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Page 7 Friday, March 18, 2005 HE MIX THEY SAID IT 'All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl." CHARLIE CHAPLIN SILENT FILM STÂR BySHANA TILL THE GAMECOCK WUSC, the university's student run radio station, wants your money — But they're prepared to entertain you to get it. Kicking off its annual spring fund-raiser, WUSC is sponsoring tonight's concert at New Brookland Tavern. Pre-gaming starts at noon on Greene Street, with your favorite WUSC DJs handing out buttons and other WUSC goodies. The party moves down the street tonight to New Brookland Tavern with live music performances from local favorite Tigerbot Hesh, Eric Skelton, The Close and The Blame. The show starts late, with doors opening at 10 p.m., guaranteeing entertainment all the way until Saturday morning. Admission is $5 under 21, $3 over. All proceeds go to WUSC. The radio station, found at 90.5 on your FM dial, will accept donations starting today at noon. Like WUSC's '80s-themed fund raiser last fall, listeners can call the station to donate by calling in with their credit cards or by Pay-Pal via the station's Web site, www.wusc.sc.edu. For a donation of large or small amounts, you can request your favorite non-top-40 song today until March 26 by calling the on-air DJ at 576-WUSC (576-9872). WUSC operates under a non-top-40 policy, which stipulates that no song can be played from any album that has hit the Billboard Top 40 list in the last 40 years. By this mode of operation, WUSC serves the community as an educational station, broadcasting underexposed music of all genres. James Beard, WUSC music librarian and third-year Russian student, said the fund-raiser is important in helping reach the station's budget. "The fund-raiser really helps us make ends meet. But every time we do this, we hope we can bring new focus to the station — because most students don't know WUSC even exists," he said. "We hope these fund-raisers attract new listeners." In another maneuver to entice donators, each two-hour WUSC show is awarding prizes during fund-raiser week DJs have assembled prize packages for the contributor of the highest donation during their shows. For specialty shows, such as Isaac and Erinn's jazz show from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, the DJs will give away some of their favorite jazz picks on vinyl along with a Papa Jazz gift certificate. If you tune in to DJ Mythdoor from 2-4 a.m. Sunday and make the highest donation, you can win his vintage calculator collection. Part of the 6-8 p.m. Friday show, Sugar High's prize pack includes a pink Care-Bear and Turkish delights. Winners of the Sippin' Show (10-midnight) prize pack will win a CD from band Daemon Flushboy. Flushboy is the music collaboration of Will and James, DJs of the Sippin' Show. Just another of the eclectic prizes awarded during WUSC's fund raiser is a hand-stenciled T-shirt made by Jordan, DJ of Monday's show Eleanor Roosevelt Sings the Hits. WUSC has been rocking the airwaves in the Columbia area more than 50 years, according to the station's Web site. "WUSC is committed to musical diversity, which is why specialty programs are offered focusing on a single genre of music. Current specialty programs include jazz, blues, country, hip hop, metal punk, folk, dance, big band and many more." Listeners can not only help the radio station by donating, but can also see some of Columbia's favorite bands perform — and possibly win a one-of-a-kind prize pack. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK The Close will perform tonight to raise money for WUSC, the university's radio station. PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE QAMECOCK Eric Skelton is one of the live music performances raising money for USC radio station 90.5. The fund raiser concert begins at 10 p.m. at New Brookland Tavern. Admission·is $5 under 21, $3 under. Improv troupe to perform at Benson j By GABRIELLE SINCLAIR THE GAMECOCK Rehearsal for Toast, USC's improv group, had just gotten under way when fifth-year English student Ben Compton gathered his troupe, placing short people in front, tall people in the back. "Listen with your eyes," he called out, a manic conductor to a slightly twisted youth choir. They needed a suggestion from the audience in order to begin. At that time, however, the night before the big show, the audience consisted of a single nervous reporter, who cataloged things she hoped worthy of a chorus of maddening hate for the two minute game. in a matter or moments the sea of faces, orchestrated by Compton, erupted in a melody of rage, ranting passionately and on cue regarding everything from ex-boyfriends to student media, moving and adapting as a single entity. Tonight's show will operate on no scripts as these talented performers, many with majors outside of theatre, think fast to take a new spin on old ideas and work hard to çntertain at a frantic pace during 12- to 15 two-minute games, old standards and new ideas, all designed to keep energy moving. Compton said he's often asked what the logic is of rehearsing something that's defined by its spontaneity, as the audience supplies the characters, the scene and the story. "There's always the questions of 'Why do you guys rehearse improv? Isn't that odd? Aren't you cheating?' The only thing improv ers know walking into the game is the rules of the game," he^said. And to make things extra interesting, the performers will have a surprise game at the end of tonight's show. Second-year computer science student George Pate, who is co directing the show with Brendon Conroy, said this is the first performance of the school year after a semester spent auditioning new cast members to fill the shoes of the performers who graduated and moved to Chicago to continue their craft. "This year's been a rebuilding year," he said. There are 10 people in the cast, eight men and two women. 1 ο η ι g h t s show serves as the team's re introduction to USC. "We have a lot of new talent in our midst, said Compton, who's been a member of Toast since his freshman year. "We're really excited to get them on stage and in front of the audience," he said. "They're looking forward to it. They may not know it but they're looking forward to it." Toast has been at USC in various forms almost five years, and this semester the group, part of Scriptless Productions, will take on a Commedia del'Arte, an age old Italian style of improvisation, noted for its lowbrow "blue" humor. Compton said the show would likely be aimed "at a college audience who might have been drinking before they come to see the show." Tonight's show will run about an hour. Tickets are $2. Doors open at 7:45 at Benson Theater across from the Bates House parking lot, and the show begins at 8 p.m. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu IF YOU'RE GOING WHAT: Toast Improv Show WHERE: Benson Theater WHEN: 8 p.m. tonight COST: $2 GABRIELLE SINCLAIR/THE GAMECOCK Fifth-year English student Ben Compton leads USC's ΙΟ-person improv group, Toast, in a short chorus game. Toast performs tonight at 8 p.m. at Benson Theater, and tickets ar^$2 at the door. The show is entirely unscripted and relies on audience suggestions.