What do Dora the Explorer, Justin Bieber and Sarah Palin have to do with South’s Variety Show? Just ask Comedy Troupe, the students behind these humorous skits.
This year’s Comedy Troupe consisted of 19 actors, all under the direction of drama teacher Beth Barber. They performed in this years’s V-Show, Gold, putting on five scenes over the course of the two acts.
“I think that the chemistry this year between everybody is really, really good,” junior Raina Payne said. “We can vibe off each other really well.”
The skits performed by Comedy Troupe are not purely ‘vibes’ though. The skits were written by the six members of Spur of the Moment, an improvisation group at South. Each student wrote one script, but it was a collaborative effort, according to senior Stephane Antonopoulos.
“It’s all that hard work that [we] put in and [the] time and effort on stage,” Antonopoulos said. “It’s a good feeling.”
According to senior Nicolette Tantillo, there was a lot of time and effort that went into the skits. Each rehearsal lasted about two and a half hours. An average rehearsal included running through skits and making final adjustments.
“I mostly liked just the rehearsals and being with [Comedy Troupe] every day,” sophomore Zack Bauer said. “They’re great people to be around.”
Janie Kahan, the only freshman in Comedy Troupe this year, felt that rehearsals helped her feel welcome in the group. It took some time to build friendships, but Kahan felt confident that she became close with everyone by the end of the show.
“It was the environment and continuous laughter that just made [Comedy Troupe] worth while and makes me want to do it all the time,” Kahan said. “If there was a Comedy Troupe that lasted year round I guarantee you I would be there every day.”
However, Comedy Troupe is only for the V-Show. The group started rehearsing at the end of December. Rehearsals became even more exciting when the whole show started to come together, according to Tantillo.
“[The Variety Show] is not only acting, it’s a bunch of different acts,” Tantillo said. “It’s really fun once it comes together with all the lights and costumes. It’s exciting.”
After months of rehearsing, five shows and five skits per show, the Comedy Troupe members were feeling good about how their performance in the V-Show went, according to Tantillo.
“Hearing a laugh makes you feel great and makes you realize that people appreciate what you’re doing,” Tantillo said. “[Comedy Troupe is] my favorite thing all year, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
According to Antonopoulos though, Comedy Troupe is not just about the satisfying laughs.
“Comedy Troupe definitely made me become more confident in myself because you need a lot of confidence in yourself to be on stage and perform those funny skits,” Antonopoulos said.
