{"id":589,"date":"2022-11-15T10:25:34","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T15:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/mu-regional-pulse\/?p=589"},"modified":"2022-11-18T03:30:54","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T08:30:54","slug":"laugh-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/mu-regional-pulse\/2022\/11\/laugh-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Baloney Brigade: Prepare to be Entertained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Olivia Gronvall—<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Every evening from November 10 th to the 12 th , the comedy team, the Baloney Brigade, graced
tickled funny bones with their \u201cLaugh on Earth\u201d event. Taking place in Room 307 within Phelps
Hall, the show included a mix of original sketch comedy and improv games, all lovingly crafted,
organized, and performed by the Baloney members: Co-managers Dani Henry and Paige
Mackenzie, production assistants Briahna Bush and Liana Bohrer, and actors\/creators Al Cady,
Brady Jansen, Joey Israelon, Lauren Laxton-Mogul, Sydney Whitehill, and Lydia Montoya-
Enderle (who also serves as co-head writer). As one can see, many of the actors were also
involved in writing the very sketches the Brigade performed, allowing them to channel many
kinds of creativity in contributing to the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


However, all of this wouldn\u2019t have come to be without Bekka Eaton\u2019s (director, co-writer,
producer and head of PR) guidance: an Associate Professor of Theatre on Miami University\u2019s
Regionals campuses and a professional actor, she wanted to use her wealth of experience to
forming an improv team before she retires in a year or so. \u201cAs an actor, I got started in improv,
and I thought we\u2019d have fun doing that. I used to be [the cast members\u2019(?)] advisor for years.
They\u2019re very talented, but it\u2019s a different show: it\u2019s not sketch writing, it\u2019s all [improv] games.
So, I thought this [a combination of both improv games and writing is better suited to my area of
expertise with writing(?)]\u201d. With that in mind, she decided to organize an improv team, putting
the word out on flyers, ads on Regionals display TVs, and even by word-of-mouth in informing
her students about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


One way or another, the Baloney Brigade gradually came to be as both newbie and experienced
actors joined. Some wanted to try something new, like Lydia, who had never done anything
improv related before and wanted to try it, and Al, who described himself as having \u201calways
wanted to do this stuff\u201d. In contrast, Bella(?) and Brady were interested in get back into acting
after being involved with theatre in high school, while Lauren(?) found a new ways to
experiment with the craft, deciding to try her hand at script writing on the team compared to
returning to acting as she originally intended. Similarly, Paige considers herself a \u201cseasoned
actor\u201d, yet decided to work in a tech position for the first time, hoping to gain good experience
relevant to her dream careers of screenplay writing and movie directing after graduation. In
every way, each saw this as a great opportunity to not only explore their interest in theatre
further, whether for hobby or career related aspirations, but also to simply have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


These varying backgrounds yet shared friendliness and enthusiasm for the craft and each other
contributed to the overall cheerful and harmonious character of the team. Anyone speaking with
the group as a whole can plainly see the genuine camaraderie they share as they playfully joke
and offer sincere praise and support with one another. Even Bekka noted the unique chemistry of
the team, relating her negative experience with improv work: \u201c[At first], I didn\u2019t want to do an
improv group again, [since in one] I did a while ago, they [the team members] were very, very
talented, but they did not love each other. They did not take care of one another. It was every
man for himself. But this has never happened here [with Baloney]\u201d. With such a considerate,
lively team, Bekka and the Brigade were able bring about \u201cLaugh on Earth\u201d in about two
months, jumping into opening night on November 10th .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that night, the team would be lying if they said they weren\u2019t nervous, especially within the
smaller, more intimate setting of Room 307. As Joey mentioned, \u201cOpening night is always kind
of a rough one. Not like in terms of quality or performance but in terms of our emotions and
feelings. It\u2019s always going be the worst the first time you see that crowd, the first time you\u2019re
actually doing it [in front of an audience]. I\u2019ve never done anything that is this close\u2014every
performance has been on stage\u201d. Yet, in performing in front of a live audience, many of them
described the experience as confidence-boosting, such as Sydney mentioned how her
nervousness in performing a certain monologue in her role as a barista Hannah in the sketch,
\u201cBaristas\u201d melted away in front of a live audience. \u201cI would always get hung up in the middle of
it, but playing in front of people, I felt so much better,\u201d she joyfully shared, reliving the moment,
\u201cI could hear people laughing!\u201d. The crew members behind the scenes also had their own time to
shine even in not being onstage, with Paige staying calm and collected in adapting to a technical
difficulty with the lights(?) right before the sketch, \u201cRetail\u201d. \u201cThe board, all of a sudden, turned
off and started restarting itself. There was flashing lights everywhere, but Paige kept so cool, just
waited and watched, and had it right at the cue! You wouldn\u2019t believe how quickly. I was SO
impressed!\u201d. In the end, the performance went on without a hitch, and the whole team was able
to \u201cget in the groove\u201d, so to speak, and face the next two shows with more confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In having this show under their belt, the Baloney Brigade has great hopes for future
showbusiness. Now that they have a good sense of their identity and style as a group, they not
only look forward to future shows at Miami, but potentially acquiring gigs in other places.
Furthermore, they are also open to giving workshops for writing and editing sketch comedies and
improv games. However, out of all of this, one of their greatest hopes is that they\u2019ll help Room
307 gain engagement from not only the other Miami campuses, but also the local community.
\u201cThis whole room, the whole idea is that this is a community space,\u201d Bekka elaborated,
\u201cEverything that we do here is open to the entire public, not just Miami people. This [Laugh on
Earth] just happens to be one of the very few activities I\u2019ve come up with that has had only
Miami people\u201d. In short, this means that anyone and anybody\u2014in and outside of Miami\u2014can
use Room 307 for any performance-related needs, something that had occurred in the past:
Bekka shared that the room used to host plays and community productions, but that waned when
COVID occurred and they gradually left community consciousness. This also contributed to the
decline of Oxford students using the space, something they hope will change since COVID has
passed. \u201cIt would be great [to have] a theatre company [where] we can say \u201cthis is everybody
from Miami\u201d, not just the Regionals,\u201d NAME shared. In getting the word out further with their
performances and drawing in interested parties, they also hope to fix the dated technology in the
room, such as the lights. \u201cI hear that so often from the kids that walk into this building: \u2018My high
school is better than this!\u2019\u201d, Bekka commented. As such, they aspire to somehow gain the money
to further develop the theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Yet, with the success of Laugh Out Loud, the team has a positive outlook on their future. Wth
the Baloney Brigade slated to return in 2023, they are certain to attract both audience members,
actors, and playwrights from Miami and the local community. Additionally, Miami Writes, a
MUR Theatre play development program devoted to the fostering and production of new plays by both students and local playwrights, is also planned to occur in the same semester on March
3 rd. For anyone interested in either of these events, Bekka encourages them to [INSERT HERE].
With the future looking bright, it is clear that the Brigade is here to stay, encouraging creativity
and laughter both inside and outside of Miami.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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