Bengal News West Reporters
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| Ricky Needham |
In September, NBC kicked of its
39th season of the popular variety show Saturday Night Live, but at SUNY
Buffalo State the laughs start 24
hours earlier.
Friday Night Live, better known as
FNL, takes place in the
Donald Savage Theater on the Buffalo State campus and provides entertainment to not
only students, but anyone in the community looking for some laughter.
“We provide our show every Friday
night, and it’s a safe alternative to drinking and partying,” said Ricky
Needham, a senior theater major at Buffalo State. “It’s open to the public, so we draw in
a lot of people from the community.”
Buffalo’s West Side isn’t known for
is its comedy scene, but FNL could be changing that.
“It’s nice because people can let
off some steam after a long week and just sit back and enjoy the show,” Needham
said.
For West Side residents there aren’t that many places to go
for live comedy that's free of charge.
“It’s nice to finally have
something to do out here that’s free,” said West Side resident Jeremy
Kroll. “It had me in tears,
I’ll definitely be back next week and after tonight I would go even if it cost
money, the casts and skits are too good.”
In 2007 Buffalo State unveiled the
brand new improv show, but you would have never known it.
“It’s changed so much, back when we
first started we used to draw in like 15 people a night but now we get around
200 every night,” Needham said.
Growing crowds is a testament to
the format of the show, which keeps performers on their toes at all times.
“Nothing is [prepared], it’s all
off the top of our heads,” Needham said. “If an actor is too comfortable with
whatever scene they’re doing it won’t be as funny.”
For Needham, getting into comedy
wasn’t the original plan. He originally intended on coming to Buffalo State College
as a music major, but after getting denied entry from the department after his
first audition, he had to make a sudden change in plans.
“I got into the theater department
kind of by accident,” Needham said. “I had to kind of scramble, and figured I’d
just do theater for a year, and just re-audition.”
It’s performers like Needham that make FNL so
successful. But improv isn’t something performers are classically taught,
making the experience not only rewarding for the audience but for the
performers as well.
“FNL has been one of the best
opportunities for me to explore improv and improve my acting,” said Jesse
Tiebor, a junior in the theater department and first-year FNL member. “It’s more than just doing something
for a laugh or nailing a pun; it’s about telling a story with humor in a more
organic way.”
Tiebor, like Needham, agrees that
FNL is something that will continue to grow and have a positive impact on the
community for years to come.
“FNL is great for the local and
[Buffalo] State community,” Tiebor said.
“It’s free, it’s funny, it’s engaging and is great alternative to
sitting around or going drinking."
