Streak Play the Cat with a St. Patrick's Day Twist

Oberlin Review staff rock and roller Tyler Kord was able to catch up with the eve- active Primitive Streak. In a sharp-witted showdown of grotesque proportions, Kord faced off against masters of humor senior Greg Pierce, first-year Paul Blanding, sophomore Jon Chernaik, senior Ariadne Votava and juniors Aurora Nealand, Simone Perrin, and Jane Blaney, extrapolating on everything from politics to playing with balls.

Tyler Kord (TK): So let's talk about Primitive Streak. How long have you guys been around?

Greg Pierce (GP): Its been about 12 years now...

Jon Chernaik (JC): But no one really knows that. Every year we just say its been about 12 years.

TK: But doesn't the group have a history?

Aurora Nealand (AN): It does, but it's written in scrolls in a language none of us have studied.

JC: Yeah, it's in French.

Simone Perrin (SP): I know they actually used to streak at the shows - back in the day.

Paul Blanding (PB): Yeah, but everyone looked better naked 12 years ago, so we don't do that anymore.

TK: OK, so this whole improv comedy thing - basically, its like, you guys could be doing sketch comedy which would show that you're funny, but you want to know people to know you're funny and you kink thick, I mean think quick?

Jane Blaney (JB): Quick thinking is (pause) definitely a part of it, but it's more about collectively making things that are improbable come together-that's where the humor comes, from seeing like a penguin and (pause) a friggin' president have a coherent conversation.

TK: What do you guys do in rehearsal then, if it's improv?

GP: Well, different games use different parts of our brains and bodies and if we want to make scenes as a collaborative brain and body, that when we use rehearsals to figure out how to collaboratively think...and exercise.

JC: Also sometimes we play with balls.

The family's all here: Primitive Streak eagerly awaits their St. Patrick's day show at the Cat. (file photo)

SP: We don't play with balls.

There is a moment of extreme tension in the group. Paul's tummy rumbles and the tension is broken.

TK: So you do different games and things?

GP: We're working on a game now where everything in the scene has to follow a certain rhyme scheme...

JC: While we're playing with balls.

Aurora takes Jon out back.

GP: ...but we do some alphabet games and some music games as well as the old favorites like "Freeze Chain" which is a sort of freeze game.

JB: We're always coming up with games and trying them out, too. Sometimes we do games that are specific to Oberlin. We used to do a game called Hall Council which was cool.

GP: Then, for some reason, that game got really boring.

JC: It's just fun to workshop games and sit around and tweak 'em 'till they work.

TK: Cool. So you guys do different shows?

JB: Yeah, sometimes we have different themes for different shows. Last semester we did an End-of-the-Millennium Show.

GP: For the St. Patty's Day show we are going all-out Irish.

PB: We're giving away a pot of gold to the best suggestion.

GP: The goal is that by the end of the show everyone'll be sweating green.

SP: It'll be a bunch of stuff we haven't done before...there'll be some world premiere games-never seen before.

AV: Except in Ireland.

Aurora brings Jon back in and uncuffs him.

TK: OK, so the next question is, can I be in Primitive Streak? And that's not a general "how do I audition" question. Can I, Tyler Kord, be in Primitive Streak?

GP: Can I work at Wilder info desk?

JC: You could be in the Harem.

TK: You guys have a Harem?

JB: Yeah, it's mostly for relaxation after long practices. Its not a very big commitment.

AV: And you can get winter-term credit.

SP: And QP.

TK: So what's the future of Primitive Streak? Aren't a bunch of you guys graduating?

SP: People always graduate, there's always more people comin' in.

JC: It's an interesting turnover, when I first joined the group there was one woman and, like, 10 guys and now it's 50-50 male/female.

PB: Not including the Harem.

JB: There's always a changing dynamic, though. People come in with all different skills and abilities and the group just keeps changing. Its really exciting how the group keeps on going.

TK: Well, the hockey team ended. We only had 2 games this year.

GP: We don't play a lot of hockey in our scenes, so I think we're safe for a while anyway.

TK: I'm glad you guys are just that strong. So, you have auditions every semester?

GP: Yeah, generally. We treat the auditions as a sort of improv workshop, so people come in in groups of ten or so and we just work on really basic exercises and scene skills for about an hour. Primitive Streak plays games with the auditioners, so it's really more like Thanksgiving than an audition.

AN: Yeah, sometimes people come to the auditions just to play.

AV: Sometimes they come because the other plans that they had that night didn't work out, so they just do improv instead.

TK: Hmm...what do you guys say to the accusation that you are not funny?

GP: I usually say something like, "uhhhhhh..."

JC: When we do that long enough it actually makes a pretty strong point.

TK: Do people expect you to do funny things a lot? Because I came in here expecting a funny interview.

PB: And look what you got instead.

TK: Yeah.

JB: Sometimes people remember things you did in shows and want you to recreate them. I did a scene one time with Michael Jackson and a chocolate Easter bunny on the set of Double Dare. That can be awkward to re-do on a sidewalk in front of the Feve.

TK: So what's up next for Primitive Streak?

JC: We should all go to Stevenson.

TK: How about in the near future?

GP: We've got that St. Patty's day show at the Cat on March 17th. We're also working on getting a WOBC slot so that we can do an improv radio hour with mysteries and stories and all sorts of props that make noises.

JC: Like a ball, for instance.

GP: ...After break we're doing a Streak-a-Thon where people pledge money by the game and then we give that cash to charity. I guess after that we'll just take it as it comes.

TK: Because that's the way improv works, right?

GP: Yes, Tyler.