2008 Woodie Awards
Cool Whip spreads the laughs
Natalie Johnson, Opinions Editor
Issue date: 11/21/06
Last Updated: 12/26/07
As finals draw near, many students will be in need of fun and relaxation. Whitworth's improvisational comedy troupe, Cool Whip, will be performing twice in December, offering the perfect opportunity to kick back, laugh and forget about homework for a while.
During each Cool Whip performance, the group's actors, or "players," play games and make up scenes on the spot, incorporating plenty of humor and audience participation.
"This kind of theater has been around for a long time," senior and Cool Whip director Stephany Jeffers said. "A lot of people compare it to the show 'Whose Line is it Anyway?'."
Jessica Liles, the only freshman in the eight-member group, was new to Cool Whip this year.
"Coming in this year as a freshman on the team, I was pretty nervous, but after the first show I was addicted," Liles said. "Cool Whip is flat-out roll-around-on-the-floor laughing until-your-abs-hurt funny. Even as a player I find myself constantly bursting into laughter."
Over the years, Cool Whip has developed a large pool of games to pull from. The games they play are divided into six different categories: story games, guessing games, transformation games, physical games, musical games and jump-out games which use all one-line jokes.
"We focus a lot on physical activity," Liles said. "Jumping around, dancing, throwing each other around."
One of the group's favorites is a guessing game called Lejeu.
"It's French for 'the croissant'," Jeffers joked.
To play Lejeu, Cool Whip takes audience suggestions for three objects, which they then use to create a story while one player is out of the room. The player then returns and tries to guess the story and the three objects while the rest of the players act it out without using words. The group has a lot of fun with the game, and in turn makes it a big hit with the audience.
"If we enjoy it, you'll enjoy it," Jeffers said.
Not everything Cool Whip does is meant to be funny. Upon request, Cool Whip performs Buoul, a type of theater in which actors improvise scenes to raise awareness of social issues. In the past, Cool Whip has been asked to perform Buoul in dorms on campus.
During each Cool Whip performance, the group's actors, or "players," play games and make up scenes on the spot, incorporating plenty of humor and audience participation.
"This kind of theater has been around for a long time," senior and Cool Whip director Stephany Jeffers said. "A lot of people compare it to the show 'Whose Line is it Anyway?'."
Jessica Liles, the only freshman in the eight-member group, was new to Cool Whip this year.
"Coming in this year as a freshman on the team, I was pretty nervous, but after the first show I was addicted," Liles said. "Cool Whip is flat-out roll-around-on-the-floor laughing until-your-abs-hurt funny. Even as a player I find myself constantly bursting into laughter."
Over the years, Cool Whip has developed a large pool of games to pull from. The games they play are divided into six different categories: story games, guessing games, transformation games, physical games, musical games and jump-out games which use all one-line jokes.
"We focus a lot on physical activity," Liles said. "Jumping around, dancing, throwing each other around."
One of the group's favorites is a guessing game called Lejeu.
"It's French for 'the croissant'," Jeffers joked.
To play Lejeu, Cool Whip takes audience suggestions for three objects, which they then use to create a story while one player is out of the room. The player then returns and tries to guess the story and the three objects while the rest of the players act it out without using words. The group has a lot of fun with the game, and in turn makes it a big hit with the audience.
"If we enjoy it, you'll enjoy it," Jeffers said.
Not everything Cool Whip does is meant to be funny. Upon request, Cool Whip performs Buoul, a type of theater in which actors improvise scenes to raise awareness of social issues. In the past, Cool Whip has been asked to perform Buoul in dorms on campus.
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