Cayuga Community College’s student theatre troupe, Harlequin Productions, will bring laughter to the stage this fall with its production of Jest Desserts, a collection of comedic sketches debuting this week at the Auburn Campus.
Directed by Bob Frame, the production features short skits reminiscent of popular late-night television shows like Saturday Night Live. The show, written by Rich Orloff, will be performed at the Bob Frame Black Box Theatre, starting Thursday with additional shows on Oct. 25-26 and Oct. 31-Nov. 2. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
“We’ve had Jest Desserts on our list for a while, and this fall we finally had the right cast to bring it to life,” said Frame. “Comedy can be a unique challenge for performers, but this cast has been adapting well and doing a fantastic job.”
Unlike a traditional play or a series of one-act performances, Jest Desserts offers a fast-paced format where students jump between sketches with minimal time to prepare for each new character. Frame compared the experience to classic TV shows such as Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, where quick scene changes and a wide array of characters keep the audience engaged.
“Comedy pushes students to explore different aspects of performance, and this format allows them to really experiment with their characters,” said Frame. “It’s a fun challenge for the cast, and they’ve embraced it with enthusiasm.”
The cast includes students Louis Araujo, Connor Barrigar, Cameron Bouchard, Amy Card, Hope Campbell, Thomas Higgins, Riley Kimball, Kronous Panek, Alex Reuter, Kylah Rossbach, and Jane Sullivan.
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