Fishbowl Improv celebrate the holidays with upcoming show

Samantha Wilson
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 02:39:25 +0000
Arts & Life, News, christmas, Columbus, comedy, fishbowl improv, hanukkah, holidays, improv, ohio state, student organization

The cast of Fishbowl Improv will host their end of the year holiday show on Wednesday night. Credit: Courtesy of Jackson Donaldson

The holiday season is still a finals week away for many students, but that won’t stop a student improvisation group from kicking off the season a bit early.

Fishbowl Improv is holding an end-of-the-year show to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and the end of classes at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Hitchcock Hall.

“We want to set this as a standard for years going forward,” Jackson Donaldson, a fourth-year in electrical engineering and Fishbowl’s president, said. “We want to set the tone that we’re about to be done with finals and that we’re about to be on break, and that it’s a happy time.”

Some students might remember previous end-of-semester shows like the one held in the Baker East p-space, but this show has pulled out all the stops.

“I think people are happy to, for just a couple of hours, not have to study and can just laugh,” Donaldson said. “It’s really good for your mental health, [and] it’s a really good stress-reliever.”

The show will be a chance for students and performers alike to sit back, relax and laugh while forgetting about their upcoming finals for a few hours.

“Nothing is held back,” said Jacob Grove, Fishbowl member and third-year in computer science and engineering. “The time that I spend [performing improv] is time in the escapism of it.”

The event will feature the lighting of a Christmas tree and menorah while performers play a variety of improv games and make light-hearted jokes about the holiday season.

This show will also feature musical improv. The group has brought back this aspect of its show this semester after a yearlong hiatus as it searched for a replacement pianist.

“It’s really cool, he comes up with songs and we just sing on top of whatever music he plays.” Donaldson said. “It’s a very unique skill to have.”

Their piano accompaniment is now supplied by Harrison Walsh, a fourth-year in chemical engineering and music. Fishbowl hopes to make it a staple of its comedy going forward.

“It’s very new,” Grove said. “It hasn’t become yet something that Fishbowl is known for, but it’s what we’re trying for.”

The show takes place in Hitchcock Hall 131 and attendance is free.