Although Blue Pencil Comedy and Black Sheep Improv have been performing annually inside Baker University Center, their next upcoming event has them moving to a new, larger location.
For its third collaboration show, 3 Black Pencils will be seen in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Thursday.
“Being in MemAud is really scary but also so exciting,” said Hannah Ticoras, president of Black Sheep Improv and a junior studying English. “We were super honored that Event Services contacted us to do this show. They’re trying to get more student groups able to use the theatre in the future. The biggest challenge is probably just getting used to the new space — the new, big space. We definitely hope that if this show is successful that we can go back and do even bigger shows with more student groups. “
The show will feature Blue Pencil comedians Ben Nutter, Jessica Ensley, a former Post reporter, and Eric Farley, as they will each perform five minutes of material with their assigned troupe members. Together, they will perform an improv show based on the comedian’s set.
“I thought it would be interesting to see what the improv guys would do with some of my material,” Farley said. “I was surprised to find out the scale of the show and the stage we’re performing on. My hope is that with a show this size, more people will become aware of the great comedy Athens has to offer.”
Although no payment will be required, the groups request that a three-dollar donation be given at the door.
“For the audience, we just always hope to make them laugh,” Ticoras said. “It’s really interesting being a college improv troupe because everyone is so stressed for the whole week, including us, and then we get to create this space where everyone can forget about all the work they have to do for an hour and just have fun. It’s really therapeutic for us in that way as well, at least for me.”
With the lineup of comedians who have recently performed, especially as of late, at Mem Aud, Taylor Reinhart, president of Blue Pencil Comedy and a senior studying English, said he considers it an honor for he and his fellow comedians to be welcomed on this stage.
“Considering the number of great comedians that have been at Mem Aud of late, we think that it’s a super cool opportunity for us to be able to perform here, “ Reinhart said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to spread the word on our comedy and to help us set the stage for more great opportunities in the future.”
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This article originally ran in print under the headline "Student comedy troupe set for MemAud performance debut"
