A semester full of humorous moments, comedic mess-ups, rethinking jokes, and satirical brainstorming sessions culminated in WashU’s premiere sketch-comedy club’s — Kids On Campus’ (KOC) — annual performance. Featuring 21 different sketch-comedy acts, a live band rocking record-breaking hits, and a full-fledged production team and crew, the show was a theatrical and electrifying production that left the audience wishing for more. 

Before the production kicked off for its opening night on Nov. 21, groups of students packed the hallways that surrounded the Village Black Box Theater, hoping to secure a seat inside the small and crowded venue. First-year Emma Hait described the wait as thrilling.

“It was fun waiting for the show to start. We all camped out in the hallway an hour and a half before [the show started]. I shared a pizza with some friends, and the energy was really great. It was full of anticipation,” Hait said.

The following two shows saw the same high turnout rate, with exhilarated students patiently waiting for juniors Nico McEvoy and Hannah Gallin — the club’s head writers — to usher them through the doors. 

Both McEvoy and Gallin were first-time directors and head writers, stepping away from the role of an actor to embark on a new comedic journey. Feeling out-of-place with the title upgrade, McEvoy said, “Neither Hannah nor I have ever directed before. It feels weird, looking at the playbill and seeing the title ‘Director.’ It doesn’t feel real.” 

Tasked with writing and staging the production, the pair reflected on the path to reaching a finished, polished, and well-rehearsed show. The first step, Gallin said, was to “read about 70 different sketches that people submit, then … decide on the best 12.”

Writers were then asked to produce second and third drafts based on the feedback, before running the sketches on stage. “Once they’re put on stage, [we] can figure out if the line was really funny, or ‘no one laughed at this part, [so we] should cut it,’” Gallin said. 

The sketch that was the clear fan-favorite over all three evenings was the group’s first-ever musical performance — inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” — titled “Until Death Do Us Part.” The star of the number, Juliet, was played by sophomore and first-time KOC member Bella Knadjian, who artfully transformed the solemn play into a comical showdown.

“Two of our writers and actors wrote this musical based on the classic play, and it’s really complex and funny [to act in],” Knadjian said.

Audience member Teddy Basa, a first-year, couldn’t agree more.

“The writing and dedication was insane. The fact that [the group] wrote an entire ‘Romeo and Juliet’ musical and put it on is pure talent. I couldn’t rave about it more,” he said.

The cast and writing team’s dedication to comedy is what brought their sketches to life, but behind any great artist are those who inspired their journey and craft.

“Ben Schwartz is my favorite comedian. I love watching him do improv. As much as possible, I try to improvise silly moments on stage and try to embody his craziness,” Knadjian said.

Gallin, a die-hard fan of the classic sketch-comedy show SNL, credits the show for inspiring her to join KOC.

“Now that I’m director of the show, I’ve [continued] to watch SNL every single weekend, trying to make sure I’m using [it] as a reference to the best of my ability,” she said.

On the other hand, McEvoy looked to past members and the upperclassman that inspired his KOC journey: “Drew Fabian, Tara Lindenbaum, Peter Michalski, Logan Shimberg, Margaret Dresselhuys, Zito Zito, Max Church, and that’s just to name a few,” he said.

Kids On Campus is the talk of the town as students prepare for a long and arduous week of finals. Aside from viewing the group as just funny, McEvoy hopes to hear chatter about all the hard work that goes on backstage.

“It’s not just the people who write, but the people who are part of our production crew, [who] make our props, control sound and lighting, and run stuff on and off stage [to set up sets]. They are just as critical to the show as the writers and the actors are,” McEvoy said.

Gallin hopes people noticed the tight-knit community that has been created through KOC and shared by the entire cast and team.

“I’ve been in it for two years now, and the people involved are some of the most like-minded, collaborative, and encouraging individuals I know. I feel very lucky to be a part of Kids On Campus, and I hope [the audience] recognizes that,” Gallin said.  

The group’s show was one-of-a-kind, with innovative performances, exceptional talent, and laughs to last a lifetime. Even if you missed it, you’re likely to hear lingering jokes and references to the sketches for the rest of the semester. But make sure to bring all your friends to their next performance — and prepare them for the Kids On Campus campout to get into the theater — to watch this skilled group of comedians and actors perform.