Exclusive Clip! Keegan-Michael Key’s New Podcast on The History of Sketch Comedy
Sketch comedy is bigger than ever but how much do you know about the funny and fascinating history of the art? Probably not much. But Audible is debuting a new episodic podcast, starring Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key. The podcast promises to be a master class on the subject.
In the new series, The History of Sketch Comedy, Key combines vast knowledge of sketch comedy’s rich history together with his own experiences creating the art; offering laughs and insight to listeners over ten half-hour episodes. Key will visit major moments in sketch history, highlighting performers and sketch shows from the first acting troupes that toured Europe in the 1500s to the rise of Variety television, and training grounds such as The Second City in Chicago. He’ll share some influential moments and sketches along the way, dissecting some of the landmark characters, concepts and performers that shaped the comedy, and influenced Key’s own comedic path.
The series will kick off covering the pre-history of sketch comedy and the historical roots that led to the birth of the artform, including the very seeds of comedy itself in ancient times, Key will take you through Medieval comedy troupes and jesters, Vaudeville and variety shows, pioneers of comedy radio, the rise of sketch television, British sketch comedy and modern television and stage. He’ll also look at the future of sketch comedy. You’ll hear about greats like The Prairie Home Companion, The Sid Caesar Show, SNL, MadTV, Key and Peele, Chappelle’s Show, The Amy Schumer Show, and even The Muppet Show as well as the sacred training grounds like UK’s Cambridge Footlights, Second City, Improv Olympic, and Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Along the way he shares personal stories of his own connection to comedy history and comedy present.
Keegan-Michael of course co-created, co-write and co-starred in one of the most successful modern sketch shows, Key & Peele and is excited about this journey. “Audible has raised the bar for audio storytelling and I’m excited to take this deep dive into the world of sketch comedy, share some iconic sketches, and show some appreciation to the legends who helped shape this world,” he said.
The new audio series, The History of Sketch, will be available exclusively on Audible, beginning on January 28th. Audible members will be able to listen for free as part of the new Audible Plus platform. You can also hear an exclusive preview clip from the series below.
The History of Sketch is co-written and directed by Elle Key.
For more information on this title, please visit audible.com.
The History of Sketch Comedy will join a series of best-in-class Audible Original audio projects including recent releases such as Kevin Hart’s best-selling Audible Original, The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success, The Pursuit of Healthiness with Blake Griffin, the #1 New York Times best-selling audio fiction The Sandman from Neil Gaiman, performed by James McAvoy, Kat Dennings and Michael Sheen, Letters from Camp, produced and performed by Jamie Lee Curtis, in addition to Common’s Bluebird Memories: A Journey through Lyrics & Life, among many more.
Audible members will be able to access the series via Audible Plus- a new all-you-can-listen service, providing access to an array of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts that span genres, lengths, and formats, which can be streamed instantly or downloaded for offline listening. Audible Plus allows members greater selection through unlimited access to a robust catalog, in addition to Audible’s new offering of tens of thousands of podcasts, now available free to members and non-members alike. Audible Premium Plus members will also have access to the constantly expanding Audible Plus catalog in addition to one credit per month which can be used for any piece of content outside the Plus catalog, regardless of price or length.
Audible Inc. is the leading producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks,
