Comedy Corner, the nation’s oldest college sketch and improvisation comedy group, is spreading the laughter with their weekly on-campus performances and upcoming improv workshop.
The student-run group not only allows students to improve their improvisational skills, but it also creates a “second family” for its members.
According to Comedy Corner President Rebecca Wendler, the club is “kind of like your best friends getting together and just hanging out, but is also really rewarding to get to perform weekly for a bunch of different people.”
With rehearsals twice a week, and a show every Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. in the Modern Languages 350, the troupe spends a lot of time together.
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“I made a bunch of friends, which I think is one of the most important parts, but I’ve also gained a lot of knowledge of improv and just speaking in public in general,” said secretary Joe Breitweiser.
Although the club’s members enjoy hanging out during rehearsals, they also use the time to enhance their techniques.
“Everything we do is spur of the moment, but we have rehearsals to hone in on our skills,” Wendler said.
The group is directed by Ben Weinstein, a UA alumnus. Aside from performing himself, Weinstein also runs the shows and rehearsals.
Comedy Corner shows last approximately an hour and a half and consist mainly of improv games. The group also asks for suggestions from the audience. This allows for an interactive show that changes from week to week, and also forces the performers to think quickly.
“[They] learn how to keep a conversation going and learn how to perform better,” Wendler said.
The club holds auditions yearly and sometimes biannually for any UA student who is interested in joining. Typically, members who are asked to join the club stay on the team throughout their college careers.
Some of the older members hold leadership positions, like Wendell and Breitweiser, through which they help guide newer members, including Clark Penado who joined in fall 2017.
“I had never done improv before — I’m a computer science dude personally — so it’s an interesting experience,” Penado said.
Penado was drawn to the friendly atmosphere of Comedy Corner at a club fair and decided to supplement his passion for computer science with some improvisation.
“Besides just the aspects of the comedy and the performing, we’re really a family over at Comedy Corner. It’s turned into sort of a lifestyle that we live together — we’re more than just a team,” Penado said.
The club members are excited to share their passion with the UA community at their first-ever Open Improv Workshop. The event is April 16 at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center, and is open to anyone who wants to try their hand at improv.
“If you’re considering it, try it out. Improv is something everyone does on a daily basis, you might as well give it a try and have some fun with it yourself,” Penado said.
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