Hinman Production Company (HPC) is putting on their fall production of “Binghamton Night Live” this Thursday, Oct. 12 through Sunday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Hinman Commons.
“Binghamton Night Live” is a sketch comedy show written and acted by members of the HPC. This iteration of the show is the 15th installment in a long standing tradition of “Binghamton Night Live.” This production, subtitled “15 Minutes of Fame,” features 14 gut-busting sketches. From “weekend update” to plenty of Binghamton University inside jokes, the script has something for SNL lovers and BU students alike — a night full of laughter and comedy. The show takes place over the course of two acts, seven sketches each, separated by a brief intermission.
Jessica Knaster, a sophomore majoring in psychology, is an actress in the play. She described her time with the cast and crew as an exciting and amazing experience.
“My favorite part is the people,” Knaster said. “Although it’s a short period of time, you spend a lot of time concentrating on these people, and it’s really amazing being able to put together a show together with them, and create a lot of fun memories with them.”
The “short period of time” Knaster refers to was just over a month of rehearsal dates. In that month, the HPC team staged and memorized all 14 acts, after having written them the week prior.
“It’s a really quick turnaround,” Knaster said. “We don’t have a lot of time to prepare. So the time to memorize lines and blocking is very condensed.”
Despite this quick turnaround, the HPC is ready to hit their audience with a barrel of laughs on opening night. Knaster emphasized how important it is to the group that people are able to enjoy themselves for the night.
“I know there’s a lot of midterms and tests right now,” Knaster said. “We just want to allow our audience for a few hours to relax and immerse themselves, and be able to laugh and not stress about their daily challenges.”
Becca Ploski, stage manager of HPC and a freshman majoring in history, agrees with Knaster’s sentiment.
“Everyone in the cast and crew has worked really hard on this show,” Ploski said. “We just want everyone to have a really good laugh.”
It is Ploski’s first time getting to stage manage a production like this, and she shed some light on what that was like for her.
“I’m just proud of how I’ve evolved over the show and learning what to do as a stage manager for a show like this,” Ploski said. “Everyone has been really kind and really welcoming and given so much advice.”
The sense of community and friendship between the actors seeps into their work. As an audience member, it is easy to see that everyone on stage loves to bounce off of one another and understands each other’s comedic strengths well.
Katherine Quinn, a first-year graduate student studying English, agrees. Quinn wrote and acted in the show, and spoke highly of her time working on it.
“The best part has been playing off the other actors,” Quinn said. “Some of the funniest people I know are in this show, and getting to play off of them is always a very fun time.”
The staff of HPC feeds off each other’s energy, making for an amusing time on set. The artistic endeavors of HPC work to illuminate the importance of this type of student theatre. HPC provides students with a creative outlet, and it was clear they poured all they could into it. The acts brim with ingenuity, hilarity and absurd costume design. The passion every actor felt for making the audience laugh is evident — and the group enjoys every second.
Derrick Weisburd, a senior majoring in industrial and systems engineering, explained what this kind of production can offer students.
“My favorite part of the rehearsal process was seeing the sketch I wrote get staged,” Weisburd said. “It was so cool because it’s also something that’s never happened to me before. Just seeing something I put so much work into behind the scenes, seeing it on a stage exactly how I pictured it was a really cool experience.”
Weisburd echoed the importance of student theater on the University’s campus.
“Support student theater because it’s so crucial to this campus,” Weisburd said. “We all love doing this so much. Whether it’s an HPC production or something else you see around campus on a flyer, take interest in it and go support other students who are putting so much work into the creative process.”
Quinn made a case for coming to the show this Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
“I want the audience to be able to forget about their troubles,” Quinn said. “Come to ‘BNL’ and giggle for a while, because you can’t lead a horse to water but you can bring them to ‘BNL.’”
“Binghamton Night Live: 15 Minutes of Fame” will be performed from Oct. 12 to 15 in the Hinman Commons at 8 p.m. Tickets are $1, cash only.