By, PHONG LY
Three student-run performance groups here at Drake just joined forces and put up a show at Pomerantz stage last Thursday. The show featured a different number of comedy routines and acapella musical performances from the two acapella groups on campus, the all-boys group Brocal Chords and Fermata the Blue. Senior Taylor Wahlberg, a member of D+ Improv, was happy with the turn out.
“It was a good crowd,” Wahlberg said. “We filled all the seats in the house so that was pretty cool.
Drake University’s D+ Improv is an outlet for students interested in performing improvisational comedy and provides entertainment to the Drake community. They usually perform at different events at Drake and put on shows that are all run by students.
For the show last Thursday, there were students who showed up early to filled out pieces of paper to be used as recommendations for some of the performances, as posted on the event page. During the show, there were also numerous occasions that the comedians on stage asked the audience for random suggestions for them to apply into the scene.
According to Wahlberg, for years there has been an implied competition between, D+ Improv, Brocal Chords and Fermata the Blue.
“We are all student-led organizations that perform at a lot of the same events,” Wahlberg said. “So we just thought it would be cool to bring them all in one, because why not?”
The name of the event suggested a competition between the three organizations, but according to Wahlberg, it is not at all competitive.
“There wasn’t really any rivalry,” Wahlberg said. “We are just different groups who come together for the fine arts and performing.”
The Public Relations and Marketing major senior is hoping this event would eventually become a recurring event, and even become a tradition at Drake.
This is the first time that these three performance groups put up a show together. They often perform separately at different events held at Drake, but never in the history of Drake have they put up a show together.
The show was Adam Koch’s second show as a member of D+ Improv. Koch is a first year studying Law, Politics and Society and Political Science here at Drake. He said he had a lot of fun with the collaboration.
“It’s been great being on D+,” Koch said. “We had audition at the beginning of the year, and then we have practice every Monday and Wednesday, usually with a lot of laughs.”
Koch said usually D+ meet up together as a group after every show to discuss things about the performance and what they can improve upon in order to have a better show next time.
First year Daniel Garcia came to see the show. Garcia is from Romeoville, Illinois. He enjoys coffee, percussion and also improv comedy.
“It was so funny,” Garcia said. “A lot of the songs are just really groovy to listen to.”
The Thursday show was not Garcia’s first improv show here a Drake. He first saw D+ Improv perform at was Welcome Weekend.
“I’d say this one was better,” Garcia said. “I’d give it an eight out of ten.”
PHOTO BY PHONG LY
