@ va Have an idea for a story? M arts@theotherpress.ca (¥ Crowded Bookshelf: One for the history books (¥ Finding the Laugh Jedi And more! Learn and laugh with the DSU Comedy Club > New club promotes and practices comedy Caroline Ho Arts Editor Fk budding comedians, masters of witty one-liners, and anyone who enjoys funny things, this new club at Douglas might be for you. The freshly formed DSU Comedy Club aims to foster the appreciation and performance of comedy, providing an opportunity for members to develop their own comedy skills and enjoy the welcoming company of fellow fans. The club meets every Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the DSU building, room 328. Their meetings consist of activities such as watching skits and shows by professional comedians, playing improv games, and having open mic sessions where people can practice their own routines in front of the club. They kicked things off with their inaugural meeting last Thursday, October 19. Carter Grenier, the club’s president— although he joked to the Other Press he prefers the official title of “Supreme Leader’—said he hopes to eventually have the club putting on actual shows in front of public audiences, though he doesn’t expect they'll be ready for that until late into second semester at the earliest. For now, the aspiring comedians have plenty of opportunity to hone their skills at meetings. Grenier told the Other Press that he decided to start the club because he felt like it was one that every school needed. “I thought of it as a staple that a university should have, a comedy club, so I was really surprised when [Douglas] didn’t have one, something that I was really looking forward to,” said Grenier. The only solution, he felt, was to create the club himself. Grenier said he doesn’t have any experience performing comedy, and he expects that most or all of his club members dont either. However, he said he believes anybody has the potential to be funny—all it takes is timing, subverting expectations, and good delivery. This accessibility makes comedy, and by extension the Comedy DSU COMEDY CLUB Watch! Practice! Club, inherently very inclusive. “I think comedy by its nature is welcoming and open. And comedy makes fun of everybody too—everybody—and so it’s very open in that regard,” he said. However, he also wants to stress that people absolutely do not have to do comedy themselves to join the club. Although they are of course encouraged to participate in games and open mics if they wish, newcomers are more than welcome to simply come to the Satisfy your ‘Kurlos'‘ity > Cirque du Soliel’s Vancouver show wows Katie Czenczek Staff Writer his year’s opening Cirque du Soleil performance encourages you to run away to the circus and unleash your inner child. Kurios is based on the “cabinet of curiosities” of Renaissance Europe. These cabinets held a wide array of objects— which, during that time, were yet to be categorized. These eclectic collections of gadgets, gizmos, and stuff found in the natural world included anything from dragon’s blood to real animals that Europeans did not have names for. These collections became what we know today as the modern museum. Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios takes this idea as the basis for its story. According to Cirque du Soleil’s website, the show's storyline follows “an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him.” On his journey, he encounters deep-sea creatures that contort in unimaginable ways, a three- foot, three-inch tall woman named Mini Lili, and a variety of other fantastical and interesting characters and scenes. Saying that the Cirque’s props are key to its show this year would bea complete and total understatement. A record 426 props are used during the two-hour show. This is the most that the Cirque has used in one performance during its entire 35 years in business! ———=. The costume and set design have influences of steampunk that set the atmosphere. Depicting a fictional era where robots meet with the power of steam engines, the Cirque creates one of the most iconic set and costume designs I have ever come across. Performers wear gramophones as hats, submarine Cirque du Soleil: Kurios promotional image parts as body armour, and accordion- inspired hats and bodysuits. This adds to the overall concept of being in an entirely fantastical world that modern day viewers would know nothing about. What I particularly loved about the show is how music is incorporated into every act. Their live band plays Image via DSUCCL meetings as audience members. “Not everybody wants to do the comedy, but a lot of people still like to laugh. Who doesn't like to laugh?” he said. Fore more information on the club and details on how to contact them, the Comedy Club is listed on the DSU website's club directory and on the DSU app, and newcomers are always free to drop by and give it a try in room 328 on Thursday evenings. in the background while the Greek singer Eirini Tornesaki appears in different locations all over the stage. The acrobatics, drumming, tapping, juggling, and even yo-yoing all follow the rhythm of the music that ties it all together— transforming it into a performance, rather than just a bunch of flips. It causes you to fall into the rhythm, which makes it all the more enticing as you watch— and listen—for what is to come next. The acrobatics will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s both terrifying and exhilarating watching the performers launch themselves across the stage. Kurios delivers on its promise of defying the laws of space as the acrobats jump from impossibly high heights, managing to flip and twist and live to tell the tale. My personal favourite involved a giant fishing-net-turned-trampoline and several of the most daring sea creatures you ll ever have the chance to witness. Moreover, just as any good circus would have, there are some hilarious skits involving an invisible circus and a not-so professional ringmaster. It is refreshing whenever the skits play out and helps to break up the more dramatic set pieces. At this point of the performance, there is an interactive portion where one lucky audience member is able to join the ringmaster on stage for further laughs and giggles. Kurios is in town until December 31 at Concord Pacific Place, so make sure to get tickets soon because they sell out fast!