Fruit Paunch
Fruit Paunch is Columbia's oldest student improv group, formed in 2003 when Six Milks and Two Left Feet merged. One of the founding members, Jenny Slate, went on to become a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2009-10.
Annual shows include the "Formal Show" in the winter and the "24 Hour Show" in the spring, which regularly appears in Spectator's 116 Columbia Traditions. Fruit Paunch members have also traditionally been involved in the Varsity Show, XMAS! A Secular Spectacular!, Latenite Theater, CMTS, and KCST. Some members of the group were also involved in the creation of the musical sketch group Prangstgrup.
Contents
Membership
2012-2013 members
- Venice Ohleyer (CC '21)
- Maya Winkler (CC '22)
- Christian "Chrispy" Palomares (CC '22)
- Shayan Hooshmand (CC '23)
Former members
- Jenny Slate - Saturday Night Live ('09-'10), creator of Marcel the Shell
- Colin Drummond
- Addison Anderson
- Sarah Dooley
- Mike Molina
- Tobin Mitnick
- Caitlin Shure
24 Hour Show
Fruit Paunch is famous for its annual 24 Hour Show, in which members perform improv for 24 straight hours. Attendance famously wanes from hour to hour, yet the quality only steadily decreases. The players can be found in Lerner or on the Sundial over the course of the performance.
Web site
Prior to 2011, Fruit Paunch's website has only contained the text "Someone owes me $20. -Cody". This message was posted by Cody Hess, SEAS '06, who was listed as their official webmaster and member of one other campus improv troupe, Klaritin. He claims that this was done in retribution for the group's failure to compensate him for his service as webmaster. According to members of Fruit Paunch, Cody never specified whether he wanted payment in cash or check, which is why he was not paid.
For the time being, the group's Group Web site is up and running.