Group provides Comedy for the Masses

by Pat Mirrotto
For The Post

Anyone looking for a few laughs this weekend can find them through Comedy for the Masses, a local sketch comedy group.

Comedy for the Masses is made of Ohio University students and formed from members of Four Funny Guys and Matt, which disassembled last year after some members graduated.

OU senior Michael Busch said he wanted to keep the tradition of a comedy group alive at OU. He decided this fall to start Comedy for the Masses, a group of about 20 OU students, most of whom are freshmen. Comedy for the Masses writes its own material and focuses on sketch comedy. Video shorts and music also are part of its performances.

"We are just a bunch of kids having fun," OU senior Eric Moneypenny said.

The members imitate a range of well-known characters as well as original creations. Humor ranges from slapstick to Monty Python-esque wit.

Members say they enjoy how the material is free to evolve.

"The scripts are written to be expanded upon. No one person takes control," OU senior John Focke said. "Members seem to enjoy the looseness and work together to create new ideas and to build upon the old. "

OU freshman Lauren Bowman got involved with the group through friends who had joined. She said everyone is fun to be around.

"We're a family," Bowman said.

OU freshman Lehr Biedelschies said he loves being involved in the comedy group, and he enjoys the opportunity to express humor in new ways.

"It's one of the greatest things I've been a part of," Biedelschies said. “It is an outlet for all of the stuff I couldn't do in high school.”

This weekend’s show includes a variety of material. The audience should expect satire and spoofs of popular culture and current issues, including television, sex, holidays and childhood.

"If you enjoy sexually explicit humor and moderate swearing, then this is the show for you," said OU freshman Jessica Giffin.