The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

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The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon

The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon

Peanut Gallery riffs on the theater of life

The founder of the U of C’s latest comedy group doesn’t clown around about becoming a fixture on campus.

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The founder of the U of C’s latest comedy group doesn’t clown around about becoming a fixture on campus.

Then again, the Peanut Gallery Players, which joins Off-Off Campus and Occam’s Razor among the University’s comedy offerings, doesn’t adhere to traditional clown expectations. Part improvisational and part scripted, the troupe wants to bring a theatrical edge to clowning and become part of the University Theater community.

“Clowning, for me, is anything goofy and out of the ordinary,” second-year founder Fred Schmidt-Arenales said. “[It’s] exaggerated from what a normal person will do in everyday life.”

Schmidt-Arenales hopes to make use of unorthodox clown attire and performances, and in the process bring a new definition to the word ‘clown.’

Imagine a dinner scene where the dinner table is on a seesaw and a couple and their waiter must try to keep the table balanced. As the waiter pours a glass of water, the table tips to one side. To counteract the shift in weight, he must quickly pour a glass of water on the other side of the table. In an abstract way, the scene becomes a juggling act.

Schmidt-Arenales hopes to use unconventional scenes like this to perform typical clown acts. “Our style is clowning,” he said, “and our method is a community-based, learning, explorative type of group.”

Though the group is still in its infancy, Schmidt-Arenales plans on showcasing the group’s atypical clowning style during University Theater Day later this quarter.

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