Backburner Sketch Comedy after their last live performance in March 2020. Credit: Courtesy of Genevieve Wagner
Comedy clubs on campus are saying, “Yes, and…” to the ongoing challenges faced during the pandemic and have adapted to the new normal of virtual performance.
From improv to stand-up to sketch comedy, the different mediums have faced similar challenges while moving their stages online. After a full semester of performing virtually, Ohio State comedy clubs are looking for new ways to get laughs this semester.
Backburner Sketch Comedy chose to focus on making video sketches, something Genevieve Wagner, a fourth-year in studio art and president of the student organization, said they had already included in their repertoire before the pandemic.
“Back in November when we found out that we couldn’t really do anything in person, we had a lot of content that we wrote, but a lot of it would be difficult to transfer to a virtual format like filming a sketch over Zoom, etc., so we’ve had to innovate and we’re producing some virtual sketches this semester,” Wagner said.
Will Stiles, a third-year in business and president of 8th Floor Improv, said the group faced significant challenges when it came to doing improvisational comedy over Zoom.
“The type of improv we do, longform, it’s especially difficult because there’s no real structure,” Stiles said. “We create it, and a big part of creating a set of longform improv is visualization of the stage and kind of painting the scene in the audience’s mind of where you are, what you’re doing — interacting with objects in the world you’re in and interacting with each other.”
Stiles said 8th Floor wasn’t able to hold nearly as many events as it regularly would and instead only made video sketches. The group is now working to change its form to fit a virtual audience.
“We had to kind of change a lot of our form and stuff we’re doing, so it’s a little more structured so it makes sense for the audience,” Stiles said. “It’s a lot of experimenting, but we’re excited.”
Buckeye Standup, an open group that helps students get started with comedy and stand-up around Columbus, also had difficulty transferring their comedy style to Zoom.
“The most difficult part is it’s really hard to do standup without feedback,” Zack White, a third-year in physics and president of the student organization, said. “It just kind of feels like you’re just talking into the void, and if you can’t tell how things are going, it’s really hard.”
White said that stand-up over Zoom is particularly substandard for students who are new to it and that it could even turn them off of performing.
Although Buckeye Standup is usually able to help students find open mic nights, White said he advised members not to attend any events in Columbus to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19. Instead, he is focusing on the group’s involvement in variety shows and collaborations with other student groups on campus.
White said Buckeye Standup plans to collaborate with the Amateur Radio Organization for Undergraduate Student Entertainment as well as Mental Health Matters, a student organization dedicated to ending the stigma surrounding mental health.
Wagner said Backburner has plans to stay virtual, even with the university’s recent plan to allow groups of fewer than 10 people to meet in person, and will keep up their weekly meetings and video sketches.
“We’re going to keep on with virtual for the time being, but then once things get safer, we would like to produce some things in a socially distanced, safe way,” Wagner said.
Backburner uploads their video sketches to their YouTube channel, and Wagner said they plan to put on a variety show later this semester.
Stiles said 8th Floor hopes to do virtual shows this semester, which they will stream on their Twitch.
“I think our plan is to do a virtual show every month,” Stiles said. “I don’t know if that will end up happening, but we’re experimenting with new stuff, and hopefully we can create improv that is different and works and makes people laugh.”
