Are you looking for something fun to watch over the next few weeks? Well you are in luck because recordings of Sketch Up are going to be available to watch online for free between 3rd-21st February. The recordings have been made free as part of the Leicester Comedy Festival and are performed by Letty Butler, Melanie Crawley, Gerard Fletcher, Rowe David McClelland, Ali Mylon and Rachel E. Thorn. I caught up with Rachel to find out all about it!

Hello Rachel there tell us a little bit about yourself!

I’m Rachel and you guys might know me from Lovefool and Sex, Lies & Improvisation. Another string to my bow is writing comedy sketches for radio, which I record and perform with a fabulous gang of actors here in Sheffield: Letty Butler, Melanie Crawley, Gerard Fletcher, Rowe David McClelland and Ali Mylon. Together we are “Sketch Up!”.

Tell us all about the project that you are bringing to the online world at the moment?

As part of Leicester Comedy Festival, the “Sketch Up!” recordings are online for free! We were going to perform some of the sketches live at the festival but of course the live shows got cancelled. We really wanted to bring a little joy to people’s lives in these dark times, so we’ve decided to make the recordings available for free throughout the festival for people to dip into at their leisure. A smorgasbord of fun, if you will!

What times does it run throughout the day?

All day every day from 3rd-21st February!

How much does it cost , what platform etc?

Not a penny! Follow the link here: https://comedy-festival.co.uk/event/sketch-up-online/

How was the project formed?

Years ago I did a stand-up course and the teacher used fairy tales to illustrate techniques for finding the bizarre in everyday situations. I was just so taken by this that I ended up writing a series of sketches inspired by fairy tales. I mean, what would you say if a prince turned up on your doorstep and asked you to try on a shoe made of glass? Several of these sketches were picked up by podcasts. The first time it happened, I was quite pleased. Then when I discovered that they’d chosen 12 sketches out of 500 applicants, I was delighted! The collection of sketches grew over time, and then when I moved to Sheffield, I met some fab voiceover actors through Equity, and we decided to record the sketches. And here they are!

How has it been going so far?

We have such a good time recording the sketches and it’s so lovely to be able to share them with people. We really enjoy performing them live, but while that’s not possible, this is a great alternative.

With everything happening in the world at the moment, why is it so important to have activities like yours available?

The sketches aren’t topical or satirical. They’re irreverent, they’re witty, they’re fun. And they make zero reference to coronavirus or politics! I think we all need a bit of that in our lives! 

What can people expect from your project?

The whole “Sketch Up!” collection is available throughout Leicester Comedy Festival. You can dip into it and listen to them one-by-one, or really pull up a pew and listen to all 45 sketches in one go. Enjoy!