Since
I did have a male companion to spend Valentine’s Day with, me and my other
available women friends had a single ladies night. We had dinner at Rosa’s and went
to Sweet Sammies for dessert. (I got a Brownie Bowl with a scoop of ice cream,
if you haven’t been before then you need to go, and that means you DW!) To end
the night, we went to Senseless Acts of Comedy (SAC), which is a TCU student
improvisation group. I try to go every week, because they are absolutely
hilarious!
Now what is so funny about SAC? They have
multiple skits and games in which they make up and act out funny scenarios. For
example, there was a game where two people in the group had to pretend that
they were emailing each other after meeting at a waterpark for a date. The two
people were male, and before the skit started, one of the boys went and
out-of-the-blue kissed the other boy on the lips. The second boy’s reaction was
priceless; he was shocked! I was laughing so hard! It was funny because it was
unexpected, and they have never done something like that before. Since it was a
skit, I expected something like funny lines, but not a lot of physical humor.
It was also funny because the guy who received the kiss was not expecting it
either, so he experienced a cognitive shift as well. His reaction of disgust
and surprise made me laugh, and I laughed because I was an observer, and not
the second guy on stage.
Another funny aspect of SAC is that
the improvisers not only make references to well-known people, but also make
fun of these people. For instance, there was a game where the improvisers
pretended like they were on a dating show. One of the improvisers had to guess
who each of the contestants were. One improviser, (a guy), played the role of
Casey Anthony. So he would talk in a high pitch voice and make references to
parks, children, remote locations, and people hating/throwing stuff at her. And
one clue was that this person was a “real killer.” The double meaning here was
hilarious. It was also funny because everyone knows the story of Casey Anthony
and hates her. So it was funny in an “I get that reference” way. And it was
even funnier that the improviser first guessed Michael Jackson; since he was
also connected to children, people hating him, and remote locations. I think
that the Morreall’s concept of the play mode fits here. This is because the
story of Casey Anthony allegedly murdering her child angered America, and many
Americans are probably still angry about it today. But by ridiculing Casey
Anthony, people start to laugh because these jokes about her are true, and they
find humor in ridiculing her.
Since this is an improvisational show,
cognitive shifts occur all the time. One cognitive shift surprised even the
improvisers. The improvisers played a game where they had to take a prop and use
it during a scene. One prop looked like a golf club, although they were not
sure what it is because they said they they got it out of the trash. Then, one
of the improvisers pretended that it was a crowbar and that he was breaking
into a car. Next, the head (or the club part?) flew off into the audience. That
was funny, because it was unexpected. I went from contentment and smiling to
being surprised and laughing hysterically. Even the improvisers did not know
that would happen. I did not feel any guilt for laughing because no one got
hurt.
Morreall’s third aspect of humor,
the enjoyment, applies to the entire show. People come because they love to
laugh, and they know that they will get a laugh through SAC. Also, laughter is
social. This means that we often laugh with other people. So if we were the
only one at SAC or watching it alone on TV, then according to Morreall, we
would not laugh. And finally laughter is contagious. If we see or hear other
people laugh, than we want to have enjoyment and laugh as well, even if we do
not get the joke.
Senseless Acts of Comedy is a great
show. I recommend that everyone go see it every Thursday at 9PM. It is an
awesome experience that provides relief from the stress of school.
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