Get ready, because it's that time of the year again! Boris' Kitchen will be performing its infamous "Old Sh*t Show" on Thursday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in the Usdan Student Center. Boris' Kitchen is Brandeis' only all-sketch comedy group and is currently in its 25th year, making it Brandeis' second-oldest existing performance group (after Company B). JustArts emailed with Boris' Kitchen President Briana Bensenouci '12, Treasurer Yoni Bronstein '13 and Vice President Paul Gale '12 about the group's history and upcoming performance.

JustArts: Can you tell me more about Boris' Kitchen and its origins?

Yoni Bronstein: It started as a Monty Python tribute club that performed Monty Python sketches, and then after a couple of years they began to write original sketches and perform improv. At some point in the early 90's the group split into two groups, one that did sketch [comedy] and one that did improv. The sketch group retained the existing name Boris' Kitchen, and the improv group became False Advertising. Ever since, Boris' Kitchen has continued to evolve and become more professional.

Briana Bensenouci: We have two kinds of members: writers and performers. There is a lot of overlap between the two groups.

JA: What is the "Old Sh*t Show?"

YB: The show is called the "Old Sh*t Show" because it is comprised of entirely recycled material written in the past. This includes sketches that are a couple of years old and ones that are 20 years old, and everything in between.

BB: The focus of the "Old Sh*t Show" is to show off our newest members and to pay respects to our history.

Paul Gale: The show is put on in the very intimate Alumni Lounge (above Levin Ballroom), as opposed to our two other shows, which are in the [Carl J. Shapiro] theater.

JA: On a more personal note, what got you interested in sketch comedy and BK specifically?

YB: I personally, came into Brandeis pumped up and ready to try out for sketch comedy, especially BK. It is a troupe that is about both sketch comedy and about being part of something special. I learned about Boris' Kitchen from a friend of mine who was an alumni [sic] of the troupe, and even before I got here he got me interested. I was already planning to audition for theater, but sketch comedy was a different side of theater that I hadn't considered. It sparked my imagination and I have been very passionate about it ever since.

PG: I've been interested in sketch comedy since I can remember. Sesame Street, my favorite show as a kid, is essentially a sketch show. All That, The Amanda Show, Zoom. I really loved that stuff. I tried out for Boris' my first week of freshman year, and I co-directed the Old Sh*t Show last year with Lydia Flier '11. The show is transitional. It's training ground for our new members (Karen Lengler '15, Michelle Wexler '15 and Michael Frederikse '15), as well as first-time directors/producers.

We start off with a casting, where we read through all of the scripts the directors [Bensenouci and Secretary Talya Davidoff '12] have chosen for the show. Everyone reads for all of the parts their [sic] interested in, and, after the directors have some time to reflect on the readings, the cast list is sent out later that night. Then we go into a rehearsal process about two to three days per week, until the last two weeks, when we meet every night. Those are the best two weeks, because you really get on a roll, and you start realize what's going to be on stage the night of the show.

JA: What makes Boris' Kitchen different from other comedy groups at Brandeis?

YB: What makes Boris' Kitchen unique among Brandeis' performance groups is that it has somewhat of a vague place among the other groups. At Brandeis there are theater groups, comedy groups and a cappella groups. Boris' Kitchen has a weird little spot as both a comedy group and a theater group as a member of the UTC, and you'll see us both laughing along with the improv groups and working to live up to the performance standards of the other UTC groups.

JA: What elements are essential to a great comedic performance? What is your favorite part of performing?

YB: BK is at its best when its members are truly collaborating and throwing in the best of all of our talents. We have a wide variety of talents in the troupe; some are at their best onstage, others are brilliant writers, and others again contribute their best talents to production. On a deeper level, we all have our own senses of humor, some of which are very different from each other. As young writers and actors we have an incredible opportunity to learn from one another and grow.

PG: A great comedic performance has no idea that it's a comedic performance. The spring show last year was really fun for me. I had a large hand in the writing process, and to see a lot of things I wrote/helped promote was very fulfilling. My favorite part of performing is making the audience laugh at something that they wouldn't normally find funny.

BB: I'm of the opinion that the more fun the performers are having on stage, the more fun the audience will have. I love the Old Sh*t Show because it is a very simple show, technically, with a focus on the sketches themselves. One of the challenges of the comedic collaborative processes is trying to combine upwards of 10 different opinions on what's funny. But, somehow, we manage.

JA: What is your favorite Boris' Kitchen memory?

PG: My favorite Boris' Kitchen memory is definitely the hangouts we used to have at Sam Roo's ['09] and Mike Martin's ['09] house my first year. Because we perform together, we grow to trust one another in a very cool way.

YB: My personal favorite memory from any BK show is our spring show in my freshman year, on which I was the assistant director. One of the sketches was the first sketch I had ever written, and I was also a principle part in the sketch. I had never before performed in something I had written, and when I walked offstage I was happier than I've ever been after performing. A senior member of the troupe who was the director and one of my closest friends gave me a hug and told me he was proud of me. To me that support and friendship is what BK is all about. It is a group of friends that works together, that loves having fun and loves one another.