It’s finally time to put those books down this weekend and take a stress-relief pill at the Black Box Comedy Festival at the Ferst Theatre.
This year’s festival features new performers who guarantee that you’ll be clutching your sides by the end of their performances.
The Comedy Festival takes place from Wednesday, Sept. 28, to Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Ferst Theatre near the Student Center.
For those who are wondering what this Festival is all about, Black Box features numerous performances of improvisational comedy—nine shows and 27 performances with over 150 comedians.
“The festival is featuring three new groups this year—the Dusk show, which is an improvised Twilight parody, a 1960’s Batman parody and an improvised mafia show by a group from New York. There are going to be lots of costumes and this year has a high production value,” said Matthew Falkenberg, Executive Producer of the Black Box Comedy Festival.
The Festival specializes in improvisational comedy and parodies that are usually meant to attract a student crowd.
“The shows are fit for students at Tech. The Twilight and Batman parodies are perfect examples. Students should attend at least two shows during the weekend because they’re really good stress relievers. You guys could do with some laughs,” Falkenberg said.
Black Box regular “Kit Fitz Simons,” who performed in 2000 and 2001 and has attended the Festival every year since, mentioned that this year’s show is significantly different from the previous editions from the performers’ point of view.
“It feels more nationwide with teams from more places around the country. There’s a group all the way from San Francisco to headline the event. The workshops offered to people involved are getting better and better, especially in terms of instructors knowing what the festival goers are expecting,” Simons said.
This year’s Festival promises to enthrall audiences from far and wide, not just with improvisational stand-up comedy, but also with skits and plays spread over various themes of satire and gentle mockery.
We all enjoy spoofs and parodies, and those are exactly what the Black Box Comedy Festival is trying to bring to the stage this year—a series of college-student-oriented comedy shows.
This year, Tech celebrates 23 years of outstanding improvisational comedy on campus, with performers, some with over 25 years of experience, who have offered to teach improvisational comedy by means of short crash courses.
In conclusion, fill in your calendars, buy your tickets and make it to the Black Box Comedy Festival 2011.