I couldn’t be more excited to present “Packing for a Gala in Tampa”!!! Written by @lauraode , starring @marycaitkelly and @russelljdaniels , and directed by @niccoloaeed for House of Birds at @ucbtny !

There are so many reasons I love this sketch. It stems from such a spot-on, relatable observation — which also means I think about it basically every time I travel. Also, notice how fast the base reality AND the unusual thing are revealed! ALL within 3 lines!

But a great (and quickly-revealed) premise alone isn’t enough to sustain a sketch. As a writer, you still need to find ways to EXPLORE — even (especially?) with a big character sketch like this — or the audience will get tired. And Laura’s done an incredible job of exploring specifics and heightened moves around the unusual thing. That first beat is the classic “what if I need XYZ”? From there we move on to the aspirational “what ifs” of packing — and the specifics evolve (and continue to delight!) around that. Those specifics are part of what keeps it fresh across the four pages.

And let’s talk about the other reason this is so much fun — the PERFORMANCES and the GLORIOUS STAGE PICTURE! Part of what I love about live sketch comedy is how scrappy you get to be. I love that just from the matching hair and orange shirts you’re made to understand a full-blown, existential, relatable, silly crisis that we all know. (But also — kudos to Laura for having a line to LABEL that unusual thing! It gets a huge laugh, and makes sure the audience is along for the ride!)

While I absolutely think there’s a filmed version of this sketch that would be amazing, I really think you can feel from this one how special it is that it’s live.