Skits to make fun of serious matters

By Sarah Szczepanski
Assistant Features Editor

Monty Python watch out. The undergraduates of the Purdue theater festival are putting forth their own politically incorrect performance.

Junior theater majors Joey Basu and Kara McCaskey are producing "A Night of Dark Comedy," an undergraduate performance that pokes fun at topics such as religious satire, dysfunctional relationships with family, politics, identity and self-esteem.

"The most interesting thing about the festival is that it is a group of plays that wouldn’t necessarily be put on stage," Basu said. "It’s an examination of taboo," said Basu.

"The Leader" is a political satire about people who blindly endorse leaders they don’t know anything about, and "The Book of Leviticus Show" features a married couple from a trailer park who take the literal interpretation of the Bible a little too far.

Generic man John Doe’s life is portrayed with a twist in "John and Mary Doe," and "Funeral Parlor" introduces a woman whose husband dies and a stranger who helps her cope with the loss.

"It doesn’t have simple punch lines," McCaskey said. "It deals with parts of life people don’t like to make jokes about.

The other acts in the hour and a half-long show are "Naomi in the Living Room," "Woman Stand-Up," "Altar Boy Talks to God" and "The Problem."

"If you don’t like what you see, wait eight minutes later and it’ll change," McCaskey said.

Basu said he does not foresee full-fledged riots, but he does anticipate some disagreement from the audience. "One or two people just might walk out," he said. "The plays that run might not be totally accepted, but we hope the good majority have a good time and are open-minded."

Basu said the theme for the plays in the festival was a priority for him and McCaskey, who were chosen for the production job last fall. "The first thing we had to do was do come up with a theme for the plays," said Basu. "The ones we liked best fit the dark comedy sense of humor."

Basu said the original creators of the first theater festival theme focused on risky theater, and so he tried to bring the festival back to that.

Once selected, the scripts had to be cleared and purchased with the companies they came from. Then Basu and McCaskey, who each are directors of two pieces, had to find and coordinate the cast, the designers and the directors with a budget just over $1000.

"A lot of the work from the job is from the business end," said Basu. "We were looking for people with enough experience who, at the same time, needed a shot," said Basu.

All of the directors, producers and cast are undergraduates this year.

Participation in "A Night of Dark Comedy" can be a great asset for students to broaden their knowledge about the theater.

McCaskey, who said she is usually acting in performances such as this, said it was an opportunity to learn. She said when she was acting she had ultimate control of how the performance turned out, but now she said she only has until today to fix anything that is wrong. "I learn something each time," she said.

Aside from the learning experience available for the participants, Basu and McCaskey said they just hope the audience enjoys the work they have put into the festival.

· "A Night of Dark Comedy" will start at 8 p.m. Feb.1-3, at the Experimental Theatre.

Students help others through crisis center

Skits to make fun of serious matters

FEATURES DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111 ext. 256

Features editor:
Megan Finnerty

To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org