With a multitude of clubs at arm’s reach, it may be difficult to figure out which ones are the right fit for you. This week, we shed light on a club that promises they are “funnier than SNL!” The Brandeis Hoot sat down with Leo Farrelly ’24, one of the co-presidents of Boris’ Kitchen (BK), Brandeis’ very own sketch comedy group.
Farrelly describes his club as “Brandeis’ oldest—and only—sketch comedy club” where members meet to write and perform a number of different sketches. Farrelly was elected as co-president at the end of last year, but has been in the club since his freshman year.
The comedy group performs twice a semester in free shows available to the public. “Shows are the culmination of all of our work in rehearsal and writing.” Farrelly characterizes them as being similar to the format of Saturday Night Live, in which there are many skits that are performed back to back with short breaks in between. In the fall they hold two performances, one being “Old Shitshow,” which Farrelly describes as a “night where we take old sketches from years past and put them on again with a new spin.” It also gives the new members of the group a debut and a chance to shine. The second performance of the fall semester is called “Fall Fest,” where the group gets to showcase their new material for the first time! In the spring, BK holds “Big Show,” a production similar to Fall Fest which takes place in the second semester.
Most often, the club meets to rehearse and write in preparation for their shows. “We hold [meetings] a few times a week,” Farrelly states. Besides running through the sketches, the meetings foster lots of conversation and feedback—both related and unrelated—to the performances. The members also play warm-up and bonding games. “The bottom line is our meetings are just about us having fun,” says Farrelly.
One of the main challenges so far for Farrelly and his team has been recruitment. “We want to be able to keep the club alive,” he says, which can be especially difficult when asking members to audition for it. BK also looks to expand its writer base, as well as potentially putting on more events or shows or different lengths and themes. Additionally, the shows have high production value and require a stage with just the right lighting and sound setup. “We need to be able to organize all of that to get to the quality we aspire.” Like every other club on campus, scheduling and logistics also causes trouble for many of the members who lead an especially busy lifestyle.
“The best thing about [BK] is the people,” says Farrelly. “It is one of the most talented, most supportive, funniest and easiest groups of people to be around! Everyone is quick to help … and keep a good vibe going. It’s one of the best communities I’ve ever been a part of in my life.”
So, if you want to meet “a bunch of very talented and funny comedians working in tandem,” join Boris’ Kitchen! Farrelly and his team host weekly writers’ meetings Saturday at noon in the Village conference room. They will also perform their Old Shitshow on Oct. 20 in Skyline Commons, and are planning to hold another set of auditions midway through the year.
