College Comedy Thrives in Worcester
By Christina Collins

Classes, papers, exams, all-nighters ~ none of that stuff is very funny. So how do college students stay sane? On many Worcester campuses, one solution is comedy.

At Assumption College, all the loony kids have been sent to the Assumption Asylum. No, they’re not crazy ~ they’re just insanely funny. The Asylum is a club in which students perform, study, and appreciate the spontaneous art of improvisational and sketch comedy. “The club began as a rag-tag team of freshmen that met in the cramped theatre workshop in 2006,” says senior Matt Wright, head jester of the Asylum. “None of us knew too much about improv other than the show Whose Line Is It Anyway?…but we liked to goof off and picked up the trade fairly quickly.” Since then, the group has grown to a dozen members, meeting weekly and performing two shows per semester. And thanks to the spontaneous nature of improv, they never put on the same show twice.

The Asylum’s biggest rival is WPI’s comedy group Guerrilla Improv, “The Revolution in Comedy.” Wright glowers as he recalls an “improv throw down” between the two groups in 2007. According to the judges, the victor was WPI by a small margin. “The defeat is still a sore point amongst Asylum veterans to this day,” says Wright gravely, “and my personal goal for this year is to see a rematch between the two.”

WPI is also home to Kilroy Sketch Comedy, the only sketch comedy group on campus. The group is devoted to performing pre-written comedic material similar to Saturday Night Live. “All of our sketches are original and written by students,” says Aubrey Scarborough, the group’s energetic director. “And I swear I laugh more at our stuff than at SNL.” You might too, if you go to Kilroy Sketch Comedy’s playlists on YouTube. You’ll find hilarious videos of the group’s live performances, including a rendition of “My Favorite Things,” as well as short films, including a mock music video about a guy who shaved off his beard, set to Michelle Branch’s slow song “Goodbye to You.” Students get involved by directing sketches, editing, filming, acting, or writing.

At Clark University, a group of eight students call themselves the Peapod Squad. If you like the name, you’ll love what they do. This comedy improv troupe was formed over ten years ago by Clark graduate Molly Hale and recently won Improv Boston’s 2008 Beanpot College Bowl Tournament, making it their second win in three years. “They have always shown themselves to be very talented,” says Gino DiIorio, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Clark. “I’m very proud of them.” In addition to competing, the Squad performs frequently on campus.

Meanwhile, at the College of the Holy Cross, chaos is a lifestyle for the members of Instant Mayhem, the college’s only improv group. According to the head clown, senior DeResha Vaughan, the best part of being in Instant Mayhem is the practices: “We get together to play improv games and have a great time.” The group has been around for four years, and although they don’t yet have a reputation akin to Clark, WPI, and Assumption’s groups, they know how to have fun. “We perform anywhere people will have us,” says Vaughan. “In the basements of dorms or in Hogan Campus Center. We don’t get many invites, though. That’s why we have improv parties to give us the illusion of popularity,” says Vaughan, more serious than not. But this group, like Worcester’s other college comedy groups, knows that it’s not about popularity, it’s about keeping things funny in the numbing world of college deadlines, duties, and demands.

Photos, top to bottom:WPI’s comedy group Guerrilla Improv, WPI’s Kilroy Sketch Comedy, Clark University’s Peapod Squad