Thanks to the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club improv troupe, Oswego State held a night of collaborative comedy on April 13 in Sheldon Ballroom.
Joined by SUNY Geneseo’s No Laugh Track Required and Cornell University’s The Whistling Shrimp Improv Comedy Troupe, the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club hosted its second annual comedy summit.
The comedy summit was led by co-coordinators Henry Liebentritt and Adam Sommer, as well as other members of the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club.
“Planning the comedy summit was a large undertaking. It started back in the fall semester when I chose my second in command [Sommer] and my committee heads,” said co-coordinator Liebentritt. “They then chose their respective committee members. We kept open communication as we did our allotted tasks. Eventually, I invited the troupes, set a date and place, and prepared for the day.”
Both Liebentritt and Sommer hosted the night and introduced the groups.
“I wanted to help host the comedy summit because it’s a great opportunity for us to branch out to other improv troupes,” Sommer said. “We were able to build connections with other schools that have improv troupes that are just as passionate as we are. We were also inspired to host the comedy summit because of RIT’s Improv Jam, which we visited in previous years to perform at.”
The night began with Sommer and Liebentritt welcoming the other improv troupes. The first performance was given by SUNY Geneseo’s No Laugh Track Required, a long-form, audition-based improv troupe. Geneseo often performs Armando-style improv, which begins with an improvised monologue inspired by a suggestion from the audience and ends with scenes inspired by the monologue, and Harold-style improv, which begins with an opening, word-association game started with a word from the audience, and morphs into monologues and scenes based off the words.
“This is only the second show I’ve done with the troupe, so it’s fun to have the one at home and then taking a little field trip,” said Jess Giordano, a member of No Laugh Track Required. “We got to meet so many different people, and it’s fun to see other people’s takes on their improv troupes.”
Next to perform was Cornell University’s The Whistling Shrimp Improv Comedy Troupe, another audition-based troupe specializing in long-form improv, that meets for practice three times a week.
“There’s less pressure, I think, when you’re traveling because you don’t necessarily know everybody in the room, so even though it can be nerve-wracking to perform in front of people you’ve never met before, you’re with people you trust and love, so it’s easy and it’s fun,” said troupe member Jocelyn Cubstead.
Then, the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club performed short-form improv games, including “Step Left,” where each member stands in a square and steps left when told to, creating a new scene with their new partner based off suggestions given by the audience.
The show closed with an all-encompassing game of “House Party,” where members from all three improv troupes had a chance to come together and perform.
“Shaun Cass itself has benefited from the comedy summit in that we get to collaborate with other like-minded comedians,” Liebentritt said. “SUNY Oswego benefits as a whole because it gives students opportunities to witness a type of comedy that isn’t emphasized as much. The visiting troupes enjoyed their time in Oswego, the crowd got into the comedy, and all three troupes were able to work together in our closing House Party segment. It was a great night for comedy.”
As for the upcoming years, both Sommer and Liebentritt said they hope the Shaun Cassidy Fan Club is able to continue putting together and hosting comedy summits annually.
“Our slogan is ‘Love, Laughter, Friendship,’ and the comedy summit is a great way to display the bond improv has given all of us outside our normal shows,” Sommer said. “We don’t usually have special events so this is kinda like our Superbowl in a sense.”
Julia Tilley | The Oswegonian
