“I consider my legs my most redeeming physical quality. … If the skies are out, my thighs are out.”
This fantastic line, written by a current first year in his application essay to the University, is just a glimpse into the hilarity found in Spectrum Theatre’s “Voices of the Class” during their performances this past weekend.
To create this comical performance, the troupe took lines from current first years’ admission essays and transformed them into more than 20 original comedy sketches.
During the summer, co-directors Cherise Pack and Lou Garcia, both third-year College students, sampled hundreds of essays to find material for the show. They eventually selected about 50 essays featuring unusual topics or strange phrases.
“I looked for essays that had multiple sentences that could be used, sentences that could be used in different ways, both in context and out of context, and any sentences that were just plain weird,” Pack said.
After the best essays were chosen, Pack said the writing was up to the rest of the imaginative group.
“Everyone looked for sentences that inspired them," she said. "If [they] read a sentence and a funny scenario came to mind, [they would] just start writing.”
There was clearly no lack of wacky material to choose from.
One sketch was centered around the quote, “I’ll have you know that human excreta is very important.”
Another sketch was inspired by an applicant’s life changing experience with a watermelon, where “it wasn’t the first or the last watermelon in my life, but it was the one that changed me the most.”
A third included the quote, “if anyone ever needs an extra glass of milk, I have an extra nipple to spare.”
One of the most humorous sketches was featured around one male applicant’s quote, “Most of my confidence stems from my legs. … I got some damn fine legs.”
“This [was] just a taste," Pack said. "There [was] so much more.”
But not all of the show's success can be attributed to these zany first-year students — the hilarious, original scenes that surround them were equally as engaging.
Some of the scenarios included a dating game show, an interview for a modeling job, a wedding, a seventh grade talent show and the 2016 presidential race. One recurring sketch featured an exaggeratedly catty girl attempting to write her application on her favorite word. In one scene, she said, “My favorite word is ‘peasant,’ because it describes all the Virginia Tech kids.”
First-year College student Joey Hamilton, who worked on the show, said the best part of Spectrum Theatre is the open creativity of the group.
“Everyone had at least one sketch that they wrote in the show," he said. "All our writing styles are represented."
With such varied scenes and characters, Spectrum Theatre’s quirky humor has a universal appeal.
Pack said her first experience as a co-director has been “the best experience I could've asked for.”
“My friend and co-director, Lou, has been a large help … and the cast has been very supportive," she said. "I've had a wonderful time working with everyone.”
Read More
Early Visions at The Fralin facilitates creativity through artistic mentorship
By Delaney Coppola | YesterdayThe 10 week-long after-school program brings together children from the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia with University student-artistic mentors.
Around the world in three stories — recommendations from Language House residents
By Gretel Brown | 2 days agoThese works of international fiction — all originally written in languages other than English and set in countries other than the United States — are the perfect getaway for students looking to put the semester behind them.
The Filmmakers Society is the heart of student filmmaking on Grounds
By Zachary Geller | 4 days agoThe Filmmakers Society, or FMS, is the University’s only filmmaking-based Contracted Independent Organization.
