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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Sit-Down Tragedy fills stand-up comedy niche on campus

11.10.09.arts.sit_down
11.10.09.arts.sit_down

Few groups on campus can claim to have once considered going by names like "The Half-Eaten Cookies," or "The Tim Goldberg." But Sit-Down Tragedy, a student comedy troupe that appears to have found its own niche on campus less than two years after it was established, is not exactly your typical club.

"Because the other performance groups on campus had whimsical, witty names like Casual Thursday and Dog Day Players, we decided we needed one too." Angel Castillo '10 said.

From a wit standpoint, at least, the current name is an upgrade: Originally called the Dartmouth Stand-Up Comedy Group, the troupe was founded by Fred Meyer '08, and first met at India Queen to practice stand-up. In winter 2008, the group was awarded recognition from the Council on Student Organizations. Castillo has served as the group's president since winter 2009, when the group assumed its current name.

Whereas Dartmouth's two other major comic performance groups, Casual Thursday and Dog Day Players, are improvisational, Sit-Down Tragedy members write their material ahead of time and perform individually, Castillo said, making the group a unique addition to the Dartmouth campus.

"We are something different," he said. "We don't see ourselves competing with other groups."

This term, for the first time, Sit-Down Tragedy has a large, stable membership.

Kenny Baclawski '12 said that, although this is the first year the group has been a "legitimate organization," the group has a natural constituency on campus.

"We have no auditions, and there's no commitment either," he said. "[But] we naturally get people who are interested and come to meetings every week. These guys actually all want to perform."

While they all share a desire to perform, however, Sit-Down Tragedy's individual members each have their own varied comedic style, group member Kate Sullivan '13 said

"It's so interesting to see how different we are," she said. "I find all of us really hilarious. I would never listen to science comedy, but I find [fellow member Benji Kessler '13] hilarious. It's a really great experience."

After just two years on campus, the group already has recognition among incoming freshmen.

"When I first learned that I was coming into Dartmouth, I was looking for a competitive speech and drama group, but I saw [Sit-Down Tragedy listed on Dartmouth's] Wikipedia page and I was like, Aw man, I gotta join this,'" Amber Lehman '13 said. "So I've actually been a fan for quite a while not in an obsessive way or anything."

Richard Lange '13, meanwhile, said that Sit-Down Tragedy provides an outlet for him to fulfill his high school aspirations.

"During the last year of high school, I would watch Comedy Central and think, Wow, that seems cool, and I wish I could do that.' At Orientation, I saw Sit-Down Tragedy and I thought, My God, they actually do that here?'"