John Mulaney. Tiffany Haddish. Michael Longfellow. Comedians have been performing at The Comedy Attic for years. And, as of this Thursday, IUs own Full Frontal Comedy has joined the ranks of those popular entertainers.
The Comedy Attic in downtown Bloomington is very different from State Room East at the IMU where the comedy group typically performs. Senior Kyle Rassel has been performing with Full Frontal Comedy since his freshman year but it’s not his first time performing at The Comedy Attic. Thanks to the open mic nights hosted every Wednesday, Rassel has performed stand-up on that stage multiple times and is aware of the differences the space brings compared to performing at the IMU.
“It is different, it’s not necessarily just college kids, you know, sometimes it’s older people since you have townies and stuff like that. And so, they have this whole different perspective that they’re coming to it with. They might not get all the references so you kind of have to make yourself more widely comically available,” Rassel said. “This is a little bit out of our comfort zone. But we’re improv, we’re kind of the king of coming out of the comfort zone.”
No member seemed uncomfortable when the show got started. Starting with a short sketch about the IU football team and then jumping into their typical improv performance, Full Frontal Comedy had the audience laughing from the moment they stepped on stage.
For Full Frontal members, performing at the Comedy Attic is a chance like no other.
“I mean, it just shows that people are interested in what we have to offer. You know, enough that a business is willing to invite us in and let us perform for them. It’s just the fact that they see us and are like ‘Hey, you guys can make people laugh.’ It’s validating,” Rassel said. “And it also gives us the ability to share that with more people which is another great thing.”
Audience participation was the name of the game for this performance, as it is with any improv show. Sophomore Katherine Stalmah, who’s been performing with Full Frontal Comedy since the start of her freshman year, knows that when it comes to improv it’s all about working with what the audience gives you.
“Although we have played the games we will play on stage before, the content is totally new every time and inspired by audience suggestions. So, in essence, audiences will decide for us what they will see with their suggestions,” Stalmah said.
And nobody gave more suggestions than Tom Gutzwiller. Gutzwiller, who attended his first Full Frontal performance on Thursday, was a favorite in the audience after being called on so many times it felt like he too was a performer. Performers asked Gutzwiller specifically for suggestions and would often encourage the audience to cheer for him between improv games. “It was fun,” Gutzwiller said.
Musical improv was a main part of Thursday’s show. Occasionally accompanied by Full Frontal Comedy member Marcus Pennisi on the piano, performers sang everything from drinking songs about cheese to musical ballads about how great it is to have a job that pays you.
Full Frontal Comedy brought a little bit of everything to their performance which is exactly the kind of comedy that Jonas Schrodt, comedian and employee at The Comedy Attic, likes to see coming through the space.
“It’s bringing new people in. It’s something other than just a regular stand up. And it’s involving students,” Schrodt said. “It’s just a variety, which I think is important. And involving more of the kind of comedy culture in Bloomington, instead of just the stand up, we’re getting more integrated.”
Though the Comedy Attic has a wide selection of popular comedians to fill their event calendar this year, Schrodt it hopeful that this isn't the last time IU comedy fans see a student run comedy group grace that stage.
To watch future Full Frontal Comedy shows fans can check out the groups Instagram. For those who would like to try their hand at improv, auditions for the group on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, times and further details can be found on Instagram.
Editor’s note: An IDS arts editor, Gino Diminich, is part of Full Frontal Comedy. He was not interviewed for this story and was not involved in the editing process.
