2008 Woodie Awards
Scatterbomb!! Invades Manhattan
Angely Fadul
Issue date: 3/23/05 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
On 4 March 2005, an explosive improv performance was put on by the Manhattan College Players of their show 'Scatterbomb.' Held in the fifth floor of Thomas Hall, the show opened up to a full house packed into the tiny theatrical space that is 'The Box.'
Improv is anything spontaneous, spur of the moment, unscripted, off the top of your head, out of the blue and jumping right into action. Relying heavily on zingers and punch lines, the show's humor stems mostly from the situations being reenacted before the audience's eyes. This is how it works: upon the opening of the show, teams are chosen. After this is done, audience members shout out words 'dogs,' 'food,' and 'narcolepsy' for example. Whichever word is heard first by the actors will be the one chosen to elaborate on and build a show around.
Friday night's show opened up to 'ninja,' which many were sure to expect would turn into some type of Japanese movie recreation but turned in a very different direction. Alex Koveos took it in a completely different direction, associating ninjas with a dollar store. Upon hearing the word ninja he immediately jumped into an elaborated tale about finding cheap costume parts: nun chucks, ninja stars, tights and how all of these made the perfect gifts at any given time. What started off as a dialogue about 'ninjas' ended with a wacky new look on those deadly Japanese warriors called simply "The Ninja Casanova" or "The Love Ninja."
As the actors explained at the beginning of the show, what makes Scatterbomb fun to watch is that it is put together right before the audience's eyes. What was funny at one moment, will only be funny in that one moment because it connected to whatever story and action that was occurring then. "These jokes are funny here," explained Mike Lepetit one of the actors performing that night, "but don't try to retell them outside for you will find they're not as humorous outside of this setting and other people just won't get it."
The setting of the show was kept sparse so as to not draw the attention away from the physical comedy of the actors and maintain the focus on the dialogue. Two couches, four chairs and one table with flowers were all that adorned the stage. A shot gun hung on the wall and was used in various skits put on by the actors, one of a hunter and the other of a babysitter gone mad.
Other skits were based off the words, "Chinese food" and "gangrene." While Alex Koveos dominated the majority of the "ninja" portion of the show, other stars were Katie Kuntz for the "Chinese food" section, along with Peter Smith and Mike Lepetit for the "gangrene" skits. The chemistry on stage between the actors was phenomenal, although there were some awkward moments, someone was always ready to cut to the next scene.
There is not any single way to prepare for an improv show. Unlike other productions where the cast meets and runs lines, in the world of Improv Theater there are no scripts to memorize.
The actors prepare for the show by going through the same process that plays out on stage-words are shouted out and they build a story around them.
The next Scatterbomb performance will take place on Friday, 1 April. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend the show which will be held on the fifth floor of Thomas Hall's theatre room, The Box.
Improv is anything spontaneous, spur of the moment, unscripted, off the top of your head, out of the blue and jumping right into action. Relying heavily on zingers and punch lines, the show's humor stems mostly from the situations being reenacted before the audience's eyes. This is how it works: upon the opening of the show, teams are chosen. After this is done, audience members shout out words 'dogs,' 'food,' and 'narcolepsy' for example. Whichever word is heard first by the actors will be the one chosen to elaborate on and build a show around.
Friday night's show opened up to 'ninja,' which many were sure to expect would turn into some type of Japanese movie recreation but turned in a very different direction. Alex Koveos took it in a completely different direction, associating ninjas with a dollar store. Upon hearing the word ninja he immediately jumped into an elaborated tale about finding cheap costume parts: nun chucks, ninja stars, tights and how all of these made the perfect gifts at any given time. What started off as a dialogue about 'ninjas' ended with a wacky new look on those deadly Japanese warriors called simply "The Ninja Casanova" or "The Love Ninja."
As the actors explained at the beginning of the show, what makes Scatterbomb fun to watch is that it is put together right before the audience's eyes. What was funny at one moment, will only be funny in that one moment because it connected to whatever story and action that was occurring then. "These jokes are funny here," explained Mike Lepetit one of the actors performing that night, "but don't try to retell them outside for you will find they're not as humorous outside of this setting and other people just won't get it."
The setting of the show was kept sparse so as to not draw the attention away from the physical comedy of the actors and maintain the focus on the dialogue. Two couches, four chairs and one table with flowers were all that adorned the stage. A shot gun hung on the wall and was used in various skits put on by the actors, one of a hunter and the other of a babysitter gone mad.
Other skits were based off the words, "Chinese food" and "gangrene." While Alex Koveos dominated the majority of the "ninja" portion of the show, other stars were Katie Kuntz for the "Chinese food" section, along with Peter Smith and Mike Lepetit for the "gangrene" skits. The chemistry on stage between the actors was phenomenal, although there were some awkward moments, someone was always ready to cut to the next scene.
There is not any single way to prepare for an improv show. Unlike other productions where the cast meets and runs lines, in the world of Improv Theater there are no scripts to memorize.
The actors prepare for the show by going through the same process that plays out on stage-words are shouted out and they build a story around them.
The next Scatterbomb performance will take place on Friday, 1 April. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend the show which will be held on the fifth floor of Thomas Hall's theatre room, The Box.