By Ela Jalil
“A roof roof Sketchup, aroof roof Sketchup”
These words (or barks) start and end every show that the UMD Sketchup comedy club has, and is a term of endearment to new members. After 27 years, Sketchup continues to promise carefully crafted sketches aimed at entertaining their audience.
The University of Maryland might not be considered an arts school by many, but the comedy scene remains strong, with clubs specializing in everything from improv to stand-up.
“We’re all very much friends,” junior computer science major Nazneen Ansar said. “It’s just really cool to kind of be part of that community. And just share that passion for comedy.”
Ansar is currently the creative director of the club, and has been in Sketchup since her freshman year. As creative director she organizes the creation of the clubs semesterly show, and general management of the group.
Besides performing at NextNow, a festival at UMD that celebrates the arts, Sketchup holds a show at the Hoff Theater that showcases the work they have done all semester.
“Ever since I was a freshman. I feel like our comedy and sketch writing style and production quality have all steadily been increasing,” Ansar said. “I also think that the audience has been getting more and more larger and more interactive”
The show is something that can be enjoyed by all, no matter what their experience is with comedy. Olivia Power, a junior criminology major, is part of Maryland Night Live, another comedy group at UMD, and came to the show in support of the performers.
“I know it’s not very easy, but they’ve made it all look really, really professional,” Power said. “They just made a really good show and everything that was in it was really funny.”
The members are a tight-knit group, something that comes from meeting three times a week and getting together outside of club meetings to film content. The club performs both live sketches as well as digital content that allows members to show off their videography and editing skills.
This community stays with members even after they leave UMD. Senior journalism and government and politics double major Lydia Hurley greatly appreciates the strong alumni network that she has gotten through her four years with Sketchup. When the club performed at a show in New York, recent alumni hosted them.
“They’re just really supportive in many ways…” Hurley said. “…so it’s really nice that the alum even from the very beginning still care about what we’re up to.”
Hurley is a tour guide for UMD, and credits her performances on stage with increasing her confidence with public speaking. She also has a focus in entertainment journalism, something that sketch writing has helped her with.
“My favorite part is the fact that it’s like a repeated creative outlet for me and I think that’s something I’ll really miss once I graduate,” Hurley said.
Featured Image: Sketchup comedy club members perform at their semesterly show in the Hoff Theater. Photo by Ela Jalil