Jesse Medina
The Paw Print
Almost everyone can recall the hit improv comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway? Drew Carey’s smiling face and bursts of laughter at the comedians on the show making up ridiculous hijinks came to define the entire show.
The show’s appeal hinged on a form of comedy called improvisational comedy or improv for short. If you like this kind of comedy or are just looking for some fun, come see Adams State College’s very own improve troupe “Don’t Feed Us After Midnight.”
Comedy improvisation has been offered at Adams State College as a class for the past few years. The class was taught by assistant professor of theatre Jenna Neilsen. Initially beginning as a single credit class, it took off as a popular class among students. Classes had both theatre majors and non-theatre majors alike.
With the comedy improvisation classes proving to be a hit, Professor Neilsen started the campus comedy improvisation troupe. The troupe, much like the classes, consists of a myriad of different members. The varying students include theatre, mathematics, and biology majors. In addition to the varying majors that can be found in the troupe, different levels of skill also can be found. Some members have participated in troupes since high school, while this is a first attempt at participating in a troupe for others.
The show will consist of two forms of improvisation. Short form is essentially the type of skits and humor found on the comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway? The other is long form which works by taking a suggestion from the audience and creating a long (45 min. to an hour) improvised piece from the suggestion. The long form is the most complicated according to Professor Jenna Neilsen. “You never know what you’re going to get, but that’s what makes it fun.”
Flyers for the show can be seen throughout campus.
What immediately strikes you is the unusual name of the troupe. When asked about the name, Professor Neilsen said that it was a funny name that was unanimously agreed upon by the students involved in the troupe. It is a silly name for a comedy troupe. For those who are not familiar with the movie Gremlins, when you feed the creatures after dark they turn into evil little monsters that cause mischief and mayhem.
In addition to the two scheduled shows in April, “Don’t Feed Us After Midnight” is expected to be included in student activities planned for the beginning of the fall semester.
“Don’t Feed Us After Midnight” will be performing on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m. at the Xperimental Theatre located in the Theatre building. The act is free and open to the public.
Another showing for the troupe is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. at the Historic Ute Theatre in Saguache. Tickets for the show are $6.00 for adults and $5.00 for students. Much like the creatures from which they take their namesake, this group will cause mischief at their shows. The humor is for audiences 16 and up.
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