Stand-up at Kenyon

GAMBIER, Ohio (February 27, 2004) When Geoff Nelson, Class of 2005, didn't see a club on campus that tickled his funny bone, he decided to do something about it. Noting a need for stand-up comedy on campus, he formed the comedy troupe Two Drink Minimum.

At Kenyon, says Nelson, it's not hard to start a new club. "I just sent out an e-mail to see if anyone was interested, and I got several responses," says Nelson. "I just wanted to create a positive endeavor for kids to try out their material and help each other out."

After holding auditions, Two Drink Minimum took off last fall with four comedians, then grew to seven. And the rest, as they say in show business, is history. Performances proved so popular that Philander's Pub, a student hangout, wasn't able to hold the crowds and the College's Social Board suggested a move to the Brandi Recital Hall in Storer Hall. The comedy troupe will host their fourth show in the new venue on Tuesday, March 2, at 10:30 p.m.

That show will be followed by a tour. Kenyon's two-week spring break starts on Saturday, March 6. During the first week of break, Two Drink Minimum plans to play at a number of college campuses in the East--Franklin and Marshall, Brown, Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby. Once they return to Gambier, there are plans for several open-mic nights.

Two Drink Minimum is one of the many clubs that thrive at Kenyon. Other recently formed groups include the Extreme Sports Club and NQR4K, a first-year student comedy group. The possibilities for new clubs is limited only by student creativity and the willingness to take a leap.

One of the nation's leading liberal arts and sciences colleges and home to the Kenyon Review, Kenyon College offers 1,594 students a challenging educational experience enriched by a culture of friendship. Graduates of the College have included actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and author E. L. Doctorow.