Otter Nonsense Opens in McCullough

As the McCullough Social Space filled during the 15 minutes before the show, excitement ignited the room and well-known pop tracks played in the background. Everyone had gathered for the return of Otter Nonsense, one of the most popular improv comedy groups on campus.

When the lights dimmed, the Otters came out in their signature monocolored T-shirts. Despite this being the first show of the year, they wasted no time with introductions.

After some quick recommendations from the audience, the Otters delved into their various characters. High points of the show included impromptu montages and song numbers about things like perfection and cocaine use. On top of all the great acting, senior Ricky Chen ’13 provided musical support on the keyboard, his music proving to be hilariously appropriate. Just like the rest of the Otters, Chen worked extemporaneously, improvising every melody and chord.

Chris De La Cruz ’13 created a character named Silent Joe, who appeared multiple times throughout various skits and formed a referential point for the audience.

Joe continued his creepy reign of stage dominance all the way up to the end of the show, where the final skit culminated within a Macy’s and we discover the origin of Silent Joe — a nice touch and a fantastic way to conclude the show.

As one would expect from the Otters, their on-stage chemistry is tangible as they function as one well-oiled comedy machine.

The Otters advertised the fact that they will be having auditions to join their team on Oct. 2 and 4. But just what does it take to join Otter Nonsense? Ben Orbison ’12.5 shed some light on the audition process.

“Some of it is secretive,” said Orbison. “Essentially we do a first round where we explain our style of improv ... And then we talk about all the auditionees and we play a couple of games. We do not participate in the first round. The callback round is usually five or six people and then we all do some improv with them [to get] a feel [for] them as a person.”

“The idea is that we [the Otters] only take people in the group that are better than all of us and it has to be unanimous,” added Jenny Johnston ’14. “[If] they come in and they blow it away, they win the audition.”

But just what kind of person do the Otters hunt for when looking to increase their ranks?

“I would say we look and audition for someone who we all would love to hang out with,” said Adam Milano ’15, currently the youngest Otter. “I don’t think there is any one way to say it, it’s just this special thing that clicks.”

“What I look for is someone that’s willing to have a lot of fun, but be really honest about their improv,” added De La Cruz. “I think a big thing about improv is bringing really honest situations on stage … we are also teaching what improv is, because I did not know what it was when I came into the group.”

During the show, The Otters revealed future plans, including weekly shows at Levity, a comedy club in Burlington. After the club asked them to perform, the Otters arranged to do shows every Sunday, starting Sept. 30. The shows will be open to the public and will run the cost of a suggested donation, so show-goers may pay as little or as much as they choose.

On top of this, the Otters will also be doing weekly “Otters and Friends” stand-up shows in the Hepburn Zoo theater.

These shows will be free, every Friday and begin this Friday, Sept. 28.

The Otters also hinted at their end-of-the-year show — an “Olympics kind of deal,” according to De La Cruz. They will collaborate with another student improv group, Middlebrow, which will also hold auditions next week on Oct. 1 and 3.

These performances, combined with a production deal with mtvU, paint a bright future for the Otters.

“They [the Otters] are like my family on campus,” reflected Alexandra Kennedy ’13.5. “Its not about trying to be funny — its about being yourself ... Whether [students] have been doing [improv] for years, or whether they have just started, or whether they’ve never done it at all — we’re just looking for people who are enthusiastic about it.”