professional
sketch comedy!
from BBC1's
Tracey Ullman Show!
BBC Radio 4's Newsjack!
professional
TV & Radio experience!
of writers and performers!
sketch comedy courses
Taught by Gemma Arrowsmith, a professional comedy writer and performer on the Emmy nominated Tracey Ullman’s show on BBC1 and Script Editor on BBC Radio 4's Newsjack!
level 1: live sketch comedy
Learn how to write and perform sketch comedy. As part of a team you’ll be creating a whole new sketch show from scratch that you then perform live at our comedy club at the end of the course!
You’ll be learning about different sketch structures using video examples, how to come up with premises for sketches, how to develop premises into amazing comedy, how to escalate patterns and games in sketches, how to develop characters, how to edit sketches to find the funny and how to start your own sketch show on the live comedy scene.
You’ll also receive mentorship about the comedy industry, emails with additional writing resources and inspiring homework designed by a professional comedy writer.
At the end of the course you’ll have created a whole new sketch show together as a team that you get to perform live in front of a friendly audience at our club!
No previous writing experience needed, but if you are new to acting on stage it would be best to start with our Beginners Improv Course first.
level 2: radio comedy
Learn how to write professional and funny radio comedy from a professional radio comedy writer and script editor.
This course is hugely relevant to a career in radio comedy writing as you’ll be writing sketches every week for actual radio shows and will also be learning how to submit them to be considered for broadcast.
Shows we will be targeting over the course:
- Newsjack (Radio 4)
- The Now Show (Radio 4)
- The Show What Your Wrote (Radio 4)
- Release the Clowns (Podcast)
- Sketch Please (Podcast)
All taught by Gemma Arrowsmith, a professional radio comedy writer and script editor who has successfully mentored previous Hoopla students into professionally writing for BBC Radio.
We’ll also be running a workshop on podcasting including guidance on microphones, studios, editing and releasing your own comedy podcast.
level 3: TV comedy
Learn how to write professional and funny TV comedy with a professional TV comedy writer/performer from the Emmy nominated Tracey Ullman’s Show (BBC 1) and Tracey Breaks the News (BBC 1).
This course is hugely relevant to a career in TV comedy writing as you’ll be writing sketches every week for actual TV shows and will be learning how to progress in the comedy industry.
Shows we will be targeting over the course:
- Tracey Ullman’s Show (BBC 1)
- Tracey Breaks the News (BBC 1)
- Newzoids (ITV)
- Horrible Histories (CBBC)
- Class Dismissed (CBBC)
next available dates
level 1: live sketch comedy
Dates:
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 16th March 2020, plus show on Thursday 7th May 2020. BOOK NOW
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 13th January 2020, plus show on Thursday 5th March 2020. SOLD OUT.
Time: 7pm – 9:30pm each week.
Price: £260. Either payable all at once or with an initial payment of £100 followed by the remaining £160 at the start of the course.
Teacher: Gemma Arrowsmith, with guest teacher for one week.
Workshop Venue: Theatre Delicatessen Studios, 1st Floor, next to 2 Finsbury Avenue (off Whitecross Place), London, EC2M 2PA.
Tube: Liverpool Street, Moorgate or Bank.
No previous writing experience needed, but if you are new to performing it would be best to start with our Beginners Improv Course first.
This course requires a higher commitment than our improv classes and you will need to be at each rehearsal and the show on time due to the collaborative nature of scripted rehearsed sketch comedy. You will also need to write in-between classes. You may be asked to leave the course or not do the show if you are repeatedly late or miss rehearsals.
level 2: radio comedy
Dates: Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 18th March 2020. BOOK NOW
Time: 7pm – 9:30pm each week.
Price: £260. Either payable all at once or with an initial payment of £100 followed by the remaining £160 at the start of the course.
Teacher: Gemma Arrowsmith, with guest teacher for one week.
Workshop Venue: Theatre Delicatessen Studios, 1st Floor, next to 2 Finsbury Avenue (off Whitecross Place), London, EC2M 2PA.
Tube: Liverpool Street, Moorgate or Bank.
Please only book this level if you have previously done our level 1 sketch comedy course or have previous sketch comedy writing and performing experience.
level 3: TV comedy
Dates:
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 13th May 2020. BOOK NOW
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 15th January 2020. SOLD OUT
Time: 7pm – 9:30pm each week.
Price: £260. Either payable all at once or with an initial payment of £100 followed by the remaining £160 at the start of the course.
Teacher: Gemma Arrowsmith, with guest teacher for one week.
Workshop Venue: Theatre Delicatessen Studios, 1st Floor, next to 2 Finsbury Avenue (off Whitecross Place), London, EC2M 2PA.
Tube: Liverpool Street, Moorgate or Bank.
Please only book this level if you have previously done our level 1 sketch comedy course or have previous sketch comedy writing and performing experience.
join the community!
After the course you’ll be joining a large community of Hoopla trained writers and performers to build up ongoing writing and performing experience. We have a monthly sketch night at our comedy club where you will be able to build up stage time, and also a friendly welcoming writing group made up of Hoopla’s sketch students.
Gemma Arrowsmith
Gemma is a professional comedy writer-performer. Her most recent work includes the Emmy nominated Tracey Ullman’s Show (BBC 1) and Tracey Breaks the News (BBC 1). She is also script editor on Newsjack (BBC Radio 4 Extra).
Her other TV and Radio credits include Charlie Brooker’s How TV Ruined Your Life (BBC), Paul Whitehouse’s Nurse (BBC), Dave Gorman’s Modern Life is Goodish (Dave), The Now Show (BBC Radio 4), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Riot Girls (Channel 4), Class Dismissed (CBBC), Bravest Warriors (Cartoon Hangover), Upstart Crow (BBC), Stath Lets Flats, Merlin (BBC), Hustle (BBC), Home Time, Spy, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (BBC) and Dead Boss amongst other things.
Gemma is also sought after in the world of kids’ TV and radio, where her credits include: Vic Reeves’ Ministry of Curious Stuff, DNN (CBBC), Hacker Time (CBBC), Beano Town (Fun Kids Radio), Relic: Guardians of the Museum (online game, CBBC), Transmission Impossible (CBBC).
She has performed in and directed Newsrevue, is half of Mould & Arrowsmith, and her one-woman shows have had successful runs at The Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Fringe and Vaults Festival.
Her “What were you wearing?” sketch for Tracey Ullman was featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Mirror, Metro and more, with over 35 million views on Facebook and was BBC Comedy’s highest rated video of 2017.
A winner of Fringe Report Awards’ Best Artist (2007), they declared: “The award reflects Gemma Arrowsmith’s seven-threat excellence as singer, dancer, actor, comedian, writer, impressionist and director.”
Tracey Ullman’s Show (BBC1)
This sketch was written by Gemma Arrowsmith and was featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Mirror, Metro and more, with over 35 million views on Facebook and was BBC Comedy’s highest rated video of 2017.
faqs
What previous experience is required for the Level 1 Sketch Course?
No previous writing experience is required but previous improv or acting experience is needed. If you’re not used to being on stage it would be good to do our Level 1: Beginners Improv Course first.
What's the commitment level like?
High! These courses are much higher commitment than our improv courses. You will be writing and performing as part of a team so missing or being late for rehearsals or missing shows will be letting down the overall team. There is also writing homework. Please don't sign up to these courses if you are likely to be regularly late or missing courses. You may be asked to leave the course or not do the show if you are repeatedly late or missing rehearsals.
Is it ok to be late or miss classes?
No. This is much higher commitment than improv as you will be creating scripts as part of a team and being late or missing classes means that team will not be able to function fully.
How much homework is there?
You will need to be writing in between classes, and Gemma will be inspiring you with resources to help this. The amount you write is up to you, but the more you put into it the more you will get from the course.
Do I have to perform in the show at the end of the Level 1 Sketch course?
No. The show is optional.
What comes after the Level 1 Sketch for Stage Course?
Radio Comedy and TV Comedy. Ideally it is best to do the Radio Comedy first, as that reflects the progression in the comedy industry, but if not then it's fine to do the TV one first too.
Are there any performance opportunities after the course?
Yes. We now have a monthly sketch night and regular writing group at Hoopla for graduates of Hoopla's sketch course, so you'll have a regular place to write and perform as part of a supportive team.
Does it matter what order I do radio comedy and TV comedy?
Ideally it's better to do radio comedy first, as that reflects progression in the comedy industry, but it doesn't matter if you do it the other way round.
Can I just start straight away with the tv comedy and radio comedy courses?
We advise starting with our level 1 live sketch comedy course first if you don't have previous comedy writing experience. The reason is this course introduces a number of different structures and writing methods that are then used in the other courses, and there won't be time to teach them again from scratch in levels 2 and 3. However if you already have a lot of sketch writing and performing experience it should be ok.
What previous experience is required for the Level 2 and 3 Courses?
You should have previously done our Level 1 Sketch Comedy Course or have a previous experience of writing and performing sketch comedy.
Do the radio comedy and tv comedy courses have a show at the end?
No. We focus fully on writing professional scripts for submission to TV and Radio so don't do a live show at the end.
How often do you do the courses?
Just a couple of times per year.
What's the feedback level like?
Encouraging and supportive but honest. We'll tell you what's going well with your writing and sketches but also give constructive helpful feedback on what needs changing or improving. The aim is to give you everything you need to write sketches professionally.