At the end of last semester, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted a variety of events, one of them being The Second City. It features a group of talented actors who do both sketch comedy and improv. The show was hands-down hysterical, yet I still have one complaint.

These actors are so highly trained that they can take anything and make it funny. When they ask for a suggestion, any word in the English language becomes a possibility, or when they ask for the name of a person, anyone who has ever lived now can be alive on the stage. Yet the same responses are given over and over and they are not pretty.

When asked for an object, the word 'dildo' was a suggestion in both shows, and there was one suggestion of a profession I would be too embarrassed to put down here. In fact, I have too much integrity to even utter such a phrase. Yes'it was that bad. One, it makes the university look bad and two, it is not funny, which makes the comedy suffer.

Sure, these words are funny when you are thirteen and sitting around in your parents' basement, but I did not see any basement. I saw a group of comedians that could go on to be the next cast of SNL, but instead had to entertain a bunch of immature college students by doing a scene about Ron Jeremy.

I have to say this though: I am not mad at everyone who came to the show. Many people laughed until they cried, but they did not yell out perverted things. In fact, one of my friends said that he liked the show minus some of the suggestions. I am writing this now in support of those people who felt embarrassed to hear some of the suggestions.

I must say that someone's persistent suggestion made me laugh very hard that evening, and it wasn't because it was acted out. It was because one of the actors yelled from the stage, 'We get it. You like pornography.' They totally made fun of that person and it was hilarious.

What I am saying here does not just apply to The Second City. The UD Improv Club does shows and people in the audience try to be the comedians. If you are interested in doing comedy, go to their meetings and learn how to be funny; otherwise don't say anything at all. You are just ruining it for the other people trying to enjoy themselves.

So the next time you go to an improv show, remember these three things: 1) they are the actors'not you, 2) dirty things are not always funny, especially in improv, and 3) have some maturity and grow up, because it is people like you who give others a bad name.

Michael Wode
Junior
Psychology