Alert your friends. Send out a mass text reading "LOL" — Laughs of Love, that is. Cheap Sox Improv Troupe and Major:Undecided Sketch Comedy band together this weekend to lead the second annual Laughs of Love (LOL) Comedy Festival in support of Seeds of Peace, a charity which brings teenagers from troubled regions of the world together to teach leadership and mediation skills.
"It's a tour-de-force of sketch comedy, everything you hoped for and more," said senior Dan Casey, President of Major:Undecided.
The event began last year, as the brainchild of former Cheap Sox director Padden Murphy (Tufts '09), who was introduced to the charity through his work with the Institute for Global Leadership. The organization's first batch of counselors were trained at Tufts before working with students at the first Seeds of Peace camp — making Jumbo turf a fitting place to support the organization's continued efforts.
The festival features comedy troupes from other Boston schools, as well as two guests from outside the university sketch/improv scene. Groups from Harvard, Brandeis, Boston University, Boston College and Emerson team up with Tufts troupes and lend their own brand of wit and spontaneity to the shows.
"I'm most excited for people to see what other colleges and universities have to offer," said senior Ned Berger, the director of Cheap Sox. "It's always fun because you learn new games and techniques. We're always seeing the same faces at Tufts, and it's exciting when people get a change to see groups from other universities."
"The sketch and improv communities in Boston can be really fragmented," said Casey. "This is a really great opportunity to get those people together, groups you might not otherwise see."
Five shows are lined up between Friday and Saturday — a more condensed version of the original three-day program. "It was a little sprawling last year," said Casey. "We whittled it down to make it more efficient."
Berger emphasized that while the event may be structured a little differently this time around, the spirit of the festival will stay the same. Last year, LOL raised around $1,500 for Seeds of Peace, said Berger.
Major:Undecided will perform at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday in Cabot Auditorium of the Fletcher School. Cheap Sox will bring the laughs to Hotung for a long-form (20-30 minute sketch) show at 11 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, Cheap Sox takes the stage for three shows in three venues. Catch these and acts by a variety of opening troupes at 3 p.m. in Sophia Gordon, 6 p.m. in the Crane Room or 10 p.m. in Dewick.
The dance comedy group Casey calls "mind-blowing," Cocoon Central Dance Team, will make an appearance after traveling all the way from Brooklyn, NY on Saturday night.
One show doesn't sound like enough hilarity? "We've been told the sketches get even funnier the second time around," said Casey. Buy a weekend pass for $10 and let the laughs last longer.
Tickets for LOL are $5 per event and are sold at the door. All ticket revenue goes towards Seeds of Peace.
