An improv comedy show assembled by the Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG) hits the Student Union Theater on Jan. 27. Comedic duo Adam Cawley and Rob Norman took to the stage to share their unscripted performance with students at the University of Connecticut.
Enthusiastically welcoming students to the show, Cawley and Norman encouraged audience members to participate in the gig. The pair stressed the importance of their acts having no pre-planning, with adaptability being one of the key aspects of improv comedy.
Cawley and Norman are both well-known multi-talents from Canada: Cawley is an award-winning actor, writer and improviserand Norman has been recognized for his screen writing and acting.
The opening act of the show was created entirely by audience suggestions. The subject of “boy trouble” was the focus of the segment, with Cawley and Norman pretending to be two college-aged girls discussing boys on campus. This topic was suggested by students. Two audience members were brought on stage, being tapped occasionally for words to finish the pair’s sentences. This portion of the show was a hit.
Ava Keogh, a second-semester marketing and German studies major said, “The first act was my favorite because it flowed better than the rest and was easier with the audience. The guests on stage had similar humor styles.”
Also ranking this portion of the show as her favorite was Kristina Ivezaj, a second-semester math major. “I enjoyed the first act, it had me saying ‘wow’ the most because the improv they created based on what the girls were saying was so funny,” she explained.
Following this were two brief acts, again directly involving the audience. Three students sat on the stage, being asked to explain their scientific findings, using the “one-word-at-a-time” method. The comedians asked questions that were answered with humorous responses. Trailing after was a bit in which Crawley played a UConn basketball player, with Norman as the coach. However, Norman’s dialogue was limited to threads of the group chat of an audience member. This act gained many laughs from the students.
The final act of the show was described by the comedians as being a more theater-esque performance. It would run longer in time and be more continuous. The audience was asked to shoutout several topics that they would like to see the pair cover in their skit, prompting Keogh to yell “Prostitute!”
When asked about her suggestion, Keogh shared, “My high school did improv shows, and I always went. I used to sit with my friends and one time the dad behind me yelled, ‘prostitute,’ and it was the funniest thing we had ever heard, so I thought that it would be a good suggestion.”
However, the final performance did not seem to incorporate the audience’s suggestions. Instead, the act delved into topics of consent and sexual health, with a strange but amusing “Twilight” twist. The story followed the life of the character Jonathan, the wolf-boy on campus, seemingly drawing inspiration from the university mascot. Still, the show was a success.
“I did not see the audience suggestions in the last part and would like to see more direct reference to them. I was confused on why they asked if they did not plan to use them,” Ivezaj stated. “It was an interesting show, though. Definitely not what I was expecting. I had never been to improv and after seeing the show, I would go to more.”
SUBOG Comedy Chair, Sarah Kavarnos, organized the show. More events, including comedy writing and the Spring Weekend comedy shows will be coming to UConn soon. Be sure to be on the lookout for more hilarious events on the UConn events calendar.