Comedy in Chaos

As a comedy superfan, I was overjoyed to see the Saturday Night Live: The Experience exhibit at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. The exhibit is interactive, well-curated and just plain fun. A lot of classic and never seen before footage and memorabilia of over 40 years in one place. The whole exhibit walks you through the intense six-day process like you are part of the team, right down to the unknown parts that the public never has a chance to see.

At a quick glance:

Monday: Lorne Michaels and the Writers meet the guest host
Tuesday: Writers create sketches
Wednesday: Roundtable read through of the sketches, production and design planning
Thursday: Scripts come to life with the set and build
Friday: Rehearsals
Saturday: Two-hour dress rehearsal prior to the live show to test what works with the audience, last minute changes and shuffling of sketches happen in real time

Today, organizations of all sizes could take a lesson in the meticulously planned, behind the scene operational details of Saturday Night Live (SNL). We only see the flawless execution of a live broadcasted show, like a new business pitch. Yet, walking through this exhibit there is way more than meets the eye. On the surface, you’d think the back bone of the show is the host, actors and writers, but the true beating heart of the show are the many people behind the scenes making everyone else look good. While it is a high-octane, fast-passed, stress inducing environment, one thing is clear: team collaboration is key. And every week, SNL proves to be at the top of its game.

The legacy of SNL is built on a fundamental idea of being bold, original and willing to break away from convention. Lorne Michaels was interested in showcasing a new style of variety TV show with a unique, modern-day twist. Having the desire to be different when everyone else was doing the same thing, is a brave choice that has served our pop culture well. Each week, SNL challenges convention with their edgy, sometimes controversial, political satire. SNL shines every week because they continue to maintain their original values, courage to break the mold, and desire to connect their audience through common ground and humor.

Surprisingly to me, I was able to spot moments of Zen in the SNL process. For example, I didn’t expect to see a little buddha figure on Lorne Michaels’ replica desk.

I realized that if we can truly be present in the moment it will always be there. I believe Zen is a gift that is presented to you when you are willing to embrace all the chaos and disorder in everyday life. And for SNL, the gift of laughter is an hour and a half show after six full days of chaos, late nights, lots of work and many pieces fitting together perfectly right down to the last second.

In that moment of quiet, before the red On-Air light goes on and there is a moment of stillness, this may be SNL’s true breath of Zen.