Student comedy groups boast their own brand of humor

Saturday night is always 'live' in Bloomington. In fact, so is Friday night. There is a popular comedy scene developing in Bloomington and there are always enough laughs to fill both weekend nights. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, Full Frontal Comedy and Slow Children at Play are all here to make us laugh, but they also offer slightly different forms of comedy, spicing up Bloomington's comedy world for anyone looking for a good laugh. \nAll Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble performs out of the Bloomington Playwrights Project and focuses on sketch comedy, which means the material is written out prior to the actual show. The group was founded by three students about four years ago and has a show about every two weeks that consists of an hour of original sketch comedy. Students write all of their material during writing sessions and on their own.\nFull Frontal Comedy performs more improvisational material -- meaning everything is 'off the cuff,' but they also script a few skits. You can catch them at the IMU, Roly Poly and some fraternity parties. Formed in 1994, the group started with a bunch of guys who liked to improv and now the cast is in their 15th troupe. They usually perform a style of long form improv called the Herald. You also may have caught them around campus entertaining students between classes.\nSlow Children at Play is a class that meets on Monday nights for five hours and gives students the chance to be involved in all aspects of a comedy show. \n"It's a fun class that gives studio and real experience," says Leah Nelson, a senior telecommunications major. \nProducing, directing, writing, acting and camera operation are all student run and result in short comedy skits resembling those from"Saturday Night Live." At the end of the semester a show is filmed for a live audience and the show also airs on WTIU.\nEven though there aren't a large number of groups on campus, the groups that do perform don't really compete with each other. Full Frontal Comedy and All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble have actually discussed working together before but schedules conflicted.\nSo one has to wonder, if these students can keep Bloomington laughing week after week, what is it that sparks the ideas? \n"Inspiration comes from completely random sources," says Gene Westbrook, a junior of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. "We have writing sessions and a lot of skits come about in rehearsal or after rehearsal. Sometimes what we've said just shows up in a skit from regular conversations. "It's interesting; something that's happened a lot of times. We'll have a skit and a couple weeks later there's an SNL skit just like it. It's completely by coincidence." \nThis is the third sketch comedy group Westbrook has been involved with. He started groups in his middle and high schools before coming to IU to perform.\nHaving just joined Full Frontal Comedy in December, Tenaya Hurst, a sophomore, is the only girl in the troupe and the newest member. \n"When we're on stage and things just fit together, connecting with your fellow group members, that's a phenomenal thing," she says. "We all know what we're working towards." \nShe says there are two things that Full Frontal Comedy generally focuses on: relationships and being real. \n"If you have a good relationship in a scene you're almost always gold," she says.\nA native of California, Hurst has been doing improv since she was in fifth grade and is really excited about her work with Full Frontal Comedy and her experiences with the members. \n"Here I'm in a troupe. We're a set group of people doing improv together," Hurst says. "In California I'd be either taking classes or an employee of some place and we'd have teams per night but I wouldn't be with the same people." \nJane Rouse, a freshman, has gone to every Full Frontal Comedy show this semester and never fails to be entertained. \n"It's unpredictable, they include the audience a lot," Rouse says. "I mean obviously, what the audience says is what they do. They might say 'OK, this is the game now you give us an item.' They always vary their stuff, it's sort of a 'draw from a bag' kind of thing, although not literally."\nRouse, who says these comedy groups have created a comedy scene here in Bloomington, found out about Full Frontal Comedy through a friend, which led to her discovery of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble as well. \n"You see a lot of the same people every week, so I would definitely say there is a following," she says.\nBut even though Westbrook says they have a solid, devoted fan base, the trick is getting the word out to people who have never seen a show. Hurst says Full Frontal Comedy is also lucky to have a devoted crowd and she feels the comedy scene in Bloomington is growing. \n"We try to focus on being 'hip,'" Hurst says. "That's our word that we use all the time."\nAs for future plans, though we may see some of their faces on "Saturday Night Live" one day replacing the comedians they currently admire, the primary focus is to have a good time. \n"Some of us have greater aspirations for the future but we're there to have fun," Westbrook says. "Ultimately it's just really fun to do. You can see the energy of the audience, be with your friends (and) joke around with everybody."\nTheater student Jeff Clawson, a senior, also of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, is one who's reaching for even higher aspirations. \n"I've done this since I've been in college," Clawson says. "I grew up in (Indianapolis) and did some comedy sports and amateur stand up. I've kind of always been around it."\nComedy sports are improv competitions that pit two teams against each other in a "Who's Line is it Anyway?" style. \nClawson says if the opportunity were to arise, he would be happy to continue doing comedy professionally.\n"I definitely want to pursue it in whatever professional means are in my reach," he says. "I'm having a lot of fun and I'd love to make money doing it someday."\nHurst says the thrill of performance is also a source of motivation. \n"I love to watch the audience when I'm not on stage," she says. "Making people smile and laugh, that's a powerful thing."\nAnd even though making people laugh can be hard work that "eats up homework time," as Westbrook says, the fun in the experience makes it all worth it. \nClawson agrees.\n"The best part about it is when we get done," he says, "and realize we just put together about an hour's worth of comedy and it didn't feel like work at all." \nFor information on how you can get involved in any of the groups visit www.fullfrontalcomedy.com to contact Full Frontal Comedy or e-mail Gene Westbrook at ewestbro@indiana.edu for more info on All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble.