Flight Attendant Safety Instructions
I’m so excited to present today’s installment of Friday Scripts: “Scared Flight Attendant,” by @caitorade , directed by @damianchadwick , and performed by @natasharothwell for @ucbtny !
(And yes, this is Natasha Rothwell from White Lotus! So many incredible actors emerge from the sketch comedy scene.)
I love this sketch, and it’s not just because it’s so funny. It’s also great for teaching purposes, which is why I usually show it on Day 1 in a Sketch 101 class. The base reality is set up so efficiently and clearly, and the reveal moment is SO fantastic and clear.
But maybe most importantly, this sketch is a fantastic study in heightening, something many writers struggle with.
Monologue sketches are a very interesting and particular beast. The base reality, heightening, and beats all have to be internally generated, often in relationship to some familiar structure. In this case, that familiar structure — the moments where we “rest the game” / “play the scene” while gearing up for the next heightened move — is the flight safety talk.
In the script, you can see Caitlin very nimbly moving from resting the game (“Please put the mask on before assisting small children”) to on-game jokes (“Actually, don’t put the mask on small children at all. Let them go…”) And those shifts are so delightfully captured by Natasha’s delivery.
Each return to that base reality serves as a springboard for the next bigger, heightened move. And we’re heightening in a few ways: the horrifying specifics of the flight attendant’s trauma, AND her demeanor.
After you’ve watched the live sketch (link in bio!), look at the script and marvel at how much is packed into just 1.5 pages. (Also note: monologue sketches take longer to deliver! So those scripts tend to be shorter.)
I hope you enjoy this sketch as much as I do. And go check out the Assssketch show at @ucbtny this Saturday, which Caitlin is directing! (You can get your tickets for the live show, or, like me, you can buy a ticket to stream it.) There’s nothing like watching and learning from live sketch comedy.
