Queen's Players
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The Queen's Players is a sketch comedy/improvisation/rock and roll troupe that performs at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario in the Clark Hall and Alfie's pubs. It produces three productions every year: one in the fall, one in the winter, and one show in the summer. The shows are cast by and with Queen's University students, in what is usually a very selective process. The winter and fall shows tend to differ from the summer show in various ways. The shows produced in the winter and fall semesters consist of a cast of 12 students, six male and six female characters, and are each twelve scenes long. The summer show is usually in the form of a sketch comedy show with a smaller cast ranging from seven to nine performers performing various scenes written by the actors themselves. However, both formats of the show divide each scene with a rousing rock, rap, or pop song sung by one of the players and performed by the show's live band.
The first manifestation of the Queen's Players was as the Queen's Drama Guild, established in 1900. Prominent members of the Guild included Lorne Greene and Robertson Davies. It wasn't until the 1980s that the troupe adopted the format that now makes them so popular on the Queen's campus. The shows draw characters from popular culture, have them descend upon the Queen's Campus. Each show is given a witty, often bawdy title that reflects some of the key characters in the show. Furthermore, the shows are marked by their often low-brow, ultra-sexual humour that would be unbearable without the alcoholic indulgence that makes Queen's Players the spectacle that it is. And by alcoholic indulgence, we mean most of the audience and most of the cast drink heavily throughout the night. Part of the show really is pushing the limits, and the tolerance, of the performers.
But the stunning vocal abilities of the Queen's Players and the musical prowess of the band makes it a consistent success. In 2004's winter show, an entire run of eight performances sold out in 43 minutes. The show has proved itself to be quite literally the most popular show on campus and arguably the city of Kingston, essentially guaranteed to sell out for each of its eight performances within the morning tickets go on sale. For the past several shows, students have been known to camp outside Destinations where the tickets are sold, for several hours or even the night before tickets go on sale.
Visit the Queen's Players website here:'Click here to visit the Queen's Players website
Other noteworthy alumnists of the QP include Elena Juatco, Ashleigh Banfield, Andrew Johnston and the Arrogant Worms.
