While many IU students may think of university groups like Full Frontal Comedy or Boy in the Bubble when discussing Bloomington’s comedy scene, there are so many other outlets for comedy in town. One of these outlets is Fabuloso Comedy, an improv comedy group made up of current and former Bloomington residents.
Nile Arena, one of Fabuloso Comedy’s performers, said the comedy group has had quite a bit of experience when it comes to Bloomington venues.
The improv comedy group had its first official practice Nov. 13, 2016. The group held its rehearsal at Rhino's All Ages Club, a performance venue and youth center in Bloomington. This venue would become the “home base” of sorts for the group’s practices until it closed in 2019 to become what is now Stageyard Apartments.
Fabuloso Comedy’s first performance was in February 2017 at a Bloomington venue called The Void. In October that same year The Void announced it would officially close the space by the end of the year. The time on its lease had run out and the building was being demolished, according to the group’s Facebook page.
This constant shift in locations, however, has made Fabuloso Comedy more grateful for the space it currently has to perform at, Blockhouse Bar in downtown Bloomington.
“We've been very lucky to have the Blockhouse be kind of our primary, although we've done shows elsewhere,” Arena said. “We've been so lucky, and we hope that we don't go three-for-three where, you know, the Blockhouse gets filled in for some, you know, asphalt terrain.”
Fabuloso Comedy is comprised of four members including Arena. Lewis Rogers, Addison Rogers and Laura Stockwell make up the rest of the group of Bloomington residents. David Britton and Walker Ray are no longer part of the group, though Ray, who has since relocated to Chicago, does occasionally perform with them.
But for some Fabuloso Comedy members, the improv group isn’t the first time they’ve performed together. Before starting Fabuloso Comedy, Arena, Ray, Lewis and Addison were all part of another comedy group called the Trickle Down Effect, which performed in the Frangipani Room at the Indiana Memorial Union and primarily specialized in improv comedy.
When they eventually formed Fabuloso Comedy, their first big challenge was coming up with a name. Each member was tasked with coming up with a list of names they could pitch to the group. They all agreed they didn’t want a pun or joke that they thought was funny in the moment to negatively impact the group later down the line.
“We're all pretty aware of the legacy of improv that's bad, even before you give it a chance,” Arena said. “I think Fabuloso sounded the least like something we would have to, like, sigh deeply before telling our friends to come check out.”
Addison said another reason Fabuloso Comedy was a popular name within the group was because there seemed to be a lot more comedic avenues that went with it. With a more general but fun name, the group isn't locked into any specific style of improv comedy.
Like any group of longtime friends, Fabuloso has a lot of personal history that they draw from and use in their comedy. This allows for a very comfortable form of improv that they use on stage.
“Improv is all just a group mind thing,” Addison said. “I think there’s a similar sense of humor and where we're pulling from and stuff. We've certainly shared a lot of good laughs between us, both on what we enjoy and what we riff on.”
Fabuloso Comedy is excited to perform for crowds at the Blockhouse Bar. Part of the reason they love performing in Bloomington is how ready and willing people are to enjoy comedy, whether they’re seeing a group for the first time or they’re a regular viewer of the comedy scene.
The comedy scene in Bloomington sees a lot of overlap. Stockwell, who does stand up comedy on the side, has performed at the Comedy Attic’s open mic nights alongside IU students, including Jack Layden from Boy in the Bubble. This strong community motivates Fabuloso Comedy to keep going and working on their skills.
“Having people who are willing to come out and support us, like we've always had great crowds of people, it just feels good,” Stockwell said. “Bloomington is very supportive of all arts. I think everyone is very kind and wants everyone else to succeed. So, it's fun.”
Fabuloso Comedy will headline Bloomington’s first Improv Showdown at Constellation Studios on Feb. 28. To learn more about this event or the group, fans can check out Fabuloso Comedy’s Instagram.
