Everybody wants to be the star of the show.
When we crowded into the lecture hall of Hamilton 100, the site of many a chemistry 101 and 102 test, failure and forgone dreams of first-year, pre-med students hung in the air. But then the fluorescent overhead lights went down, and the spotlight shone on the Chapel Hill Players (or CHiPs).
We will admit, when we heard about CHiPs’ upcoming show, “CHiPs Reads the DTH,” we were so excited. We were expecting some quality, student-journalism-centric content. We would have even been OK with a good old-fashioned roast. Anything to make us feel relevant. Walking down the awkwardly-laid-out steps of Hamilton, we felt like we were walking down the red carpet — the faces of the DTH have entered the building.
But alas, we were not the main event. They only used the paper for two or three sketches. We’ll admit, we were disappointed, but also humbled.
Nonetheless, we laughed.
Do we wish we got a share of the profits? Maybe.
Never fear, the DTH did get representation. Using headlines and quotes from the Nov. 18 paper edition, our headlines informed several short improv scenes. The headline “New business school orientation targets ‘cutthroat’ culture” prompted some discourse, with not a single ‘B-school snake joke’ — props for avoiding cliche!
Overall, we were very impressed with the improv caliber of Tuesday night. In the occasional slip-up, the team relied on each other to get out of tough spots. Each player had a unique comedic style, and the mixing-and-matching of actors kept the audience on their toes. While some performers relied on traditional acting training, others relied on their unique tone, from the deadpan to the confused to the sarcastic.
By the end of the night, we had a major reality check: however funny we think we are, we’re still not THAT funny.
