Auditions for WeSNL, the University’s newest sketch comedy group, were held on Saturday, Feb. 7 to search for interested students with a great sense of humor. The group’s aim is to put a new twist on the television show “Saturday Night Live,” and to combine its premise with University events. WeSNL plans to release a video segment each week to display campus-related news and sketches on its upcoming YouTube channel.
Peter Cornillie ’15, one of the creators of the group, explained the need for the group on campus and where the idea for the group originated.
“So last year at the end of spring semester, someone put around flyers for WeSNL,” Cornillie said. “[It was] not my idea. I emailed them and said that there are people who want to do this. Fall semester comes around [and] I email them again, but they don’t email back. So I said ‘fuck them,’ I’m going to make this happen. So I see this as a guardian angel who comes down, gives us an idea, and disappears.”
According to Cornillie, the members of WeSNL are what will make it successful.
Charles Martin ’16, a student from Australia, aims to bring a different comedic twist to the group.
“I hope to add accent and sketches written from a foreign perspective that would give a much more global appeal to our group,” Martin said.
The greatest appeal of WeSNL is the opportunity for a variety of talents and passions to shine. Auditions were held for actors, scriptwriters, and filmmakers. Peter Hazel ’16 attended auditions in the hopes of getting back into acting.
“I acted for four years of high school,” Hazel said. “I’m a spring transfer from the University of Virginia, [and] actually, I did not act there; this is the first time I’ve been acting in a very long time.”
WeSNL is hoping to set itself apart from the many other comedy groups at the University by playing on overlap from the television show that shares its name.
Adi Slepack ’16 talked about her managing role in creating the group.
“I take part in writing and producing sketches and would say I’ve also taken on somewhat of an organizational role,” Slepack wrote in an email to The Argus. “I designed the posters, have been encouraging stricter scheduling, and helped organize/run auditions.”
Slepack spoke about how thrilled she was to have the opportunity to make her comedic writing available to the public.
“I’m most excited about making some really awesome web content!” Slepack wrote. “Until three weeks ago, I had never had a sketch that I’ve written become a real, acted out thing, and that felt pretty cool. I’m also excited to make some new friends and have a collaborative community to work with.”
Slepack mentioned a few details of the first comedy sketch, something students should definitely take a look at.
“It’s about how awkward the obligatory ‘How was your break?’ conversation can be,” Slepack said. “It gets kind of goofy.”