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Home » Resources » COTA » Articles » Through the Eyes of Comedy

Through the Eyes of Comedy

Written by: Ardella Williams
Graduating Class: 2010
Concentration: Undecided

Fall 2006

Ashley Woodside, Katrina Johnson, and Kyra Watts pose for the camera before their first performance of the year begins.
Photo by Angelicia Morton

After a long evening of studying, I made my way to the basement of the League for what would be a wonderful treat. The lights were dimmed, chairs were set in rows, and a camera was being prepped for action. Tonight was the night. It was Images of Identities' first full performance of the year. I had already met a few of the members and was excited to see what they had in store for the crowd. Would they dazzle me? Would their skits be funny? Are they really good and worth my time? These questions continued to pop in my head, but soon my thoughts scattered and focused on the group of girls shrieking in joy and hugging one another. I could feel tonight would be a night to remember.

"The show will begin in 5 minutes. Are you ready?" Katrina Johnson asked excitedly. The crowd yelled with enthusiasm. Katrina did a little pop and twist of the hips and walked off the stage. Justin Timberlake's hit song "Sexy Back" roared from the speakers and got the crowd dancing. People were talking, laughing, dancing, posing for the camera, and having a great time. Then the lights dimmed and Katrina walked on the stage. "We are Images of Identities! We have a great show for you all. Let's introduce everyone." After Images gave a quick introduction, two hip hop dance groups, NVR Flo and Climax, performed two separate routines that got the crowd energized. Then the show we all had been waiting for began.

Jasmine Roberts and Athena Chukwu are ready for the show to begin. Ta-da!
Photo by Brandi Davis

Recently, Images inducted 4 new members into their group to equal a total of 10 members. In 1991, a group of African American students within the university created this group as a serious acting troop to educate others of the discrimination happening around campus. Now, Images has developed into an improv-comedic group that continues to educate others of unfair minority situations, school related activities and college life in general. Anyone is welcome to join: their membership is quite diverse. Performers major in a variety of studies, such as pre-medicine, pre-law, business, engineering, and theatre.

With their next two performances approaching quickly, Images practices once a week for 2 hours. They rehearse scenes that they would like to perform during the performance, but they do not script their scenes. Instead, when they do get together they use their time to see if the scene is funny and if they are getting their point across to the audience.

James Kelly III is dressed as a character from a popular television show. Work it sister!

Before each performance, Images huddles and chants, "We ready, we ready, we ready for ya'll" to get all their nervous energy out of their systems. It helps them rock the performance because they become balanced. When they finish a show, many members usually feel relief and sense of pride, but it does not stop there. After each show they get together and give their honest opinions on the show in order to improve.

When asked what they would like to tell students about improv and what they want the audience to leave with, junior James Kelly III answered, "Many people assume improv to be funny, but it's a trial and error art. Don't expect it to be sure hilarity. We try to aim for funny, but we would like you to think then just laugh. Attempt to put yourself within the scene and feel the moment. Whether we are portraying a student, a Greek, or a television character, it becomes more than funny if you try to learn and understand who the character is."

Catch Images' Next Performance:
December 7 at 8:30 pm at the League Underground, admission is FREE
To join the mailing list, e-mail images@umich.edu

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