For its annual senior send-off show, Fishbowl Improvisational Comedy Group will honor fourth-year Mary Mahoney, the only graduating senior of the group. Titled “It’s Always Funny in Fishadelphia: Mary Mahoney’s Senior Show,” the performance will draw inspiration from the popular sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Credit: Natalie Knaggs
After spending two years at the helm of Fishbowl Improvisational Comedy Group, graduating senior Mary Mahoney is gearing up for a bittersweet goodbye.
“It’s Always Funny in Fishadelphia: Mary Mahoney’s Senior Show” will take place at the Ohio Union’s U.S. Bank Conference Theater at 7 p.m. Sunday. Because Mahoney — a fourth-year in film studies and Fishbowl Improv’s president — is the club’s only graduating member, the performance is designed to commemorate her time spent with the group, she said.
“The seniors usually get to pick their theme, but since it’s just me, I got to just pick,” Mahoney said. “So, I picked one of my favorite shows, ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ because it’s been kind of a bit this year that I’m always bringing up.”
Because the show’s theme is so hyperspecific, Fishbowl plans to inject some planned shenanigans into its spontaneous improv comedy exercises, said Natalie Knaggs, a third-year in computer and information science as well as Fishbowl’s current secretary. These elements include prearranged musical numbers, costumes and a few assigned roles for select group members.
The entire club looks forward to celebrating Mahoney’s past two years of leadership, Knaggs said.
“She’s been president for two years, so none of us really have been in the group without Mary,” Knaggs said. “She’s seen all of us come in, and it’s just a good opportunity to give back and reciprocate the things she’s done for the group.”
“It’s Always Funny in Fishadelphia: Mary Mahoney’s Senior Show” will take place at the Ohio Union’s U.S. Bank Conference Theater at 7 p.m. Sunday. Credit: Natalie Knaggs
As Fishbowl’s president-elect for the 2024-25 academic year, Knaggs said Mahoney’s comedic chops are equally as impressive as her ability to guide others toward confidence and friendship.
“She’s one of the brightest, most caring, funny people that I’ve ever met, but also such a wonderful role model and a leader,” Knaggs said. “She’s very much the group parent, but not in an overbearing way. She’s the cool dad.”
For Connor Duguid, a first-year and Fishbowl’s treasurer-elect for the 2024-25 academic year, Mahoney has played a pivotal role in shaping his appreciation for improv comedy and what it means to be a part of a team.
“When the guppies — the new members — got in, Mary would lead the beginning of practice every time and we would learn a game or two,” Duguid said. “She’s been instrumental in my learning improv and getting into this group.”
Beyond rehearsals and performances, Duguid said Mahoney always took the initiative to facilitate bonding between club members.
“She’s organized and had people over to her apartment, and I got to be a part of that, which has been really great because then I got to be better friends with everyone,” Duguid said.
Having only one graduating fourth-year for a “senior send-off” show can be somewhat challenging, as Knaggs said some traditions needed to be modified or swapped out due to logistical reasons.
“We do a seniors-only, long-form at the end, which is a 20-minute improvised play,” Knaggs said. “But seeing as we only have one senior this year, we won’t be doing that. But we are finding other special ways to celebrate Mary and everything that she’s brought to the group.”
Mahoney said helping devise a showcase themed around a creative property she cherishes has been an unforgettable experience.
“I don’t want to reveal everything, but I’m making a full production out of it,” Mahoney said. “If you’ve seen [‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’], there’s an episode where they put on a musical, so, that was sort of my version of like, we’re putting on my senior show and it’s like the episode that they put on the musical.”
There is no shortage of emotion as the show draws nearer and nearer, Mahoney said. But the pride and nostalgia she feels toward her time at Fishbowl is sure to extend past the performance.
“I could not be leaving [Fishbowl] in better hands,” Mahoney said. “It’s also this really sweet feeling of like, I kept the group alive. It didn’t fall apart while I was in charge, and I can see that everyone has grown so much since I’ve joined. The people that I’ve had audition for me are now in charge and so capable and competent and smart, and I really feel like a proud mom.”
Admission to “It’s Always Funny in Fishadelphia: Mary Mahoney’s Senior Show” is free, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. More information about the event can be found on Fishbowl’s Instagram page.
