On May 27th, the last ComedySportz of the year took place in the bright, neon light-filled Scarlatta Theatre as a man appeared on stage and said: “My name is Mr. Welch and I will be your referee today…” ComedySportz is entirely improvised and inspired by the audience’s suggestions. Rather than the usual $7 cost, the participants opted to request “donations.” The referee, Mr. Welch, reviewed the standard rules of the “sport.”
The two get-out-of-here rules included the “groaner foul” and the “brown bag foul.” The groaner foul applies when players try to tell a joke that isn’t funny; the brown bag foul is enforced when a player says anything lewd or crude. “Remember, this is a family game!” Mr. Welch exclaimed.
One notable game was Four Squares in which four players formed a square and turned left or right and acted in a scene that was based upon audience suggestions. Another game was Emotional Symphony: Mrs. Schenkelberg, Mr. Evans, Mr. Raizk, and Mr. Martin all stood in a line and announced their own expressions. Some teachers were “repulsed” while others were “flabbergasted.” Mr. Welch asked questions to the audience and hoped for a conservative yet unique response to evoke a funny joke.
Taylor Gimian (11) thought seeing the teachers outside of their element was the highlight of ComedySportz. “It was funny to see them act in weird ways.”
Some students would never have known that some people at our school could be so funny.
Teammate and captain, Arielle Schwitkis (12), who participated in ComedySportz for four years, felt the last event of the year was fun and entertaining. Since Arielle has been a fan of ComedySportz for seven years, she is sad to see it come to an end.
Looking back on ComedySportz, Arielle feels she has improved by learning how to approach life with a “yes and attitude.” As the game came to an end, the seniors were awarded with medals in recognition of their time with ComedySportz.