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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2011)
4 The Clackamas Print Wednesday, June 1, 2011 aced@clackamas.edu Arts§¿ulture Comedy on campus By Mandie Gavitt Associate Arts & Culture Editor Clackamas Community College’s theater department never fails to offer up a good time. This term’s Student Performance Showcase was no exception. The showcase, featuring student directed one-act plays, comedy improvisation and stand-up comedy, is an event that takes place every term. This spring’s event was held May 24 through May 26 in the Osterman Theatre located in the Niemeyer Center and showcased two skits along with a number of other comedic offerings. The first of the two skits was “The Prince and The Dragon,” written and directed by student Dylan Marchek. Tn this skit, a prince with no arms by the name of Tommy (Michael Lissman) must save his one true love, Princess Femypoo (Justin McDaniels). To save the prin cess, Prince Tommy must somehow find himself a pair of arms. He is approached by a sorceress (Heather Ovalle) who tells him if he finds her sexy rocket boots she will give him robotic arms. Prince Tommy, unsure of how to find the boots, sits to watch some television and think While watching TV he spots Lady Gaga wearing the very boots he seeks. Hilarity ensues as he sets off on a wacky quest to save his love. McDaniels never failed to get laughs from the crowd as the princess. The queen, played by Jennifer Schwartzman, brought an equal number of laughs. Overall this skit was my favorite of the two; I appreciated foe light-hearted humor and foe acting was superb. The second one-act was a little more serious in nature as students performed the play “Loyalties,” written by actor/author Murphy Guyer. The skit was co-directed by Emily Robison and David Burke. In foe play, two sisters, Katrin (Ovalle) and Monika (Kiah Hart), and their husbands, Jacob (Lissman) and Rudy (Branden McFarland), are sitting down to dinner when an argument breaks out between the men. Jacob is a poet while Rudy is a patriotic soldier, and foe two argue over foe war and whether or not fighting in a war makes someone brave and noble. Student Donovan Eilest performed a piece during foe stand-up part of the show, which came after the skits. Some of foe comedy bits were hilarious while others were j ust so-so. Two of the most amusing sets were performed by Eilest, who explained why abandoned shopping carts in grocery stores make him question alien abduction, and Michelle Nguyen, who made firn of her Asian culture and taught the audience proper nail salon etiquette. The show saved the absolute best for last: a section devoted entirely to improvisational skits. The improv team asked for suggestions from the audience for details to put in games they were going to play, including “Questions” and “Complaint Department” The games were played in a similar style of foe show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and involved a happy cow being returned to a store, three ducks in a human suit and a carpet that cleans itself, amongst other amusingly random things. All in all, the Student Performance Showcase is a worthwhile endeavor, especially for a free show, and I look forward to seeing what foe students do fall term. Make sure you look out for shows taking place during the upcoming terms and if you are interested in participating in the future, look into course listing TA-295. Brad Heineke Clackamas Print Actors Michelle Nguyen and Colton Hartill invoke laughter on and off stage during the improv game ‘freeze.’ Both students gave stellar stand-up comedy routines at the student showcase. EMBRY-RIDDLE Aeronautical University WORLDWIDE Join the leaders in AVIATION, TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS and MORE! Undergraduate and graduate programs Learn in a NEARBY CLASSROOM orfrom YOUR HOME! Continuously seeking adjunct faculty mb worldwide.erau.edu/lead 800.522.6787 Photo illustration by Jaime Dunkle Clackamas Print