Comedy troupes join together for charity

One of the more popular activities among IU students is to take a night out and watch either Pumpernickel, Full Frontal Comedy or All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, Bloomington's three student-run comedy troupes. Thursday, a small but wild audience was treated to a show by all three.\nAll three groups teamed up and performed in front of a full house at the John Waldron Arts Center Thursday night for a show sponsored by Sigma Pi, with all proceeds going to Riley Hospital for Children.\nBy all accounts, the show, called "Laughs for Riley," was a huge success.\nLyndsey Tucker, a freshman, enjoyed being able to see the different groups all at one show.\n"It was great," she said. "It was really nice of the groups to get together and do this."\nBlake Bowen, a junior in his third year with Full Frontal Comedy, said that the success on Thursday was largely due to the different styles employed by each group.\n"It's great for the audience to see the different types of comedy ' long form, short form and sketch comedy," he said. "They get to see all three groups, and we, as performers can sort of feed off each other and make it even better."\nAs much as the audience enjoyed the show, everyone agreed that the kids at Riley were the real winners.\nKatie Elliot, a sophomore, said the show was amazing, but the important thing is that it was for a good cause.\n"It was awesome that they would do this for free for the kids," she said.\nBowen said that with all the support the comedy groups have received from the Bloomington community over the years, it's really important to give back to the community whenever possible.\n"It's nice to be able to give something back, and do this for the kids. We're all available for any charitable event like this."\nFor some performers, though, Riley Hospital is more than just a good cause.\nFrank Cecrle, a sophomore in his second year performing with Pumpernickel Improv Comedy, said that he knew personally how important Riley Hospital is.\n"I had a young cousin who needed surgery, so this kind of hits close to home for me," Cecrle said. "It really feels good to be able to do this for them."\nWith the success of Thursday's show, everyone agreed that this would not be the last "Laughs for Riley."\nThe Riley Hospital for Children, located in Indianapolis, has been a leader in pediatric care since it opened in 1924. It is the largest intensive care children's hospital in the nation. They've recently teamed up with the Indiana University Hospital and the Methodist Hospital to form Clarian Health Partners.\nRiley was unable to comment on Thursday's show.\nAnyone interested in becoming a volunteer, or learning how they can help the Riley Hospital for Children, can call (317)274-8682.