Take an avocado, a pizza truck, and a food critic. They seem pretty ordinary from the perspective of the casual observer. Who would think these things would have so much comedic potential? But the Committee for Creative Enactments knew these were not ordinary items from the start. Beginning with the avocado as inspiration, the group took the healthy, ever-popular food and ran with it. The group transformed the empty space in front of them into a food truck that sold guacamole. But Guac City wasn’t the only food truck on the block. Pablo’s Pizzeria was the old name in town and started to take offense to the idea that Guac City was coming into its territory and taking its customers. Adding onto the pressure, there was a food critic coming by who wanted to review the Guac City food truck.
Amid all of this, Guac City had an untimely shortage of guacamole and a love story that seemed impossible. This shortage of guacamole led to Pablo’s Pizzeria stepping in to receive a review from the food critic. The man wearing a chip costume for Guac City had undeniable feelings for Maria, the co-owner of Pablo’s Pizzeria, but Maria was married to Pablo. When Pablo finally revealed to Maria that he had also working for Guac City under the pseudo-name Jimmy, Maria knew in her heart that it wasn’t Pablo she should be with, but the man in the chip costume. Finally, Guac City and Pablo’s Pizzeria decided they should team up and make guacamole pizza. The critic loved it, and the two food trucks were back in business.
This story was told at the CCE show Friday night, when Stokes 195S was bursting at the seams. People were lined against the back wall and sitting on the floor, eager to see the CCE present Debatably Funny. The room was humming with excitement, expectation, and some fun, popular sing-along tunes as the crowd anxiously awaited the performers arrival onstage.
Debatably Funny was definitely, not debatably, funny. The improv comedy group members had the audience bursting with laughter with almost every word out of their mouths. Each and every member of the group brought something special to the table. Some were loud and boisterous, while others were on the quieter side and would utter jokes when you would least expect it.
The comedy group decided to use an array of different tactics to facilitate the night. Perhaps one of the most out-of the box methods used was one in which the group members spoke for each other. In a scene with three people, the person acting out the words had to adjust to whatever words the speaker voiced. This made for some excellent spur-of-the-moment decisions that put the group to a test that it passed with flying colors.
One of the most popular games the group performed was the “Oscar Moment.” A few members from the troupe participated in this scene. During this game, the members would take a suggestion from the audience on what to structure the scene around. From there, the group would improvise the scene with the help of the suggestion. As they would go about improvising the scene, one of the members off to the side would yell out, “Oscar Moment!” From there, the person speaking would turn his or her current dialogue into serious, tear-jerking, Oscar-worthy dialogue. The audience gave the group a hippo to use as its muse in the scene. The scene began with a boy looking at a hippo at the zoo. Just when he started speaking to the hippo, his Oscar Moment began. The boy started talking of his upcoming bar mitzvah and how he was now becoming a man. His mother then stepped into the scene and was shocked and startled by this revelation. She then began her Oscar Moment, discussing her worry with this new revelation. The hippo even decided to chime in, first starting with animal noises and then began speaking during his Oscar Moment, declaring that no one could understand him and expressing his concern for his recently lost friend, Harambe.
The sense of community this group of students brought to Stokes S195 and the campus at large at its show was definitely, not debatably, refreshing.
Featured Image Courtesy of Amanda Sie
