By Beth Tatara
Most students on campus, from time to time, find themselves faced with the question "What is there to do on a Friday or Saturday night?" All semester they have done the same thing each weekend with the same people and a little break from the usual would be welcome. An amusing and refreshing evening can be found at a show put on by Mad Cow, the College’s own comedy improvisation group.
Mad Cow, in its seventh year on campus, is composed of a group of talented individuals with a both quick wit and a sense of humor. Each week, the members spend about four hours practicing the various games that they will perform at each show. They use this time to try out new skits and techniques, as well as perfect old favorites.
For the first time this year, the performance begins with a slide show introducing members, showing pictures and getting the audience in the mood for laughing. The members then run in, finish the introduction and begin the fun.
During each show, they play about 8 to 10 audience participation "games." These games have a variety of themes — some consist of gibberish, while members try to determine actions and locations suggested by audience members, while others include acting out tasks or personalities in a set time period. The first show each semester is used to learn both what the audience likes best and what works best for the members of Mad Cow.
Sophomore Craig Chassen, a member of Mad Cow, said that students often respond well to games involving physical comedy, such as a game called "Chain Death Murder." In this scene, actors try to figure out the circumstances surrounding a fictional murder from another member who is speaking only gibberish.
Each individual in the troupe has his or her own personal strengths and weaknesses. Some actors are more adept at the verbal games, while others enjoy physical comedy. The actors work together as a team, using each individual’s talent for a hilarious end result.
Mad Cow’s role and popularity on campus has grown greatly in the past few semesters. "The last three years have been a big growing experience," senior Chris Ashworth, also a member of Mad Cow, said. "The actors are more focused, and our skits are of higher quality." Mad Cow is also succeeding in getting their name out on campus. They typically put on two to five shows each semester in the Brinser Lecture Room, the last of which was sold out. They will be performing their final show of the semester Dec. 7. In addition to regular shows, they have made appearances at other events on campus, including this year’s Into the Streets Rally, and last year’s Melicasponsored Girls’ Nite Out. The members are looking forward to continuing this positive growth, and are looking into the possibilities of performing off campus, as well as perhaps setting up an improv festival here at the College with other such groups in the area.
While not everyone may have seen a Mad Cow show yet, most everyone has tuned into ABC’s "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" from time to time. The members not only acknowledge the attention that the show has given to improv groups around the country, but are flattered at the comparison. However, it is their own creativity and hard work that has gotten them to where they are today. Member Mark Fleming, a sophomore, said, [The show] got people interested [in improv] comedy; we keep them here."
The biggest question they face, from audience members and students around campus, is about their creativity and originality— "Do you guys really make it up?" Members maintain that yes, in fact they do make it up as they go along, with suggestions and situations shouted out from real audience members.
So on Dec. 7, be sure to check out one of the funniest collections of talented comedians on campus. As sophomore Chris Richman described their role on campus, "It’s like the campus is Goliath, and we are David and comedy is our sling-shot!" The show is sure to be impressive, quite amusing and most definitely a break from the ordinary.
Notes on past shows, bios of the members and scheduling information can be found at their website http://www.etown.edu/clubs_orgs/madcow/madcow.html.