'Full Frontal' offers more than just stand-up

Don't let the name scare you.\nThe members of Full Frontal Comedy, an IU improvisation troupe founded in 1994, do not perform sans clothes. The name, as it turns out, is more indicative of their brand of comedy.\nWith Full Frontal, every show is different, any topic can be funny and almost nothing is sacred.\nAnd unlike their shows, clothes are apparently optional in practice.\n"There's something to be said for complete, open honesty within an art form. The ability to strip down naked and do whatever you want is really strong," junior Sean Ellis joked with a straight face. "That's why I'm always getting naked at practice."\nFull Frontal practices about four hours a week, although the 75-minute shows are mostly improvised and audience-oriented, senior Tom Ridgely said. \nThe real story behind the troupe's name is a mystery to current members, they said. They have some ideas, but aren't all that concerned with the origin of their title.\n"I haven't spent any time rationalizing the name," junior Ian Martin said.\nEvery Full Frontal show includes a monologue, Chicago-style improv, games and suggestions from the audiences of the residence halls, Indiana Memorial Union, sorority and fraternity houses and Ben & Jerry's, to name a few.\nBut Ridgely said making people laugh is harder than it looks. It takes discipline and practice. He said it's a lot like playing basketball, or any other sport for that matter. The audience is like the other team's defense: you have to get a feel for how to make them laugh (to score), and to turn audience suggestions into "points." \nIn that sense, what makes Full Frontal good is not individual talent, but rapport between members.\n"We know what someone's gonna do before they do it," sophomore Erik Johnson said.\nIn fact, Full Frontal has no leader; rather, members alternate directing shows. This rotation usually does not produce drastically different shows, as the members have similar styles.\n"The more you're around someone, the more you start to think like them," senior Jeffrey Schwab said.\nGood improvisation starts with a foundation the audience can relate to, Ridgely said. If the foundation has been properly laid, "Stuff starts happening, and you really don't understand why," he said.\nSometimes the audience works with the troupe with their suggestions, rather than trying to stump them. \n"If (the audience) throws out 'dildo,' you know the audience is rooting for you, because they know you have something for dildo," he said.\nThe key, Martin said, is to get a feel for how far the audience is willing to go.\n"The audience provides the fuel," Martin said. "The biggest goal is to actually connect with the audience."\nThat's when great improv is possible, Ridgely said.\nThe troupe said they have been stumped in the past by such words as "cyborg" and "Dungeons and Dragons," but they usually manage to overcome it. The spontaneity is part of the fun, they said. \n"There's something about knowing this is being said for the first time, without any planning, and being said off the top of our heads," he said.\nFull Frontal Comedy holds open auditions every semester, and members are in until they graduate or quit for other reasons.\nJohnson and junior Amy Odgers joined in December as the 13th generation of Full Frontal Comedy. A generation is equivalent to a semester in the troupe.\nOdgers said she was surprised by how the show works, although she saw the show before she auditioned.\n"It's not so much about throwing out the jokes, but developing your scenes, which is a lot different than how I thought it worked," Odgers said.\nEllis compared their efforts to an action film, with scenes of high intensity and scenes of suspense.\n"A Full Frontal show is a lot like a James Bond movie," Ellis said. "We have moments of pure scene work, and then moments of comedy. Moments of high action, and we have different elements of humor."\nFull Frontal's next show is 8 p.m. today in the Georgian Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. Admission is free. For more information about Full Frontal, tonight's show or to book the troupe, visit www.fullfrontalcomedy.com.