By Khadijah Yasin
Correspondent
It wouldn’t be a Mixed Signals show unless someone pretended to be an inflatable watermelon. During their first show of the semester, the College’s improv comedy troupe enacted many wacky tales on Sunday, Sept. 13, in the Library Auditorium.
The Mixed Signals always come up with completely original material for each of their performances. Made up of 10 members ranging from sophomores to seniors, the troupe found the perfect balance of sarcasm and humor. Their energy was contagious and livened up the room immediately.
Very little is off limits at one of their shows — a memorable skit of the night occurred when a cast member pretended to be a drunken grandchild cleaning barnacles from a boat. More importantly, they always kept their skits interesting and allowed the crowd to get involved.
They utilized crowd feedback and based entire skits off words shouted out by audience members.
Freshman nursing major Samantha Green said she loved that “they use audience participation to make it more interactive.”
Troupe president Steve Munoz, a senior English and secondary education double major, expressed just how much he loves doing improv and how the group has grown to be a goofy, little family.
Munoz said his favorite part of being in The Mixed Signals is “getting to hang out with these people for four hours a week, and practicing twice a week with them.”
This friendship was apparent throughout the show and made the cast and skits shine.
But the fun doesn’t stop when the show ends, or even after a cast member graduates. According to Munoz, many of the alumni who were previously in The Mixed Signals, create their own alumni comedy groups and come back in the spring and perform with the current members.
The Mixed Signals also provide a form of entertainment otherwise not readily available on campus. Munoz believes their shows are a good outlet for students at the College to be able to laugh and forget about the stresses of classes.
Another cast member, Emma Young, a sophomore urban elementary and iSTEM double major, agrees that the troupe “brings a lot of light-hearted fun” to what can be a demanding and hectic week of taxing assignments.
Whether it is to escape the workload or just for a laugh, going to a performance of The Mixed Signals is a scandalously humorous time.
The troupe will be holding auditions to join the group on Thursday, Oct. 15, and will be holding another show on Sunday, Oct. 18.
