The Transcript

Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News

The Babbling Bishops perform in the Stuy Smoker. They recently collaborated with Kenyon's comedy group, Fools on the Hill, with the proceeds benefitting Covalent Immunology Foundation. The foundation is working on finding an AIDS cure.

Guests at the Babbling Bishops show during AIDS week got to see the first collaboration between the Bishops and Kenyon College's improv comedy troupe, Fools on the Hill.

Proceeds from the show, which was held in Chappelear Drama Center, went toward the Covalent Immunology Foundation. The foundation sponsors a medicine that has been proven to kill AIDS-infected cells in laboratory mice.

Senior Jake Barnett was in an improv troupe in high school with one of the members of Fools on the Hill and connected with him to bring the two groups together. The show raised over $500 for the foundation.

Junior Becky Brinkman said she was happy to see a good turnout at the show, even though admission was charged.

"We were thrilled to make a big splash on Facebook and nearly sell out Chappelear," she said. "We especially appreciate that our loyal fans didn't mind paying for a show they'd ordinarily get for free."

Sophomore Dave Ordosch, who is in his first year with the Babbling Bishops, said the money would be used to fund human trials with the HIV medicine.

"It was great to see that so many people were eager to support this new research that has the potential to make AIDS a thing of the past," Ordosch said.

Brinkman said it was very different performing with members of another troupe, but the show worked well because the two troupes could accept and improvise with each other on stage.

"You can have an awesome scene with someone you've never even met," Brinkman said. "That's really the beauty of improvisation. You can fake the steamiest chemistry or the oldest friendship or the bitterest animosity just by accepting and adding onto whatever your scene partner says. It helps when you have history with the actor standing next to you, but less than you'd think."

Ordosch said the two troupes talked about collaborating again sometime soon.

"So many improvisers doing what they do best at the same time is a very exciting experience," he said. "It feels great knowing that there are students from other places who share the same passions that you do.

"After the show we agreed that it would be really cool if we kept this new relationship going, and that maybe next time the Babbling Bishops would visit Kenyon and perform at their school."

Ordosch said the experience he has had with the Babbling Bishops is the "coolest thing" he's done while at Ohio Wesleyan, and that he never thought he would become a member of an improv comedy troupe.

"I can't think of a greater group of people to run around Stuyvesant Hall with, screaming at the top of our lungs and scaring the residents or just actin' a fool with on Saturday nights in the Smoker," Ordosch said. "It's very therapeutic! I'm proud of what we do, and it's great knowing that we make people laugh and feel good, if only for an hour."

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