This week’s jam: No Material Likely To Offend Or Harm
This week’s jam is brought to you by: Parky
Doing the swears, invoking the Nazis and hinting at sexuals is all fun. Some times, however – perhaps if there are kids in the audience or we’re doing a show in front of a daytime crowd – the tone of the content does have to be a little bit different.
It’s not true that something has to be rude or offensive to be funny. There are plenty of laughs to be had in polite, clean scenes and that’s why this week all of our scenes are going to be U certificated.
So, what does a “U” certificate mean? Well:
- Only infrequent use of mild bad language (“hell” or “damn”)
- No overt focus on sexual behaviour, language or innuendo
- No emphasis on the use of weapons
- Some danger but quickly resolved and with a reassuring outcome
- No negative behaviour that children may copy
- Generally contains positive messages about friendship, loyalty and honesty
Here’s an example. The Paddington movie was passed as a PG, not as a U (and therefore would not be suitable for our jam). This is because:
- Paddington hides in a fridge (classed as ‘imitable behaviour’)
- Paddington rides on a skateboard while holding onto a bus
- There is a mumbled use of the word ‘bloody’
- There is a comic sequence where a man dressed as a woman is flirted with by another man
- There is a scene where Paddington lies unconscious on a table while a taxidermist prepares their tools nearby
- There is a moment where a boy straps fireworks to his shoes
So, bearing all these things in mind (see what I did there?) our scenes this Thursday will be clean, largely peril-free and with no rudes, naughties or swears. Harder than you think? You can bet on it.
NB: I’ll be on the bell and, having read the “U” regulations, my decision will be final. If I think you’ve gone too far, I’ll tell you. No correspondence or argument will be entered into or I’ll end the scene immediately. Ta!
Thursday 4th June 2015
7.30pm – 9.30pm
The Corner
8 Stoney St
Hockley
NG1 1LH
£3
