The Bell
Silver Trophy for The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen
This past weekend campus improv group The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen (STM) indulged themselves with a little change of scenery. Instead of performing in Jenks 237, their venue of choice, the group traveled to Boston to participate in the 10th annual College Comedy Festival and Beanpot Tournament hosted by ImprovBoston.
From February 19-21 the troupe competed against 17 other improv groups in New England. The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen took home the silver trophy. MISSION:IMPROVable from the University of Massachusetts Amherst edged out STM by one point to take first place honors. This was not the Madmen’s first performance in Boston nor their first time as finalists—in 2013 the group won first place at the festival.
The competition grows substantially each year which allows for the participants to meet an increasing number of like-minded, humorous peers. Co-leader Andrew Farley ’15 cites the communal aspect of improv as a personal highlight. “One of the judges told us we were one of the most supportive teams he has ever seen and that he would love to play with us,” says Farley. “I never thought I could be part of a group that is so loving, supportive, and overall hilarious. We each bring unique gifts and talents to the table and after this weekend I realized how special this group really is.”
The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen, and their alumni [such as comedian Pete Holmes, host of the Conan O’Brien companion talk show The Pete Holmes Show], are beloved on Gordon’s campus for the laughter they inspire. So it wasn’t surprising to see several familiar alumni performers present in the Beanpot audience to support this year’s competitors. Dave Hanson ’14, a former member of The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen celebrated the performance on Twitter:
Also in the audience was Mac Gostow ’13. A three-year veteran of The Sweaty-Toothed Madmen, Gostow performed at the College Comedy Fest twice and is now a member of ImprovBoston and an executive producer of the festival. This year he was able to observe the Madmen from the other side of the table and he could not be more proud.
“Sweaty Tooth never fails to impress me,” says Gostow. “I hosted the finals this year and the group unraveled a 5-minute tale featuring hilarious characters and scenery they developed using their bodies as inanimate objects and jumped back and forth between these worlds seamlessly. When Andrew Farley threw back the curtain to reveal a piano and accompanied Alvarado’s power love ballad, I started weeping—partly for how much I miss performing with the troupe and partly because the whole thing was so ridiculously beautiful.”
Stay tuned for details about upcoming shows from your Sweaty-Toothed Madmen by following them on Twitter @SweatyTooth or Facebook! Rumor has it they’re planning a joint show with first place winners, MISSION:IMPROVable, sometime during April.
By Rachel Kauffman ’15 Communication Arts