Convention Skit

Synonyms:	fan play
See also:	Front cover of Spectrum #36. The cover illustration by Joni Wagner depicts fans Connie Faddis and Jeff Johnston dressed in drag as James T. Kirk and Chantal Caberfae, based on a skit parody of the fanfiction Diamonds and Rust performed at SeKWesterCon 1977.
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Convention skits, also known as fan plays, are short stage plays based on an existing work of fiction, written and performed by fans, typically performed at fan and media conventions. The subject matter and focus of convention skits often varies. Common subjects addressed by convention skits include certain characters, relationships, plots adapted from the source material, and issues within a fandom itself (meta). The first known convention skit is Spock Shock, written in 1967 and performed in 1969 at Star Trek Con.

Some History and Context

2015

From a fan describing the plays at the long-running Shore Leave convention, many on which he collaborated:

Now, when I say, “plays for the convention stage,” I’m using what may be null terminology for a lot of people. “What kind of plays?” I’m often asked. “Do you dress up?” (And, for once, for me, the answer to that one is “yes.” I rarely put on costumes for their own sake at a convention, but I wear them for plays.) “Do you have to memorize lines?” It helps. “Are these comic-booky or Star Trekkie plays?” Often, yes.

Here’s the deal: Going, to my knowledge, back to the August Party cons of the 1970s, fans have written and presented plays which are almost always parodies of a TV Show or movie. They’re usually 30-60 minutes. They are usually performed once and only once, unless one convention asks the cast to re-present a play the committee saw at another convention. The level of effort and preparation ranges from writing a play on Friday night for a Sunday performance and having the actors carry their scripts on stage (and, in Fandom’s early days, the actors were largely female, including those playing Kirk, Spock and McCoy), to a multi-drafted script and a full 16-week rehearsal cycle which includes phases for discovery, blocking and polishing. Some of us take these things very seriously. Some are just having fun. (I’m of that strange breed that can’t have fun unless a project is taken seriously.)

The plays [at Shore Leave (US con) ] have historically been referred to as “showcases.” I believe that began with the Shore Leave Showcases of the early 1980s. The convention ended with one of these parodies. That name has faded, but I liked it as a way of remembering some history.

I can tolerate any descriptive name for what we do. I bridle only at “skits.” That’s a demeaning term for something we put so much effort into.

Examples

Main category: Plays & Skits

• Stour Trek: A Musical in Search of a Key by Paula Smith - performed at SeKWesterCon 1977
• Where No Man Has Gone Lately by Winston Howlett - performed at SeKWesterCon 1977
• Free Amazons of Ghor by Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron - first performed at Darkovercon 1979
• The Enchanted Duplicator: The Musical by Erwin S. Strauss - performed at Norwescon 1983
• Dancing Penises by Kandy Fong, PJ, Donna and Carol D. - first performed at IDICon 1985
• Dark Side Story by unknown - performed at Mos' Eastly Con 1985
• My Fair Starship by John Bell and Dale Jewell - performed at Springfest 1989
• The Naked Never by Harpic Productions - first performed at an Astrex meeting in 1990
• In Search of Spock's Penis by Lezlie Shell - performed at Escapade 1995
• Jurassic Fandom by Lezlie Shell - performed at Escapade 1995
• Revolution 9 from Outer Space by Paula Smith - performed at Zebracon 1997

Gallery

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  First page of the script for Spock Shock.

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  Page of the script for the con skit Trek Wars.

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  First page of the script for In Search of Spock.

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  Front cover of Play by Playbook: Collected ZebraCon Plays