid voice demo, and how to approach the industry.
Our panel includes:
Ted Sutton has been a voice performer for ten years, with a long list of commercial credits. He was also Casting Director at Pirate Radio and Television before starting his own sound design company, Song and Patter.
Mike Kiss has been voicing commercials and cartoons since 2000, with credits including Spliced, Monster By Mistake, Knights of the Zodiac, and Erky Perky. He has also been writing cartoons for five years.
Katie Griffin is one of Toronto's busiest voice actors. The voice of Raye on Sailor Moon, her credits also include Braceface, MTV's Undergrads, Beyblade, 6-Teen, and a steady stream of commercials.
Katie Crown is a standup comic and sketch performer (Knock, Knock. Who's There? Comedy!) who has made a quick and solid entry into the world of animation voice. She has voiced major characters on Total Drama Island, Spliced, and Stoked, among others.
Julie Dumais is an accomplished improviser and member of PROJECTproject and producer of the Combustion Festival. She is also a busy commercial voice performer and announcer.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
low budget comedy
Panelists
Creator/Director/Wrtier Trailer Park Boys
Saturday, November 14
1:00 - 3:00pm
The Second City Training Centre
SketchFest Troupes Only – Free Admission Advance Registration Required
pd@torontosketchfest.com
Trailer Park Boys creator/director/writer Mike Clattenburg will be giving a workshop low budget comedy. Mike will discuss writing production friendly scripts, writing to locations that you can actually get, how to pull together a cast, improvisation, and how to keep it fresh on the day. Later that night Mike will be eating oysters and drinking lite beer, lite beer as Mike looks about 5 months pregnant from certain angles. Front on, not so bad, but please don't mention he has a gut or anything like that at the workshop.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Scenic Improvisation
Taught by FrankenMatt
Frank Caeti (MADtv, Reno 911)
and Matt Craig (The Office, According to Jim)
Presented by: 
Saturday November 14, 2009 - 3-6 pm
The Second City Training Centre
Cost $60 +gst, (includes ticket to one of Frankenmatt’s Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival shows)
The foundation of great improvisation is good scenework. Whether it be short form games or long form structures both rely on scenic improvisation. To have a successful short form game you first need to establish a good scene. A successful long form is ideally a collection of interrelated good scenes. Scenic improvisation is where two or more improvisers create a scene using nothing but their wits and creativity. Want to learn how to do it? Or get better at it? In this workshop we will focus on improvising solid two-person scenes utilizing emotion, character, and point of view. The ultimate goal of scenic improvisation is the discovery and manifestation of relationship. This workshop is a great opportunity to learn the ropes of building a rich and layered scene from the ground up. Great as a transitional workshop between forms, as a introduction to the fantastic world of scenic improvisation, or as a touch-up for you experienced improvisers out there.
Bios
Between the two of them, FrankenMatt has 25 years of improvisational experience. They both trained in Chicago at The Second City and ImprovOlympic. Their improv/sketch credits include: The Second City Mainstage Chicago, MADtv, ImprovOlympic, io West, UCBLA, Brave New Workshop, Baby Wants Candy, ComedySportz Chicago, and more. Both Frank and Matt are currently instructors at The Second City Training Center in Los Angeles.
Public Event. SketchFest Artist passes do not apply.
Register Online
DIRECTORS MASTERCLASS WITH SANDY JOBIN-BEVANS
Saturday, November 14th
3:00 – 6:00
The Second City Training Centre, Studio 6
SketchFest troupes ONLY
Register as troupes ONLY
pd@torontosketchfest.com
Spend a few hours with Sandy Jobin-Bevans, the director of the current Second City revue, Shut Up and Show Us Your Tweets. Participants will have the opportunity to present a sketch they are currently working on and receive practical notes. This is a fabulous opportunity to have a director/head-writer's eye on your material, and to learn about the craft of live sketch comedy from the notes other troupes receive.
Sandy Jobin-Bevans is a nine-time winner at the Canadian Comedy Awards, and a Second City veteran with two years in the National Touring Company and five mainstage reviews under his belt. Sandy is a founding member of the Slap Happy Improvisational Theatre Company which is currently celebrating its tenth year. Recent theatre credits include SARSical, Show Stopping Number and An Inconvenient Musical. Recent film and television credits include Harold & Kumar Go To Whitecastle, You Kill Me, and the host of HGTV's Great Home Giveaway. But you probably just know Sandy from saying "Nooooooo!" in the Mott's Clamato commercial. Look for Sandy on Hotbox on the Comedy Network!
THE 
SKETCH-U-BATOR
Saturday, November 14, 2009 – Midnight –
Comedy Bar
The good beer folks at Steam Whistle Brewing are back for 2009, hosting our Saturday night hoopla! The Sketch-u-Bator is a late-night party for festival artists. Always a blast!
SketchFest performers, VIPS and volunteers are invited to this private event .
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
writing sketch comedy: Concept to Final Draft
Taught by Eric Toth
Faculty Humber School of Creative & Performing Arts / The Imponderables
Sunday, November 15
3:00 - 5:00pm
Comedy Bar (945 Bloor St. W.)
Public Event - No registration required.
Presented by: 
Whether you're a beginner seeking to write successful sketch comedy or an experienced comic wanting to take your writing to another level, this workshop fits the bill. Eric Toth (The Imponderables) will take you on a journey from the idea to the final draft in this 2 hour, hands-on workshop. No need to bring scripts, just bring something to write on.
Biography
Backed by nearly a decade of finely honed chemistry, Canadian Comedy Award winners The Imponderables have appeared at the JFL Festival (Toronto, Montreal) and in the CBC Sketch Special with Kevin McDonald of the Kids in the Hall. They’ve played to sold-out houses in Toronto, New York, and Chicago, and made comedy news by becoming the first independent comedy troupe in Second City's 30-year history to headline the prestigious mainstage. Their videos on CW network, G4's Attack of the Show, youtube and college humor, have been featured in Entertainment Weekly Magazine.
