Campus improv group’s first show a success

By Al Stover
Eagle Life Editor
easterner.eaglelife@gmail.com

Stan and Larry were putting together Ikea furniture and reading instructions in Swedish when they were invaded by Carl, a Swedish-speaking alien who accidently shot out Stan’s eye.

Stan and Larry were played by Jared Reyna and Chris Clark while the alien and other sound effects were voiced by Alex Kwamina using a microphone.

This is one of several scenes the Damn Dirty Apes improv group acted out at their first show in the lounge at Morrison Hall, Feb. 15. The group, comprised of Clark, Reyna, Kwamina and Marjorie Loosmore, performed in front of nearly 100 audience members.

The group opened the show with the game “Yay, Boo,” where the audience came up with a word and one actor would say a good thing associated with the word and the audience would cheer, while another actor would say a bad thing associated with the word which would cause the audience to boo.

Other improv games the group performed were “Props,” where the actors grabbed a random object and created a scene, and “World’s Worst,” where the audience would come up with situations and the actors would come up with the most inappropriate things to say.

Although there were some rough moments during the first couple of scenes, the group was able to get good pegs from the audience.

“The beginning was a little rough with ‘Yay, Boo,’ but it progressively got warmer,” Loosmore said. “We got good feedback. The crowd, I loved them.”

In addition to taking suggestions from the audience, the group brought volunteers onstage. One game had teams of two actors hit on the volunteer by forming a pick up line, one word at a time.

Another game they played with volunteers was “Pillars,” where Loosmore and Clark had two audience members sit next to the stage. While they were performing a scene set in Detroit, one of the actors would stop mid sentence and look to the volunteer to provide the next word for their sentence.

EWU student Jake Helm was one of the volunteers for the “Pillars” game. For Helm, the experience of joining the actors in the game was fun and interesting.

“I pretty much did [it] for the ‘What the hell, might as well try it once and see what happens,’” Helm said. “Every once in awhile they would point at me and I was thinking ‘I don’t have anything in my head.’”

Sara Guerra was one of the audience members who enjoyed the group’s performance on stage.

“I feel like they work really hard and have a lot of confidence to stand up in front of all [of] these people,” Guerra said.

After the show was over, the group thanked the audience for attending as well as the crew for helping them.

For the group’s first show, Reyna was surprised but excited to see the large turnout for the group’s first show.

“People were digging us,” Reyna said. “They were laughing at what we were doing. I’ve had three years experience of being on the stage. I haven’t been on the stage in almost two years. I miss it.”

For the future, Reyna said the group is looking to get a set location where they can have a bigger audience and host shows every month.

Francisco’s Valentine’s Day show engages and enthralls audience

By Al Stover
Eagle Life Editor
easterner.eaglelife@gmail.com

“Let’s go.”

This was the phrase Rudy Francisco had the audience say before he began one of his poems.

Francisco is a spoken word artist and poet from San Diego who was brought in to perform at the PUB MPR by Eagle Entertainment, Feb. 14.

Francisco immediately engaged the audience by having everyone in the back seats move to the front tables because he needed their energy. He then recited two short poems, one titled “I Believe.”

Francisco also performed “Dear Starbucks Girl” and “Scars/10 Things I Would Like to Say to my Ex Girlfriend,” which was about a girl he used to date. He also shared a poem about what he would say to his high school self.

Other pieces Francisco performed included “A Letter to Chris Brown” and “My Honest Poem,” which he penned after he realized he was writing for glory rather than writing for enjoyment.

“It got to the point to where I was performing, and I stopped and thought, ’Whose voice is it?,’” Francisco said. “It doesn’t sound like mine.”

In addition to reciting his poems, Francisco talked about the first time he performed on stage. He had attended an open mic night with some friends who had signed him up to perform without his knowledge.

Francisco also shared his experience of winning the “Last Chance Slam” in Virginia and placing first at the 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam tournament. Although he had won the tournament, he had stopped writing after listening to critics who had said he did not deserve to win the title.

“It’s hard to win something that big because then you feel like everyone is watching you,” Francisco said.

After some words of encouragement from past champions, Francisco wrote a poem about a kid named Javier he met in the fifth grade who had a pet chameleon, also named Rudy.

Keeping with the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Francisco’s last poem was a love poem. Prior to performing his last poem, Francisco had a challenge for members of the audience who aspired to be writers like him.

“If you want to be a writer, I challenge you to write something,” Francisco said. “For those who already write, I challenge you to get on stage and perform.”

EWU student DeVonte Howard is a spoken word artist who has watched Francisco on the Internet. For Howard, it was “surreal” for him to watch someone he followed perform right in front of him.

“You feel the energy through the screen, but when it’s live it is a different situation,” Howard said. “He interacts with the audience and tells a story.”

For student Arianna Chamberlin her favorite part was the way Francisco was open to sharing his life experiences with the audience.

“It wasn’t just someone standing up there speaking. He had passion,” Chamberlin said.“It kind of inspires you to reflect on what happens [in life] and it kind of makes you want to write something.”

In addition to the EWU students, Han Wu and Tai Jade Kliebphipat, members of Gonzaga’s women’s golf team, drove to Cheney to watch Francisco perform. For Wu, her favorite part of the performance was the love poem Francisco performed at the end.

“It was really good” Wu said. “His raw emotion, … it really hit me. It was worth the drive.”

Although the crowd was small, Francisco felt the energy from the audience. He hoped that the audience took away that poetry is for everyone, even for people who do not think they are poets.

“No one can do your voice like you,” Francisco said. “So there’s always a market for you because there’s someone out there who’s probably going through similar [experiences], and it’s important to let people know what you’re going through. A lot of times they see what you’re going through and it’s similar to what they’re going through and they feel like, ‘This is okay.’”

Local businesses host weekly games

By Al Stover
Eagle Life Editor
easterner.eaglelife@gmail.com

Surrounded by half-full glasses of Batch 19 beer, EWU student Jaime Mahoney and her six teammates huddle together as they try to answer questions like, “What is the chemical name for laughing gas?”

Mahoney is one of several EWU students who plays trivia at The Basement on Thursday nights. The Basement is one of three Cheney businesses that offer free trivia to their customers.

The Basement

The Basement, located on 315 First St., has trivia every Thursday night at around 9:30 p.m. According to Al Pjosek, the general manager who also runs trivia, the bar began hosting trivia last spring quarter and has had an increase in customers every Thursday night.

“Some nights it takes a hit when events [like the Carrie Underwood concert] happen, but we usually get the after-crowd,” Pjosek said.

For the game itself, there are three rounds with two additional bonus rounds. Teams are given slips of paper to write their answers while Pjosek announces the questions, which also appear on the projector screens above the bar and on the right wall.

Despite the echo of pool sticks cracking against the cue ball and the increasing chatter from the other patrons, Mahoney and her teammates, known as the “Harlem Shake Weights,” played through each round with little trouble.

Mahoney began coming to trivia after reading about it on Facebook. She enjoys The Basement’s casual atmosphere.

“It’s really relaxed,” Mahoney said. “Sometimes trivia can be stressful.”

There is around a 20-minute break in between rounds. This is a chance for teams to engage in conversation.

Brett Dustin is one of Mahoney’s teammates. Although the questions were difficult, he also enjoyed The Basement’s casual atmosphere.

“It’s kind of serious, but people aren’t cutthroat about it,” Dustin said.

Eagle’s Pub

Across the street from The Basement, Eagle’s Pub has trivia every Tuesday and Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. hosted by Ryan Jensen. Despite the pub serving hard alcohol, minors are allowed to come in and compete in trivia.

The game consists of 10 categories with three to four questions. Categories range from general topics like animals to specific subjects like “Breaking Bad.” If teams are struggling to come up with answers, they can wait until a random person blurts out the right — or in some cases wrong — answer.

Once the round is over, Jensen hurries from one table to another and deals out raffle tickets for correct answers. In between rounds, Jensen has a raffle for prizes and plays music. Teams win bonus points if they guess the songs correctly.

EWU student Zack Ranck has been playing trivia at Eagle’s Pub for a year. In addition to it being fun and competitive, Ranck likes the pub’s open space and Jensen’s style of hosting.

The Mason Jar

The Mason Jar, located next to Eagles Pub, holds trivia on the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.

Unlike The Basement, The Mason Jar’s trivia night, which started three months ago, allows for customers of all ages to play. It only has one round with specific categories, each with five questions. Players are given a sheet of notebook paper to write down their answers.

Rachel Cervas, who studies exercise science, had intended on doing homework until her friends brought her to The Mason Jar trivia night.

“It was fun,” Cervas said. “I liked learning things that I don’t know why we would know, but everyone else seems to know. I [also] liked the team atmosphere.”

Beth Robinette, who is the trivia master at The Mason Jar, holds a glass of red wine in her hands as she reads the questions to the teams. When the round is over, teams switch their papers and mark correct answers. As friendly trash talking between teams fills the room, she stands on a chair, reading the answers from her MacBook.

For Robinette, The Mason Jar’s trivia night is an alternative for families who want to relax and bring their children with them. Being trivia master also gives her a chance to “ham it up.”

“I like being the center of attention,” Robinette said. “It’s my favorite part about iShare this: