The Fugees call themselves, “Marquette’s best and only improv troupe.” Although they have hosted several workshops, fundraisers and shows throughout their extensive history, there is one distinct tradition that separates them from any other groups on campus.
Although some clubs have initiation rituals, few have one as unique as Marquette’s Studio 13 Refugees; performing in a twelve-hour–long improv show.
From September 23 to September 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m, The Fugees could be found outside the AMU performing their annual initiation show.
“It’s like a right of passage, we call our new members New-Gees, and they are New-Gees for the full year until they complete their twelve–hour shows. If you’re not at the twelve–hour show, you’re a New-Gee for two years,” Cecelia Starks, co-president of the Fugees, said.
None of the members know exactly when the twelve-hour show became a tradition, but it has been commonplace since before all of their entries into the group.
“This past year I was a New-gee, so tonight is my baptism, I guess you can say. I’ve been looking forward to this for an entire year. I can’t wait to spend the next eleven hours with these crazy people,” Arik Zintel, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said.
The improv show consisted of several short-term improv games, often starting with an audience suggestion. A member of the team would ask the audience for an object, occupation, celebrity or major, and the team would then have to create a scene or a quip using the randomly assigned topic.
The games often have raunchy names such as “Sex With Me Is Like-” and “Pornshop” and rely on a quick wit.
Group members explained that the exhaustion from performing can sometimes be compounded by the situational complications that come with performing outside from night to morning.
“Last year there was just a man with bagpipes that started playing in the middle of our set. Just out of nowhere. Our teammate started dancing with him though, it got the juices flowing again,” Starks said.
Additionally, several Fugees arrived five hours after the official show started. These members are a part of Marquette Theater’s production of The 25th Putnam Spelling Bee.
“Half of us are doing something crazier than doing improv for 12 hours. These people are rehearsing until 11pm, coming here, and then going to another rehearsal tomorrow morning,” Starks said.
Zintel also had an early morning, having helped set up for Acatober Fest, and later performing at the event.
As the show progressed, members marked the passing of hours by presenting paper banners and subsequently running through them. The banners were sprawled with comical phrases and doodles, with the number of the passing hour placed in the middle.
But no matter how many banners were broken, the Fugees did not stop performing from night to day.
Matthew Read, a junior in the College of Communication, detailed his experience after officially crossing over from New-Gee to Fugee.
“It was really crazy, got pretty delirious at the end but it’s an amazing group of people. We just love doing comedy together so it just works. It is also the only way to go from New-Gee to Fugee so that’s really exciting,” said Read.
The new team will now be hosting workshops to help interested students get comfortable with improv and will return to hosting shows that are less than twelve hours long.
“This is one of the best communities I’m a part of on campus. Even if you’ve never done improv before, it’s definitely something to try out. It helps you grow because you have to get out of your comfort zone no matter what,” Zintel said.
This story was written by Clara Lebrón, she can be reached at clara.lebró[email protected]
