The University of Wisconsin Greek community danced and sang for a good cause this weekend at their annual Humorology variety show.
The event featured teams of sororities and fraternities that choreographed and composed short musicals. Although it was a charity event, it was also a heated competition for the casts. At the end, first, second and third places were selected by groups of non-Greek community members who have backgrounds in singing and dancing, Humorology Director Torrie Rinehart said.
The show raised somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000 for the Chris Farley Foundation and One Heartland, according to an e-mail from Humorology Executive Producer Ben Johnson. Johnson said the final totals are not yet in. He said ticket sales were lower than they have been in previous years, which he attributed to the Mifflin Street Block Party. He said they were able to make up the revenue by charging more for tickets.
Johnson added his favorite part of the whole process was the knowledge he was helping people.
“No matter what happens in any given year, the most satisfying thing anyone involved with Humorology anticipates is the moment we donate our profits to our charities,” Johnson said.
First prize in this year’s event went to the team of Alpha Chi Omega and Sigma Phi Epsilon, the team of Kappa Kappa Gamma and Alpha Epsilon Pi won second place, and the time of Pi Beta Phi, Phi Kappa Tau and Phi Gamma Delta took third.
In addition to the show award, there were also winners chosen by the Humorology Executive Board in 13 smaller categories ranging from funniest show to best male and female vocalist, Johnson said.
Each show in the event centered around a theme, ranging from game shows to cereal aisles. The shows were riddled with pop culture references that poked fun at celebrities, TV shows and movies.
UW junior and member of the winning cast Geoff Zahn said the rehearsal process for his show began in September. In the two weeks before the show, the cast put in five to six hours a night, he added.
Rinehart said the hard work really paid off.
“I am so happy [with the show],” she said. “We’ve gotten some really great feedback.”
