Lovin’ it
Junior Marten Schut and sophomore Lev Lewis both yelled out “We’re lovin it” from the stage. They had just collapsed after a treacherous knight battle over who got the last burger in a skit called “Ye Olde McDonalds.” The audience erupted in applause and laughter as the performers bowed with grins on their faces.
This was just one of the scenes from the Chicken Wing comedy and improv showcase on Jan. 22nd, conveniently called “We’re Lovin’ It,” intertwining this slogan and McDonald’s themes throughout the show.
This performance included skits, both student-written and adapted for the stage, and entertaining audience participation games.
“It was unique because of the types of people that were doing it, with all the different types of
personalities, skits, all the different types of acting experiences. It was very much special in its own way,” Lewis said.
In Chicken Wing, actors of all levels and ages collaborate to create a hilarious and connected environment.
“It was a very judgment free zone, which was very supporting,” Lewis said.
Audience members were eager to be a part of this atmosphere too, through silly theater games such as Night at the Museum, where viewers pretended to be statues and move without getting caught by the Night Guard. They also played in SoundFX, where participants venture out to the hallway to use a mic that blindly creates sound effects. Actors then use improvisation expertise along with it .
“It makes it a lot funnier. It’s a lot more interactive, and the cast is really good at going off improv. It’s really impressive,” said Rain Terwilliiger, who attended the event.
Comedy and improv are the main basis for learners participating in Chicken Wing, and audience interaction made those skills be able to thrive, building off of the audience’s response.
“I think the main thing it improves is timing and figuring out the rhythm of certain lines. I feel like that can improve most with comedy, because I would argue that the genre of performance that is affected the best or worst by delivery is comedy,” senior Nylan Harper said.
Alongside practicing comedic timing, some students also exercised their creative freedom by writing their own skits to work on. These stories have a multitude of backgrounds, from a skit about medieval knights to a scene where intergalactic aliens tried to perform tricks through housecleaning services. Not only do students write, but they block, stage, and cast these productions themselves.
“I think creative freedom is a great thing. I think Ms. Milsap, that’s one of her greatest qualities. She’s always allowing students to have creative freedom, and that’s a great thing,” Harper said.
