Date-Nite Meeting

We had a really good date-nite meeting yesterday night - a lot of good ideas were thrown around the table, bears were mentioned, beer was imbibed. It was an all around good time.

It has been very difficult lately getting everyone together to work on date-nite. And by lately I mean the past half of a year.

For those of you who don't know yet, date-nite is an internet sketch comedy website that three friends of mine from the Second City Training Center and I started just under a year ago. The group started originally as an excuse to get together and drink at the Duke of Perth, a local bar. The outings were to be our "date nights" where, instead of spending the evening with girls (I was the only one with a girlfriend at the time) we'd spend the evening drinking, cussing and dicking around.

And because we four were all new to Chicago improv, sketch, etc. none of us were really doing anything other than taking classes. As a result, our conversations often leaned towards the topic of trying to get work.

I think Colby was the one who brought the idea of doing internet sketch to the table. We all immediately latched on to the idea. To hell with everyone else. Let's start making our own shit. I had a camera, Todd had a computer, and off we went. Before long our weekly date nights had become writing sessions where we would try to think of as many funny ideas and scenarios as possible. And voila. Date-nite came to pass.

Originally the intent was to churn out one new sketch a week. We kept up on our promise for a good long while before the sketch-a-week regimen fell apart. By the beginning of the new year we were lucky to have a new sketch a month. Suddenly there was no single night of the week where everyone could meet. Nobody wanted to meet at the Duke anymore. Date-nite became less a weekly meeting of four friends and more a chore. It became an obligation.

My theory is that date-nite slowed to a halt because we got away from the original intent of the group, which was to get together, drink, hang out and bat ideas back and forth. And of course, that environment was where we were most productive, where we had the best ideas and where we had the most fun. So, provided we get back to meeting like we used to, like we did last night, you may just be seeing some more wacky shit soon.