One part comedy, one part drama, and one part documentary; The School of Hard Knock Knocks (SHKK) has just wrapped up the filming of their TV pilot, “Is This Thing On?“.
The brainchild of SHKK co-founder, Morry Morgan, and funded by the SHKK alumni, this six-part, 30-minute TV show transforms ten budding stand-up comedians, over six days, with the help of seven iconic stand-up comedians. But it’s not all classrooms and comedic catchphrases. The ten nervous novices went on daily excursions to expand their repertoire, which included naked life drawing, heckling artwork, and even skydiving!
And throughout the journey, the cameras kept rolling – capturing the emotional roller coaster of each of the students, as they battled the stresses of learning joke writing and performance, as well as dealing with some personal baggage – extracted by the very persuasive Stig Wemyss, director and founder of Mezzanine Films and Steve van Aperen, known as the ‘Human Lie Detector’.
Viewers of “Is This Thing On?” will recognise the consistent comedy coach that shares the journey with the comedy students. Glynn Nicholas, famous for his role on the Big Gig and later his own ABC program, the Glynn Nicholas Show, is there every step (and jump) of the way, ensuring that no student is left behind, and introducing the class to the guest comedians – Brad Oakes, Mayumi Nobetsu, Elliot Goblet, Chris Franklin, Joe White, and Greg Fleet.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you might also learn how to craft your own original joke. Stay tuned for the release date of “Is This Thing On?”.