“The Other Group.” shines despite cliché moments
Photo by Andrew Larimer
Last night on the fourth floor of Crites Hall, the improvisation troupe “The Other Group.” took to the stage and the lyrics of Kid Cudi’s “Marijuana” might as well have been playing on repeat in the background. The conjured up druggies that make up this troupe are Logan Coffey, Lucy Drew, Tibby Gibson, Anne-Marie Trabolsi and Nora Laidman. Only four, however, smoked the invisible pot yesterday due to Trabolsi’s conflicting rehearsal times.
There is a beauty to improvisation. Its un-scripted acting can go from one to 100 in the blink of an eye. Every minute, we are watching new characters, a new story with a new location—and if you are “The Other Group.”—a new drug. The use of narcotics and recreational drugs can make for a good scene. It is also often cliché and overused. The way people talk to one another when high, or the exhausted approach to funny hallucinations when tripping, or perhaps even the slurred and sloppy representation of someone with a Four Loko pumping through their veins all fit this category. Yes, this is a repetitive topic, and after a while it loses its comical prowess. However, the audience seemed to respond well to the troupe’s indiscretion.
“I thought it was hilarious,” said Taylor Powers, a fourth-year performing arts major from Newburgh, Indiana. “I’ve seen them before and they never let me down. I wouldn’t miss their performances for the world.”
Before drugs ruled over their scenes, the troupe started off with performer Lucy Drew channeling a character whose compulsion was sucking on rubber nipples. Words and punch lines are funny, but when matched by timely body movements and — in her case — dynamic facial expressions during pivotal moments in character progression, it bolsters the performer’s fluidity.
The scene in which the actors portrayed what night school would be like flourished. Nora Laidman lead the scene as a docile teacher while the others acted as her students. They thrashed and flailed about on the floor, moaning about their exhaustion and lack of motivation. Nora’s calm demeanor in this wacky and completely un-realistic situation balanced well with the students’ aggressive behavior. It allowed for one punch line to possess two sides; getting two laughs from one joke. After a drug reference emerged in the night school scene, the originality seeped off the stage.
Regardless of what the audience thinks, the troupe simply appreciates them being there. “We are just glad people come out and help us rehearse and give us feed back,” said Logan Coffey, a third-year performing arts major from Greenville, South Carolina. “Improv. does depend on the audience a lot in terms of comedic response and comedic timing, therefore we are grateful for the turnout each week.”
The troupe uses these shows as rehearsals for regionals coming up in Atlanta. There are currently three improvisation groups in the performing arts department all traveling to different cities in hopes to secure their place at Nationals. “Six Chix” will travel to Chicago and “Different Storcks” will attend Houston’s regionals. If all the groups make it through, it will be the first time in SCAD history for three improvisation groups to be at Nationals at once.
“The Other Group.” performs every Friday in Crites Hall in room 413.
