Farce Side Comedy Hour

Farce Side Comedy Hour (aka Farce Side) is a sketch comedy show that performs weekly at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Created in 1985, the group celebrated its 20th Anniversary on October 24, 2005 with a reunion show, in which current cast members and alumni alike shared the stage. Former cast members have gone on to post-university success in writing, performing, and production work for movies, the stage, syndicated comics, and television. Troupe alumni have been nominated multiple times for Emmy awards and have won at least one.

The group performs every Friday at 12:40 on the Union Stage in ASU's Memorial Union Programming Lounge.

History

In 1985, University of Arizona student and former U of A Comedy Corner member Michael Sterner moved to Tempe and started a weekly sketch comedy show at ASU. This new troupe also called itself Comedy Corner, and it performed to passing students in a Memorial Union study lounge each Friday. The show consisted of one half hour of original sketch comedy (much of it written by Sterner during his stint at U of A) followed by a half hour of stand-up comedy, performed by local or touring comics (such as David Spade), or most often by Sterner himself. The stand-up gig paid $50.

Although the show had a small and loyal following, the uncensored content was offensive to some students, and MUAB (Memorial Union Activities Board) ordered the group to move its show from the large public area to smaller meeting rooms or be shut down. Audience attendance dropped below 10 for many shows. MUAB, in early 1986, allowed the show to move to the Union Cinema, where it had access to a makeshift stage, a sound system, and dedicated audience seating.

Also around this time, the group voted to change the show's name to a more collegiate-sounding Comedy 101, which also distanced it from the U of A show. The troupe advertised the show heavily and it increased in popularity significantly throughout the year, ending with a "Best Of" performance for an audience of about 150.

Not realizing that ads for Comedy 101 referred to a show, some students requested ASU for the line number to register for the "course". During a brainstorm session in early 1987, the group unanimously approved the name Farce Side, suggested by member Jeff Smallidge. MUAB then created a fully budgeted Comedy Committee to fund and oversee the troupe and other comedy projects.

ASU built the current home of the Farce Side Comedy Hour, Union Stage, in 1991. The show continued to grow in popularity until weekly audiences of 200-250 were common, and "Best Of" shows at the end of each semester would tally crowds of 400 or more.

By fall of 1993, the show would often drop the stand-up segment and perform an entire hour of sketch comedy. The group began using the title "Farce Side Comedy Hour". Occasionally some improvisation was scheduled into the show, which was originally substituted for a missing standup performer. The show moved to an all-sketch format in the 1994 fall semester, when it also spun off the Barren Mind improvisational comedy troupe. Barren Mind received and still holds its own performance slot on Thursdays. Members commonly belong to both casts.

Due to ASU student programming changes, Farce Side and Barren Mind lost their funding at the end of the spring 2000 semester. Since then, the troupes have carried on as sponsored student clubs, retaining the privilege of playing at the Memorial Union Programming Lounge.

Long criticized as a "boys' club," the 1994 cast of TFSCH broke the proverbial glass ceiling with breakthrough female performers, including Kim North, Christina Vail, Dana Millican, Andrea Van Bemmel, Kathy Collins, and Wendy Lucas, the show's first female assistant director. 1994 also boasted its most mature cast, with performers in their late 20's and early 30's. This "adult supervision" gave them the strength to say "no" to the typical "college humor" that typically dominates troupes of this style. That's not to say they didn't have their share of juvenile sketches, but it was balanced with a level of sophistication not seen before or since.

A handful of events throughout the history of the troupes have threatened ASU's tolerance of them. Incidents involving profanity, smoking, alcohol use, illegal stunts, and nudity have resulted in corrective actions, suspensions of shows, and a required posted public warning regarding the shows' content.

The Farce Side Comedy Hour holds auditions at the beginning of each semester, is open to all active Arizona State University Students. The show draws weekly audiences of over 200 fans.

Notable alumni

Alphabetical, by first name:

External links