On December 5th, starting at 5:30 PM, Sierra Vista High School’s theatre department hosted Comedy Night, an event of humorous one-act plays, “improv” games, and laughter[1] . The event featured students from all theatre and theatre tech classes, providing students with new opportunities to develop their performance and technical skills. The theatre room hosted a series of short comedic acts, carefully planned and rehearsed during each school period, to ensure the audience’s entertainment.
For many of the students who participated in the show, “Comedy Night” is a chance to practice comedic skits and one-acts for the Nevada Thespian Regional Conference in January. Sierra Vista High School’s Theater teacher, Rebekah Whittenberger, expresses, “I enjoy the opportunity for any student who is enrolled in Theatre to perform their developing performance skills… In Theatre II, III, and IV it is an opportunity for the best of two one-act plays to be brought to the NV Thespian Regional Conference in January for evaluation. The one act that is not chosen for evaluation at Regionals in January can/will be brought as a Work In Progress piece to be shared at Regionals, but not for evaluation.” Comedy Night performances provide many theatre students with the opportunity to shine on the stage, showcasing their inner thespian skills like improv and acting.
Each theatre tech, actor, and director put forth their maximum effort for this production. The night opened with theater games hosted by Blaise Boswell, such as “act-it-out telephone”, and “party quirks”, a game of different characters attending a party. At the same time, Kinsey Hinchliffe guesses each person, and “I can do that better,” where actors can switch out with each other if someone thinks they can better perform a scene. Each game relied heavily on audience participation and engagement. Comedy Night came to an end with one-act plays. The first play, “Hard Candy”, was about a fed-up secretary working for the same company her entire life under different bosses without a promotion. Followed by “A Simple Task”, a story where a new hire gets assigned a seemingly easy task that quickly becomes difficult. Afterward, “Dis-harmony Commercial”, a commercial centered around finding true love. Lastly, the show concluded with “Murder at Brantley Manor”, where a troupe of greedy friends and relatives are vying for the inheritance of a recently deceased old man, just to not get a cent. After two hours of entertainment, the night came to a close.
Throughout the performance, whenever the games required viewer opinions, people did not hesitate to jokingly shout out answers. The performers captured the audience members’ attention, keeping them receptive to every gag and plot twist. The laughter was near constant for the entirety of the production. Between scenes and as the show concluded, audience members would whisper their praises to the actors and chat about the jokes that struck them. Even the stage crew’s participation, correctly timed audios, and specifically placed lighting added atmosphere and depth to the performance. Piper Watson, who played the role of “Rev. Godly” during Comedy Night’s “Murder at Brantley Manor” stated, “Participating in these shows is so amazing. In most extracurriculars where you are seen by people, you don’t really have the spotlight. In theater, when you are speaking or even just dancing in the background, eyes from the audience are wandering all around and they are seeing you.”
The cast showcased talent and professionalism during the night. The actors could school their expressions, giving the audience no indication of any nervousness, and embodied their character, letting their efforts be known. Watson explains, “I love being able to portray different characters. It’s fun to take on different personalities and since it’s theater, it’s even more fun to be dramatic with it.”
Despite the challenges of creating and composing Comedy Night, such as having limited rehearsal time and day-of preparations, everyone involved persevered to create an entertaining show for the audience. Even when under circumstances such as a baby crying in the audience or succumbing to a joke onstage, the cast recovered quickly and showed themselves to be proficient. The students of Sierra Vista will be counting the days until the theater department’s next spectacle in this production of students, directed by students.
