The Upright Citizens Brigade and a Comedy Corner reunion will be the highlights of tomorrow’s 14th Annual S.I.C.K. Festival.
Chicago sketch troupe Our Fallen Spacemen, featuring many Comedy Corner vets, will perform first, followed by a special set from Comedy Corner. UCB’s Touring Company will close the show with some improv.
Comedy Corner producer Luke Mills said the festival wanted to try something different this year with recent guests, like stand-up comedians Lewis Black and Demetri Martin.
“”We wanted to try to get more of a comedy troupe. The UCB Touring Company does sketch and improv like us, so we thought it would be fun to do a show with them,”” Mills said.
UCB started as a long-form improv group comprising of “”Saturday Night Live”” members Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh. They moved from Chicago to New York City in 1996 and set up a theater and training program. A short-lived but well-received show on Comedy Central didn’t work out, but UCB now has theatres in New York and L.A. where comedy is performed every night of the week.
While the UCB performers who play S.I.C.K., which stands for Southwest Intergalactic Comedy Kermis, may not yet be household names, chances are they soon will be, as countless comedians making the rounds on television or in nightclubs count themselves as members.
But UA’s Comedy Corner won’t be outclassed, as the group has a special treat in store for tomorrow night. Instead of the regular improv and sketches you can see from the group every Friday at noon in the Cellar, the 15 members have developed something ambitious.
“”With our set, we’re going to be doing a half-hour short play. We’ve been writing a show for the past month,”” Mills said, although he was reluctant to go into any detail.
“”We’re trying to keep it under wraps until show night, but we’ve been rehearsing it for the past month, and it’s coming along quite nicely.””
Another bonus for fans of Comedy Corner will be performances from former members like Logan Hall and Justin Thomas, who are now performing with Chicago’s Our Fallen Spacemen.
“”They’re a troupe from Chicago comprised almost entirely of Comedy Corner alumni, and they do sketch comedy,”” Mills said. “”Some people in the (Comedy Corner) cast went up to see their show in Chicago and loved it, so we were delighted to have them. We’ve heard nothing but amazing things about their show, so it would be really good.””
Although Comedy Corner has seen a heavy influx of new members this year, the group continues to produce laughs as the longest-running college comedy troupe in the country. Mills attributes some of their success to their affiliation with the University Activities Board, which helps them put on events like S.I.C.K.
Each year is a different kind of challenge with new writers and performers, but Comedy Corner always seems to get stronger.
“”They’re not really like new people anymore, they’re seasoned performers and they’re doing a great job,”” Mills said.
Members old and new, along with comedy veterans from UCB, will have but one goal tomorrow night.
“”I think if we have the entire ballroom laughing hysterically, then we’ll have reached our goal. We’re not that concerned about the business side of things,”” Mills said. “”We’re out to make people laugh and make people happy.””
The 14th Annual S.I.C.K. Festival takes place tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center South Ballroom. Tickets are available at the SUMC Games Room or at the door. The price is $5 for students and $8 for the general public.
