Chowdah
| Chowdah Sketch Comedy | |
| |
| Founded: | 2004 |
| Recognition: | ABC |
| Membership: | 10 |
| Executive Board: | Gabe Miner, director Matt Kantrowitz, producer |
| Category: | Performance |
| Website: | {{{Website}}} |
| Contact: | {{{Contact}}} |
Chowdah is a sketch comedy group. Chowdah has performed at Caroline's Comedy Club, the 2006 Annual Brandeis Sketch Festival, the West End, and various locations on the Columbia campus.
Contents
History
Chowdah was founded in Spring, 2004 by Uri Weg, Matthew J. Wilstein, and Dave Verbitsky. On April 27, 2004, it performed its first show at The West End. The group performed at off campus locations until it gained recognition from ABC in November, 2004.[1]
The Name
The choice of the name 'Chowdah' remains a mystery to all, including the group's founders who claim not to remember. Guesses that it is a reference to the Simpsons episode, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" have been denied.
Students of Color Stage Ejection
In Spring 2006, Chowdah was invited by the Barnard Office of Multicultural Affairs to perform a show at a Students of Color Days on Campus event. The show was performed on April 22, 2006 and ended with the sketch "A Whole New World... of Paranoia and Airport Security" (video of different performance can be seen here), which featured Aladdin and Jasmine trying to board a magic carpet but being detained by airport security on the basis of racial profiling. Upon hearing the line "Ooh, you better watch out Patty, this mother fucker is almost a burnt sienna", event organizers stepped onto the stage and ordered the performers to end the show. Chowdah was paid in full for the event and the incident is generally looked back on with much fondness by members.
Current members, as of Fall 2007
- Matt Kantrowitz - Producer / Writer / Actor
- Gabe Miner - Actor / Writer
- Justin Grace - Actor / Writer
- Michael Grinspan - Actor / Writer
- Sammy Hansen - Writer
- Joe Kamien - Actor
- Nick Sanz-Gould - Writer
- Matt Shields - Writer
- Yelena Shuster - Actor
- Sasha Stewart - Writer / Actor
- Alex Symonds - Writer
- Elizabeth Varner - Actor
- Olivia Whelan - Actor
External links
References
- ↑ CU Clubs Fight for Funding, Approval, The Spec, 11/19/04.
