The Python Process
By popular demand, Howard is bringing back this much-requested class, which features his own insights into the Monty Python writing process, and how it can work for you. This eight-week workshop will immerse participants in the Python creative process, and by the end of the final session, participants will have completed, polished sketches which can be recorded via Zoom and posted to Youtube and other sites.
Next Session: TBD
Instructor: Kim “Howard” Johnson
Cost: $325
Please be advised, tuition is non-refundable. If you cannot attend the class you registered for, we can roll your tuition to be used during another session as long as you contact thecomedylab.net 24 hours prior to the class beginning. If you reach out after that, we cannot roll your tuition.
The sessions begin with a detailed look at the Python process as Howard, occasional collaborator and former personal assistant to John Cleese, will discuss the general Python approach to writing and the various writing styles of the group members. Monty Python’s Flying Circus clips will be shown which demonstrate their styles, and clips from pre-Python and post-Python works will also be featured to demonstrate how their styles evolved. Howard will also discuss his own experiences and offer an insider’s perspective concerning their sketch-writing. Students will learn the value of editing with examples by thePythons. Finally, students will “collaborate” with the Python teams on a sketch, and learn how to use John Cleese’s advice on sketch-writing.
Students will be asked to write three short sketches in this class, based on the various styles of the Python writing teams, but they won’t have to do it alone. Just as the Pythons collaborate, the students will collaborate as they complete their assignments. And then, after class discussion, their sketches will be passed along to other writing teams within the class—the same process used in so much modern television writing.
In addition to the writing and discussion, there will be lots of Python videos used throughout the sessions as examples. There will be some favorite well-known Python shows, but there will also be some rare clips of pre-Python sketches, live Python shows, and much more, including videos of Howard interviewing the late Terry Jones on writing, and a discussion of the John Cleese method for increasing creativity for writers.