4B - Thursday, February 6, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4B - Thursday, February 6, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom COMCO From Page lB LSA sophomore Guy Madjar and LSA freshman Sam McMul- len are both in their first year as ComCo members. Sitting along- side seasoned veterans Dennehy and McLaughlin, they talked about their efforts to get into the group. They explained that stu- dents are invited for an initial round of auditions, which are followed by a callback round. "The callbacks are really scary, because going in you know that everyone who got a callback is really funny," McMullen said. "I remember staying up all night after the callbacks, waiting for the e-mail from ComCo ... when I got it, I danced around my room and woke up my roommate," he said. The auditions are designed to let students showcase their comedic talents in front of ComCo members. Incum- bent members are always on the lookout for a student who brings a unique quality that the group might be lacking. Mad- jar explained that despite being nerve-wracking, the auditions are a lot of fun. The real key to having a successful audition, though, is to just have a good time and enjoy what everyone has to offer. The comfort and friendship that exists within the group was evident when senior mem- bers Dennehy and McLaughlin praised Madjar and McMullen for their performances while auditioning. "The thing that really impressed me about Guy was that he was so into what other people were doing in their audi- tions," Dennehy said. "He was laughing the hardest and was really having a great time, which is important because it showed that he was really involved in the process." "Well, Sam got in because he's just so adorable," McLaughlin joked. "And obviously, he was really funny." However, is being funny the same as being a good improv per- former? An understanding of the subtle but important difference between having a good sense of humor and being a good comic is crucial in understanding the talent that it takes to improvise during a performance. "I feel like having a good sense of humor is different from being good at improv," Dennehy said. "I have a lot of friends who are funny in a group, but I'm not sure if that means that they'd be good improvisers." He went on to say that improv comedy requires a distinct skill set because performers have to constantly think on their feet and react to the actions of other performers. "It's very different from mak- ing fun of someone or cracking a joke with friends," he said. The group agreed that improv comedy is not necessarily for everyone, since it's not as easy as it looks and requires the rare ability to perform without rehearsal. "I think everyone is funny; it's just that some people have to do less to show that they're funny," McLaughlin said. LSA sophomore Michael Duc- zynski spoke about how improv requires performers to be funny even when they don't feel like performing. "There are days when you know, you're just not feeling funny," he said. "However, you've still got to think about the scene and just act." Improv comics have to be constantly mindful of the pres- ent situation without thinking too far ahead. Pondering over a future scene is futile since the performers themselves don't know what's in store for the rest of the performance, given the improvised nature of the set- ting. "I'm always thinking about what's happening in the scene right now; I can't really afford to think about what's going to hap- pen or what might be funny," McLaughlin said. Confidence usually plays a very important role in all per- forming arts. As evidenced by the discussion that took place in the group, improv comedy and confidence are very closely related. "I would say that confidence is extremely important in improv," Dennehy said. "It's not so much as thinking, 'Oh, I'm funny,' but knowing that you have a unique skill set and you have the ability to exercise it." "I had major confidence issues earlier on and that real- ly affected my performance," McLaughlin said. "Sometimes after shows, audience members would come up to me and say, 'Put yourself out there more ... you're funny."' NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily Despite being nerve-wracking, ComCo auditions are an enjoyable time for all involved. Othe ing the perforn that kn ence to results that do mance enj Denr spoke a es the e right at forman ing. Th r members agreed, say- have the same starting routine, audience knows when along with the same concluding sers are nervous, and routine, so that the show can be owledge causes the audi- constructed on the support of a also get nervous. This strong and familiar anchor. in a downward spiral "Our energy levels are really oesn't help the perfor- high before the show, and that go anywhere. helps us to perform with a kind of reckless abandon," Duczynski said. Audience interaction is an riends who integral part of an improv per- joy laughing formance, especially since per- Oy formers are expected to feed off together. audience suggestions that pro- vide the fuel for their sketches. A positive interaction will aid the performers in their efforts, nehy and Duczynski but what happens if the audi- bout how the group fort- ence isn't enjoying the show? nergy levels to hit a high "You can't really think about the start so that the per- that in the moment," McMullen ce is off on a good foot- said. "At some point you've got ey said all shows usually to think, 'screw it,' and just get on with it." "The important thing is that we need to enjoy what we're doing on stage," Dennehy added. "Even if they don't find what we're doing funny, we still do." He went on to say that he's never really experienced a bad audience, and everyone ends up having a really good time. Members of the group agreed in saying this is part of the rea- son that ComCo calls itself the "oldest and best improv com- edy troupe" at the University. They argued that their longev- ity is a testament to the fact that they've been able to con- sistently perform at a high level while attracting large groups of audience members. During performances, members try to challenge themselves with their humor, refusing to take the easy way out when audience mem- bers prompt them to make obvi- ous jokes. The group is aware that com- NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daiy edy has a far more potent func- with their humor. tion than facilitating laughter, so whether the jokes are pre- dictable or fall under the cat- egory of highbrow comedy, they have the power to influence an audience. Members were con- scious of the fact that by being improv comics, they can cater to an audience of about 400 people and say things that they normally wouldn't be able to say in their daily lives. One of the pleasures of being a perform- ing comedian is the liberating release of mental censorship that otherwise binds people in social interactions. Art & Design freshman Sarah Sherman said, "When we're per- forming, we can talk about things that have social relevance with- out really having to think about it. We can discuss certain issues that make people listen." "It's kind of like being the joker in a Shakespeare play," McMul- len said. "Although sometimes Shakespeare was censored, the joker was allowed to say what he wanted and people would listen because he was funny.", Finally, the group addressed the apparent irony of performing extensive rehearsal sessions for something as inherently sponta- neous as improv comedy. "I've had people accuse me of rehearsing for an improv show in the past," Madjar joked. However, members of the group stressed that while they might practice routines in rehearsal, the content of the routines and the actual come- dic interaction that takes place between the performers and the audience is always authentic and spontaneous. Rehearsals are important not only because the members get to practice their comedic skills, but also because they can test what might or might not work in a live performance. Rehearsals also function as the space in which members provide their input in order to improve a performance; however, they are careful not to be overly critical of each other. "We don't usually say, 'Hey that's not funny' or 'I don't like that,"' McLaughlin said. "The rule is that if at least one person laughs, it's funny," Madjar added. McLaughlin also explained that one of the most important rules of improv is that performers aren't allowed to explicitly dis- agree with one another. "Even during a performance, we're supposed to say 'Yes ...' and then suggest something contrary if we feel the need to disagree ... negating someone completely gets us nowhere," she said. Rehearsals also give members a unique space in which to bond and get to know each other on a deeper level, which helps tremen- dously with their performance. The rehearsals reveal that the members aren't just performers who happen to share the same passion for improvisational com- edy -they are friends who simply enjoy working with each other, who are aware of the diversity of humor that exists within the group and are comfortable with it letting them direct their actions in a performance. Talent, confidence and com- fort are the ingredients for a good improv show. A few minutes of rehearsal are enough to convince viewers that ComCo has all of this and more, earning the right to call itself the "oldest and best" improvisational comedy troupe at the University. There's something wonderful about watching truly uninhib- ited performances consumed in unbridled enthusiasm - it reminds the audience how liber- ating and how important it is to let yourself go from time to time and just ... enjoy. During performances, ComCo members try to challenge themselves to be truly uninhibited THE D'ARTBOARD \ Each week we take shots at the biggest developments in the entertainment world. Here's what hit (and missed) this week. 9/11 truther interrupts Super Bowl MVP's post-game interview Design by GabyVasquez p i