Columbia’s comedy groups showcase student talent

Sassy. Sweet. Songful. Comedy lovers all have a favorite, so it seems only fitting that Columbia provides a venue for three groups: Chowdah, Fruit Paunch and Alfred, each catering to different tastes and filling a niche within campus performing arts.

For the eight members of Fruit Paunch, Columbia’s longest-running improvisational troupe—founded in 2003—their work provides stress relief for both the members and for the campus as a whole. Fruit Paunch’s inclusive and supportive nature allows its members to pursue other endeavors, most of which involve the performing arts, while remaining devoted to the group.

Specializing in mid- to long-form improv, Fruit Paunch puts on several themed shows per semester—from a costumed Halloween show to a 24-hour show on the steps of Low Library. Although they have travelled to Harvard and Brown for festivals, president Michael Molina, CC ’10 said that the group doesn’t compete or perform for money. Instead, the members enjoy exploring the unique energy within the group.

In games such as Documentary—a series of improvised monologues—and Unplugged—a long-form 15-minute scene—colorful characters develop through this chemistry. Because their distinct brand of improv requires a great deal of closeness and freedom to explore within a given structure, evaluating the level of comfort the members feel with each auditioner is a major component of the selection process. “No two people in the group have the exact same style,” Molina said.

Chowdah was also founded six years ago, but most of the similarities between the groups end there. Columbia’s sole sketch comedy troupe, Chowdah, made up of 15 members, “is often mistaken for an improv troupe,” Vice President and Treasurer Alex Katz, GS/JTS ’11, said. “But we are strictly a sketch comedy group, and we focus heavily on the writing process and write all of our own material.”

Chowdah has even performed at the prestigious downtown comedy staple, the Upright Citizens Brigade. Katz attributes the group’s success in part to the strength of its writers, who are selected through a submission process and meet once a week to collaborate, brainstorm, and refine existing sketches.

For actor auditions, however, Chowdah specifically requests that nothing be prepared ahead of time, as a creative, easygoing spirit is vital in a group.

“We’re not afraid to go above and beyond, do extreme things. There’s not really much of a line of embarrassment or inappropriateness,” Katz said. One of his most memorable roles in a sketch was as a first-year live blogging his first sexual experience.

Chowdah’s willingness to go “above and beyond” has not gone unnoticed: the group was recently contacted by MTV to submit material for consideration.

Beyond its identity as the newest comedy group on campus—having been formed just last year by Kate Smith and Maggie Lane, both CC ’09—Alfred provides yet another outlet for Columbia students to explore new comedic ground: musical improv.

Smith is thrilled that the troupe, now headed by Ben Weiner, CC ’11, is still thriving and expanding in experimentation. The group’s interactive Valentine’s Day show includes duets focusing on imaginary relationships between audience members.

This experimentation, Smith said, is a breeding ground for developing talents to be fine-tuned or even discovered. Trying their hand at instruments from the accordion to the piano, trumpet, drums, and guitar as well as genres from rap to gospel and indie rock, the members have improv abilities that run the gamut.

“Being able to improv music opens up all these talents and abilities that you didn’t really know you had,” Smith said. “There’s something really special about composing music with other people. Those moments when it really gels together are just awesome.”

Regarding the future of Alfred, Smith said, “It fills a niche on campus that hasn’t been filled before”—a sentiment that can be applied to all three of Columbia’s comedy groups as they continue to stretch the boundaries of conventionality.