STUDENT COMEDY TROUPE TAKES CAMPUSES BY STORM
Uninvited Guests mix fun, business and schoolwork
Seven Muhlenberg College students with completely different backgrounds and virtually nothing in common have formed a tight-knit improvisational comedy troupe and taken the College and several other campuses by storm.
Uninvited Guests was a major hit at the Skidmore College Comedy Festival and at Clark University last year. The group also received rave reviews at Moravian College and Allentown College earlier this year. This semester, the troupe hit the road in a big way, with bookings at Philadelphia Textile and the Rochester Institute of Technology. The going rate for the group is $1500.
Diversity makes the group work. Elmer Moore is an African-American from Baltimore and Ruben Ortiz is a Puerto Rican from inner-city Allentown. Ian Alderman resides in Woodbridge, Conn., an affluent suburb of New Haven, while Sam Stein, Ken Baldino, Dan DeBlasio and Ryan Gardner are from various parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. DeBlasio majors in English and Stein is a philosophy and American Studies major. Moore majors in art and dance, while the others all list theatre as at least one of their majors. Moore and DeBlasio are seniors, while the others are all juniors.
"There really is no reason for us to be friends," says Moore. "There's just something that binds us together and the product of that togetherness is comedy."
The group has to be close. A recent trip resulted in six of them in one hotel room. That one hotel room turned into a great investment. The troupe visited the annual conference of the National Association of College Activities in Syracuse and performed for student activities directors from schools throughout the country. The result -- four college bookings for next semester.
A few years ago, Alderman and Moore were members of Twice Baked, but the college sponsored comedy organization was too formal for their liking. The pair saw Ortiz in another group called the Oxymorons and stole him away. Later, Gardner joined the group. Alderman, Ortiz, Gardner and Stein all lived on the same floor and were friends, so the chemistry was already there. Stein became the "light and sound man" by accident and is now the group's business manager as well as a part-time performer. DeBlasio and Baldino were the final additions.
"People say we need a woman," says Stein. "Maybe, but any new member we add has to bring chemistry to the group. Male or Female, we need a family member. Kenny was the last performer we added, but hung out as a friend for years. He lived with Elmer so he was always around."
A campus comedy troupe is not unique. Freudian Slip at Texas A&M, Full Frontal at Indiana University and the Tower Players at Miami University of Ohio are among the other student improv groups. But, Uninvited Guests pride themselves on original material, including Ortiz as a sadistic Puerto Rican barber; skits about campus safety; Gardner as Buffnik, a Russian immigrant, Silent Movie, Boys Life, Paper Bag Heads, and the ever-popular Jazzercise class.
Stein notes that no one is making money right now. All of the proceeds go toward expenses, are invested in props or donated to charity.
Uninvited Guests also believes in community service. Last year, the group raised $1000 for the Turning Point Shelter in Allentown. This year, they raised $800 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Allentown with a December 11 performance at Muhlenberg.
"We don't want to copy Saturday Night Live or Second City TV," says Alderman. "All of our stuff is original, developed from real life experiences and 'Round Table' discussions at odd hours. We all have school, we all have regular theatre performances and Kenny even plays ice hockey. So, we work around all of that stuff. We generally meet three nights per week from 11:30 p.m. until 2 a.m."
In addition to performing experience, the group is also getting a lesson running a business. Stein notes that the hardest thing is remembering that this is a business.
"We are not a college comedy troupe, but college students in a professional comedy troupe. We have seven people, and we own the corporation," says Stein. "There are decisions to make, arrangements to be made, bookings, bills to be paid. It's great experience for all of us."
"Right now, it's not about the money," says Stein, the business manager. "It's about performing, getting experience and having fun. When we all graduate, we are committed to staying one or two years to try and see where it leads. Maybe a tv show, maybe writing a sitcom, who knows. We'll take it as far as it goes. Right now, it's just so rewarding, creating something from scratch, getting the response from the audience, traveling together. It's great."
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For more information contact:
Mike Bruckner, VP, Public Relations, (610) 821-3230 [email protected]
Sam Stein (student) (610) 770-9509, [email protected]
Ian Alderman (student) (610) 740-4198
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