If you’ve seen a ComedySportz show featuring Kennedy Allen, you most likely will have remembered it. This fierce woman never takes the stage half-heartedly, and has a singing voice that has blown the minds of more than one unsuspecting fan.* But unknown to most, this lady is also one of the geekiest players we have, able to spout out more than just a Sci-Fi references like they common knowledge. This makes her a wonderfully unpredictable player on stage and an all-around funny woman.
1. Your name and nickname: Kennedy “Aurora Borie” Allen
2. Your player #: 53
3. Year you joined CSz: 2007
4. High School attended: Central HS/ Martin Luther King HS
5. College attended: Mansfield University
6. Favorite CSz game: Blind Line Sing It!
7. Favorite memory involving a fan: Getting recognized at work by fans! Note: Kennedy is a fantastic tour guide in Philadelphia. You may have seen her on one of the trolleys.
8. Memorable show moment: Too many to recall!!
9. Interesting fact (or 2) about yourself: I know at least one song from every Disney animated classic feature film—seriously.
10. Voted Most Likely To… Fall on her face whilst attempting to be smooth.
*The incident in question is entirely metaphorical.
Meet Ju Chun Lee, one of ComedySportz High School League players at Lansdale Chatholic High School. In honor of our upcoming GameCon and inter-league match, we thought it a good idea to profile one of our shining stars in our H.S. League, a fast growing ComedySportz program that could be coming to a school near you!
1. What school do you go to? Lansdale Catholic
2. What Grade are you In? Lucky number 11
3. Why did you join the ComedySportz High School League?
To have fun and thought it would be a great chance to meet new people
4. Describe your favorite moment in a rehearsal or show.
After performing a somersault on rockhard ground my partner and I had to rewind and do a backward somersault BUT IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!
5. What’s your favorite ComedySportz game to play?
Freeze tag definately! Nothing can defy it’s random plot. Not even the performers know where the story is heading!
6. What do you want to be when you “grow up”?
I would love to be a musical actor/performer but a history teacher would also be fun!
7. Do you have any hobbies?
I enjoy writing songs with my guitar and piano, but playing sports such as football basketball and soccer is always fun!
Mary Carpenter has been with Comedysportz Philly from nearly the beginning and continues make audiences laugh over and over again. With the bearing of great female comedians like Carol Burnette, Mary can switch easily between playing your woman next door, or the eccentric crazy character. She also runs the ComedySportz Education department, helping to train the public in how to do improv and bring the funny.
1. Your name and nickname: Mary “I don’t know my nickname” Carpenter
2. Your player: #00
3. Year you joined CSz: 1992
4. High School attended: Radnor High School
5. College (and grad school) attended: Northwestern University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts
6. Favorite CSz game: Seven thingz (and old version of five things) and Quick Change
7. Favorite memory involving a fan: When a fan’s cell phone rang during a show and Ref Tom McManus took the call and got a suggestion from the person on the other end of the phone.
8. Memorable show moment: This Doesn’t involve me, but I remember one time a team giving clues for five thingz back in the days when we performed at the Bourse days. One of the elements to guess was the Kennedy assassination. The team reenacted it in hilarious detail including Jackie climbing over the back of the car. The guesser, Nicole Borrelli (CSZ alum), jumped up and down because she knew what it was. She guessed the location as a “Duck-shooting gallery.”
Another was at a CSz anniversary show when Jim (my husband) strutted out to promote t-shirts to the tune of “I’m too sexy for my shirt,” wearing a diaper and licking a huge lollipop. He then stuck the lollipop to his belly.
9. Interesting fact (or 2) about yourself: I know too much about Star Wars
10. Voted Most Likely To: Do the right thing.
This co-founder of ComedySportz Philly has been rocking the stage for nearly 20 years and has taught improv to hundreds (if not more). But it doesn’t stop there, Bobbi has been a dame around town, performing with improv favorites such as the former Lunch Lady Doris and Tongue & Groove. Plus, she’s got a head of curls that just won’t quit!
1. Your name and nickname: Bobbi “Chip Off the Old” Block; or “once around the” or “Mental”
2. Player Number: #12
3. Year you joined CSz: I’m one of the 4 founders of company in 1992 (I think)
4. High School attended: Cherry Hill West
5. College (and grad school) attended: Universiyy of Pennsylvania for undergrad; Villanova for graduate school
6. Favorite CSz game: Hmmm, hard to choose.. I like Chain Death Murder, Blind Line, 4 Cornerz, 5 Thingz, Beastie Rap, Musical Comedy, Foreign Movie…. so many!
7. Favorite memory involving a fan: When we were playing Advice Panel and a child in the audience asked a sincere question having something to do dealing with the recent death of his grandmother. The player (I forget who it was) stayed in character and answered sincerely—didn’t try to be funny—everyone in the audience recognized that the kid really wanted advice. It was very sweet and “humanized” the show for a moment. And then the players beautifully went right back to the comedy with a seamless segue.
8. Memorable show moment: The hordes of people cheering for us when we opened our show at the Adrienne Theater. There were Mummers playing, celebrity judges, Amish and Cow mascots, popcorn, hot dogs, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Tons of fans joined us on Sansom Street and then crowded into the space. It was so much fun and a great accomplishment for the company… and of course a great show that night!
9. Interesting fact (or 2) about yourself: I play drums in a samba band. Also, I’m the last remaining fan of ER.
10. Voted Most Likely To: Play ComedySportz until I’m 65. Or, most likely to get everyone to meditate and get in touch with their feelings before a match!?
This month, we are featuring 2 players – Eoin and David. You may have seen them perform to sold out houses in the Second City/Philadelphia Theater Company production of City of Nutterly Love this summer, or you may have seen David in the sketch trous Bad Hair and Eoin in some random M. Night Shyamalan movies. This month, they embark together on a high seas adventure! They have been hired to perform with Second City on a cruise ship for 4 months. Yep, 4 months sharing a cabin on a boat together. We decided to sit them down together to interview them. If this interview is any indication, it should be a very interesting 4 months!
1. Names and nickname:
Eoin O’Shea “can you see”
David “Kibbles n’” Dritsas
2. Player #s:
Eoin: 3
David: 37, I have more numbers because I’m funnier.
Eoin: Oh yeah? … wait, what?
3. Year you joined CSz:
Eoin: 2003
David: 2001. I was in the group two years before Eoin, so that makes me like a mentor to him.
Eoin: No, it doesn’t.
4. High School attended:
Eoin: The Urban High School of San Francisco
David: Cardinal Dougherty, from right here in Philly, not the “left” coast, like SOME people.
Eoin: Umm, Okaaaay…
5. College attended:
Eoin: The University of Oregon
David: Penn State, right here in Pennsylvania, not some foreign country like Eoin.
Eoin: Oregon IS in this country, dingus.
David: Ohhhh, Oregon. I’m sorry, sometimes I can’t understand his left coast accent.
Eoin: What? What are you even talking about?
6. Favorite CSz game:
Eoin: Quick Change
David: Anything Eoin is in.
Eoin: Awww, really?
David: Nah… I like Pick-a-Play the most.
Eoin: …
7. Favorite memory involving a fan:
Eoin: One night and an audience volunteer was playing Musical Replay and he stole a song from one of us. He just got swept up in the moment and sang. Mind you he had a dreadful voice but he sang, nonetheless. That is the power of what we do. Improv can take you to places you had no intention of going, and having the time of your life.
David: I love whenever we do “Day in the Life,” a game where we act out an audience member’s life. It makes them feel like being part of the fun without having to get up on stage. That game always puts a giant smile on the persons face, as well as the friends that are with them. That smile is what makes it all worth it.
Eoin: That’s a really nice way of putting it…
David: Plus, I’m really good at that game.
Eoin: Ug… I don’t know why I try…
8. A Memorable show moment:
Eoin: Two actually come to mind. First was when I played the Aurora Borealis. The other was sharing the stage with Jason Stockdale in a completely non-verbal scene, playing Four Corners.
David: Well, two also come to mind, but I will share just one because that’s what you asked for and I respect the rules.
Eoin: angry stare
David: So anyway, it would have to be time in a scene where I solved a problem in a scene by invoking a copyright violation on a player who was impersonating the Tasmanian Devil and I used the powers of international copyright law to resurrect another person in the scene he had just killed.
9. Interesting fact (or 2) about yourself:
Eoin: I live in almost constant fear that my “fly” is down. Also, I love to cook.
David: I live in constant fear of catching Eoin with his fly down. Now that we will be traveling together for four months, this fear has increased about 500%. Oh, I also like to cook.
Eoin: …Why did I agree to travel with you?
10. Voted Most Likely To…
Eoin: Try not to sound like a total dingus, but then realize there is only one way to do that. Don’t answer the question. Too late. Please don’t print this, or the part before or this part here. Dear God what have I done?
David: You’ve said “dingus” twice now. Doesn’t that kind of make you one? Oh, and I’m voted most likely to be a smart-a••.
Eoin: I hate you, I really do.
