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RIANNA SEELIG
Staff Writer
Random Acts is a student improvisation group on the Fredonia campus. The group holds performances every other Friday night in McEwen 209 at 10 p.m. The lecture hall is always filled to capacity with excited audience members from every major and year.
Dec. 4 marked the Random Acts Christmas Holly Jolly Raffle and Auction. The performers wore various forms of holiday attire, and die-hard audience members did the same.
The lineup of games were as follows: Say It Again, Evil Twin, Press Conference, Dating Game and Wedding Toast.
Say It Again was a game where two of the Random Actors were in a scene together while another Random Actor observed and gave direction. If the Random Actor in control of the scene did not like what one of the actors said, he or she could yell “say it again” and that actor would have to change his or her previous line. This continued until the “director” was satisfied with the new line.
Evil Twin involved four Random Actors. Two were in a scene while two stood off to the side. At any point in the scene, the actors on the side could tap out an actor and take their place, do or say something random, then return to the sidelines while the original actors attempted to continue the scene.
The key to Evil Twin was essentially disrupting the flow of the scene when tapping out another actor, then leaving and forcing your fellow actors to carry on with the scene/narrative that was just altered. For years this game has been a crowd favorite, and always leads to the creation of some bizarre storylines.
Press Conference is one of the more complicated games to explain. Three Random Actors were involved. One waited in the hallway while the other actors decided on a storyline by getting input from the audience. The storyline must have a location, an activity and some type of accomplice.
The holiday version? Someone invented a Christmas tree in Hell with the help of The Grinch. Simple.
Once the storyline was decided upon, the Random Actor in the hall returned, and attempted to guess at the details of the storyline. The other actors in the scene acted as interviewers and asked questions that alluded to the storyline (ex. “Were you specifically looking for someone green to assist you with your creation, or did it just happen?”) This continued until the entire storyline has been figured out by the actor being interviewed.
Dating Game involved four Random Actors, one being a single individual looking for a date. The other actors invented an identity and answered dating questions. A great moment occurred when one of the contestants revealed themselves to be Abe Lincoln. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in the final round.
Wedding Toast allowed actors to take on comedic identities and give a wedding toast as that character. The toast of the night was not for a wedding, but for the 200th anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The first to give a toast was a drunken Rudolph. Hilarity ensued.
Those involved in Random Acts had nothing but positive things to say. Billy Blair, a senior BFA musical theater major, praised the group and the opportunities it had provided him.
He stated that being a part of Random Acts had been “nothing but amazing.” He continued by saying the group had made him a “better actor and improvisor, but more importantly, a better person.”
Marissa Caruso, a Fredonia alumna who graduated with a BA in theatre, stated that Random Acts is responsible for a great deal of success she has experienced in her life.
“Random Acts provided me the training grounds for most of the human interaction I do in my day-to-day life. Connecting with people in all relationships, whether personal or business-driven relies on listening, caring, and being bold,” said Caruso. “Having a sense of humor also helps in every aspect of life. One of the few things I am certain of in life is that I am a better person for having been a part of Random Acts.”
The next Random Acts show will be after the holiday break. The show will likely bring in a huge audience, as always, and leave the audience members laughing long after the show ends.