Tempe Late Night is the newest addition to the ASU comedy scene. While most of the comedy troupes have a focused skill such as improv or sketch writing, 'Tempe Late Night' does it all.
Colton Loving, a senior studying English and Latin at ASU and Tempe Late Night's president, said the show is a production run by students with many different skills.
"Tempe Late Night is a variety show that features the comedic and production talents of ASU students," he said. "Every Monday we showcase stand-up, sketches and improv comedy in the late night format, filming all of our content for online release. Every show is hosted either by a member of the club or by a guest that we invite. All of our content is written, performed and recorded by members of Tempe Late Night."
This Monday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus, Tempe Late Night will be presenting a flip show for their season three finale. That is, the crew members of the show will perform on stage and the performers will be working behind the cameras calling the shots.
There is quite a bit of preparation that is done for each show, but Loving said preparing for the final show has been just like any week.
"Preparing for our finale has been roughly the same as preparing for the rest of our shows," he said. "The most amount of work that needs to be put in is for the sketches, so pitching, polishing and practicing those has been our number one priority. With the semester coming to an end, everyone's classes have been taking up more of their time but we're a big club and when some people aren't able to put in the time in any given week there are always others who step up."
Raina Bowers, a senior studying film and the show's director, is normally working behind the cameras calling 'action.' However, this week for the flip show she will be the host. Bowers says she is tentative about stepping on stage.
"I'm extremely nervous about hosting this show," she said. "I'm very comfortable behind the scenes and haven't been in front of a camera or on a stage in a very long time. I also just don't wan to screw it up. Our cast and writers are so talented, and they always do such an incredible job so I want to do it justice."
Preparing for the show this week has been much different for Bowers. Bowers said the way she gets ready for a normal week's show has to do with filming and not performing.
"This week has been weird for me because normally I'm at the meetings looking at everything from a production side," she said. "You know, what is feasible to be caught on camera and how the blocking will work for framing, etc. This week I have had to think from that point of mind as well as what content I personally want to put in the show. Normally I don't really have a hand in the content. I don't want to touch what the writers are so good at. And also, every day has been more and more nerve-racking."
What happens behind the scenes is only half the battle, though. Every week, the show is filmed in front of a live audience for real-time laughs and reactions. Tiana Gaudioso, a regular attendee of the shows, has been going since season one.
"The show is absolutely amazing," she said. "The cast is hilarious and each show is so new and fresh that I know each week is going to be even funnier than the one before. What makes TLN so wonderful is the connection it has to the community of ASU. The ability they have to relate to their audience on so many levels is what draws people in, especially with their younger audience and the humor and stories they present. With the live show they have an element that other troupes on the campus don't quite have, one that keeps people coming back since they also get to be a part of the finished product."
No matter what will happen on Monday, the show has accomplished quite a bit this third season, Bowers said.
"This third season has really been a turning point because it was our first semester with most of the original members gone and a cast that is almost entirely new," she said. "We really have achieved a level of organization, professionalism and proficiency to where we can put on a comedy show without having to worry about our members being accountable. Everyone knows what to do and we all work so well and in harmony. It's a fun and seamless show."
For those who cannot attend the finale show, videos of the performance will be uploaded to the 'Tempe Late Night' YouTube page two weeks after the show.
Reach the reporter at rebunnin@asu.edu or follow @rebunning on Twitter.
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