The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 18, 2005, Page 7, Image 7
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.