Humorology, or "Humo" for short, is an annual musical/variety show that takes place at the Union Theater of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The final performance consists of six original mini musical comedies that are entirely written, produced and performed by six independent companies and overseen by a student-run executive board. It is also a judged competition. Having started in 1948, Humorology is one of the oldest traditions at the UW–Madison and has become the largest non-profit student service organization in Wisconsin.
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The six original mini musical comedies are performed over a series of three nights. Each twenty-minute show takes popular music and adapts it into an original story full of singing, dancing, and of course, plenty of comedy. What makes Humorology so unique is that aside from the music score, everything is created by the students. Each show is written, directed, choreographed, and performed by the students themselves. Although the sets and costumes are student-made, and when backed by a professional tech crew, Humorology has been compared to the caliber of an off-Broadway production.
Humorology is not just a show - it is also a competition. Rehearsals begin in early October and each cast prepares a nine-minute first half of their show with which they audition for the final show. Auditions take place in December and six casts are chosen to move on to the final show, which is held in April in the Memorial Union Theater. In preparation for the final show, the remaining six casts lengthen their shows by nine minutes to produce an 18-minute mini-musical comedy. The final night of the show awards are given to the shows that ranked First, Second and Third according to a panel of unbiased judges who score the shows throughout the three nights of performances. Additional "Caption" awards are given for Best Musical Number, Best Use of Theme, Best Female Performer, Best Male Performer, Best Dance Break, and Funniest Show among others.
Each Humo company consists of selected members of a UW–Madison fraternity teamed with selected members of a sorority, however, individuals independent of the Greek system participate as well. Nine companies and shows are created every year, but only six shows make it through auditions to the final performance. A team of writers comes up with the script for the show and writes the lyrics for the music. A rehearsal venue is chosen and companies meet to practice several times a week.
Final Casts 2008:
Final Casts 2009:
Final Casts 2010:
Final Casts 2011:
| Year | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Pi Beta Phi & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Delta Gamma & Acacia | Chi Omega & Tau Kappa Epsilon |
| 2002 | Kappa Kappa Gamma & Acacia | Delta Gamma & Sigma Alpha Epsilon | Gamma Phi Beta & Sigma Phi Epsilon |
| 2003 | Delta Gamma & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Gamma Phi Beta & Acacia | Alpha Phi & Zeta Beta Tau, & Sigma Phi |
| 2004 | Delta Gamma & Delta Upsilon | Kappa Kappa Gamma & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Alpha Chi Omega & Acacia |
| 2005 | Pi Beta Phi & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Alpha Chi Omega & Sigma Phi, & Sigma Pi | Delta Gamma & Pi Kappa Alpha |
| 2006 | Delta Gamma & Sigma Pi, & Sigma Phi | Kappa Alpha Theta & The Lodge (Chi Psi) | Alpha Chi Omega & Sigma Phi Epsilon |
| 2007 | Alpha Chi Omega & Delta Tau Delta, & Alpha Gamma Rho, & Alpha Epsilon Pi | Delta Gamma & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Kappa Kappa Gamma & Chi Psi, & Sigma Chi |
| 2008 | Gamma Phi Beta, & Delta Tau Delta, & Alpha Gamma Rho, & Alpha Epsilon Pi | Delta Gamma & Delta Upsilon | Kappa Alpha Theta & Sigma Phi & Sigma Pi |
| 2009 | Delta Gamma, & Delta Tau Delta, & Alpha Gamma Rho, & Alpha Epsilon Pi | Gamma Phi Beta & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Kappa Alpha Theta & FIJI |
| 2010 | Alpha Chi Omega & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Kappa Kappa Gamma & Alpha Epsilon Pi | Pi Beta Phi, & Phi Gamma Delta, & Phi Kappa Tau |
| 2011 | Delta Gamma & Sigma Phi Epsilon | Kappa Kappa Gamma & Alpha Gamma Rho & Chi Psi (The Lodge) & Delta Tau Delta | Alpha Chi Omega & Alpha Epsilon Pi |
The Humo shows are mini musical comedies with original plots and scripts that use popular music with the lyrics altered to fit a storyline. Costumes, props, and sometimes scenery are used to various effects. Each show must be 20 minutes long and must adhere to the prescribed theme or motif for that given year. Shows are then judged based on creativity, musicianship, humor, and other categories. The theme of Humorology 2007 was "Never Say Never".
Humorology is the largest Non-Profit student service organization in Wisconsin. Proceeds from Humorology performances are donated to several charities. Prominently among them are Camp Heartland and The Chris Farley Foundation.
Humorology has been criticized as an ineffective means of raising money. The casts that make the show put in an average over 5000 man hours over the year. Across the six casts that make the show each year that is a total of 30,000 man hours. Working at a salary of $8 an hour they could raise $240,000, far more than the show has raised over the past several years combined.