The UVic Lampoon, the University’s new comedy club, isn’t just giving students a night off to laugh; according to its co-founder Alistair Ogden, the club is filling a void.
“Obviously we have a range of perspectives at UVic, and you can bring in speakers and do projects, but with comedy . . . the fact that things are funny and entertaining makes them accessible to a much wider audience,” Ogden says. “It’s good to just get people like that into a room, sharing experiences and laughing together.”
One evening last summer, Caitlin Holm, a theatre student and co-founder of the UVic Lampoon, and Ogden went to an improv night and felt inspired to write their own comedy. Thus the UVic Lampoon was born.
The club posts regular articles and humour pieces on their Facebook page and plans to host different comedy events once a month for the remainder of the year.
“We figure we’ll give [the audience] as many different comedy experiences as possible,” says Ogden.
Now comprised of 10–12 writers, actors, and filmmakers, The Lampoon put on its first comedy show on Oct. 13 in the Vertigo Lounge in the SUB. The event was a smashing success — Ogden estimates there were around 100 students squeezed into the Lounge.
“We actually ran out of seats,” Ogden explains. “It was fantastic . . . [the audience was] very accepting and willing to laugh.”
Along with the Vikes Improv Club and the humour page of The Martlet, The UVic Lampoon is giving students another a place to share experiences, take part in comedy, and share a good laugh.
“Comedy takes a more concentrated effort than people might think,” says Ogden. “It’s actually quite difficult to get a comedy show [together] and to get a following. Number one, because it’s difficult to be funny and, number two, because you really need to build and cultivate an audience.”
Thanks to the large turnout and donations from their first event, Ogden hopes to create a hard copy of the Lampoon at the end of the year, with the eventual goal of an annual publication.
For now, the Lampoon is focusing on their next event on Nov. 3 at the Vertigo Lounge. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the show starts at 7:15 p.m. This show will sport some wacky and fun styles of comedy (including a puppet show and a video sketch by Out to Lunch, a group of UVic students and alumni).
Myles Anderson, the recent semi-finalist of the SiriusXM Top Comic Competition and, as Ogden describes him, “a fantastically hilarious comedian . . . [and] a real up and comer,” will be headlining the event.
The Lampoon is a new club, and is looking for feedback on how students want to engage with comedy — in the new year, they plan to host an open meeting to see what students want the club to take on and how students want to be involved.
For the moment, anyone who is interested can submit. The only thing they ask, Ogden says, is “that it’s funny.”
Anyone who is interested in contributing articles, writing sketches, or helping at events can email uviclampoon@gmail.com.
