Spurn

Like sketch comedy? Want to learn how it’s done? Want royalty-free, audience-tested material? Have a dark sense of humor, loose morals, and an underdeveloped sense of propriety? Then this book is for you.


For 10 years, spurn entertained sold-out New York City audiences at venues ranging from the underground (Collective: Unconscious) to the venerable (13th Street Repertory) to the fancy-shmancy (SoHo Playhouse) before becoming a regular fixture at the People's Improv Theatre. Always offering their signature blend of pathos and whimsy, spurn was favorably compared to the Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show and the 1963 World's Fair. In addition to receiving positive reviews from major publications including the Village Voice and Time Out New York, spurn was the recipient of multiple online awards for their series of over 50 short films. Ross A. McIntyre and Neil Trivedi served as longtime co-producers and oversaw the creation of all filmed material and more than ten theatrical productions that incorporated video, vintage public domain snippets, live stage performance and punk covers of popular songs. And crowds ate that $#!t up.


Given the dearth of audience-tested sketch comedy material available to burgeoning theatrical companies, the producers have assembled a collection of spurn's best material across their entire lifespan and have made it available for production via Creative Commons copyright. This material is made available for free to colleges and universities and to students of comedy worldwide.