By Ty Quirk
On the night of the 30th of January, Improv on the Rocks held their annual Variety Show, and it was a smash hit! Instead of being in their usual spot in the Rock Cafe, it was held in Wood Auditorium in Sleith Hall, from 7 to 10 p.m. While the Variety Show had its typical assortment of Improv games, including Dating Game and Helping Hands, there was another aspect to this show: every time the troupe raised $75 towards their annual spring trip to Boston to see an Improv show, they would spin a wheel full of hijinks for the participants to do throughout the show, like doing the Hot Chip Challenge or having the troupe do an entire makeover.
Professor Hillary Bucs, the faculty advisor of Improv on the Rocks, explained the origins of the Variety Show performance. “I don’t remember the exact year… It was probably close to 2010.” Bucs said. “The purpose [of] the Variety Show was to raise money for the troupe to compete at the Improv Boston College Comedy Festival every year.”
“I’ve been planning the variety show since last semester. There was a lot that went into planning it,” said Improv on the Rocks President, Cass Brannon. “Coordinating sketches, planning hijinks … working [with] Leah Cunha on using the Arts Fund to collect donations…”
Improv successfully raised over $1,800 to go on their annual Boston Trip to see a big troupe live in person. Charlotte Lovell, the Improv on the Rocks club treasurer, said the event went better than expected. “I think the variety show was a huge success. We earned more money than we ever [had] before, which is amazing! In the future, we will be using the money to go… see other improv troupes perform!”
Troupe member Cameryn Bentler said that the performance “was great! It brought such a community and honestly, the increased interaction with the audience … was one of my favorite parts. Having the audience constantly asking us to spin the wheel and come up on stage was truly one of the most rewarding parts of the entire show.”
Each time Improv on the Rocks raised another $75 during the Variety Show, a member of the troupe would spin a wheel. Whatever action was indicated when the wheel stopped directed the troupe’s subsequent hijinks. In addition, when the troupe reached the $500, $1000, and $1500 marks, members would shave either their beards or their heads. Anthony D’Antonio, who was among those shown during the performance, explained that this was designed to encourage crowd participation. “Any kind of milestone we added was going to motivate people to donate,” he said. “I wanted to help by making a sacrifice that I was comfortable with and that was in the spirit of our hijinks.”
If you missed the Improv on the Rocks Variety Show, don’t be sad. The next show will be on February 13 at 7 p.m. in the Rock Cafe. It will be their Valentine’s Day show, where they will be playing some more structured short-form games. Improv on the Rocks vice-president will pull out all the stops at the show, saying, “Because it’s going to be fun!!! And awesome!!!”
