Skits, audience participation featured at Tucson comedy festival

By Lisa Heller
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 4, 1996

Members of the audience were laughing so hard they were nearly crying at Comedy Corner's fourth annual comedy festival, SICK IV: The Voyage Home, held Saturday night at the Arizona Ballroom.

The Southwest Intergalactic Comedy Kermis is based on Comedy Skidmore, a festival in New York, said Audrey Ching, a member of Comedy Corner and an anthropology freshman.

Student groups gathered from UA's Comedy Corner, Northern Arizona University, UCLA, Notre Dame, Arizona State University and The People Who Do That, a Tucson troupe.

Conrad Diven, a biology and chemistry sophomore who is on the sponsorship committee, said 165 tickets were sold for the festival.

Genesis, who said he has been a professional comedian for 11 years, hosted the festival.

"I've performed with Comedy Corner before. I like them. We have a good rapport," he said.

Each student group performed a series of skits or improvisations, and encouraged audience participation during the latter.

"Last year, we had the chance to mingle with everyone after the show," said Nicole Johnson, a Comedy Corner member and theater senior. "I got tips on stand-up from the UCLA group, which helped because I've never done stand-up."

"Events like this are important because it keeps the drama alive throughout the country," said Charlie Spauling, a drama teacher at Immaculate Heart High School.

The show started at 7 p.m. and ended at 11:45 p.m. Charlie Mahaffey, a political science senior, did not mind. "It was worth $3. They have more stuff to perform in more time."

Johnson, who has been involved in Comedy Corner for two years, agreed. "Comedy is a lot harder than drama. When you have to rehearse it over and over, it's much harder to be funny."

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