Thirteen women hope to bring more than 40 characters to life this weekend.
Sidney Homan’s All-Woman Company will present All Joking Aside: An Evening of Short Comedies on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The performers are part of Homan’s independent study class, The Art and Craft of Comedy, in UF’s Department of English. When Homan asked students to join the acting company, he was surprised to find that only women volunteered.
“When I had the 13 women, we put our heads together and said, ‘Oh, boy, this is going to be interesting because women are going to have to be playing men’s roles,’” Homan said.
The play will benefit The Doris Bardon Community Cultural Center, located at 1315 S. Main St., which will serve as the show’s venue.
“It used to be an old night club and needs some, like, major building renovations,” said Anna Morgan, a 22-year-old UF English senior and one of the 13 performers.
Homan said the group is accepting a suggested donation of $15 from the public and $10 from students.
The students, he said, have rehearsed since the beginning of the semester and will each play three to four roles throughout 13 sketches.
Margaret Egeln, a 22-year-old UF English senior, said the show will offer a new look at sketches from the book “Laugh Lines: Short Comic Plays,” edited by Eric Lane and Nina Shengold.
“Not only are you, like, performing a show, you’re also gaining skills that can help you in real-world situations,” she said.
