My time with Divine Comedy

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather, it is one of those things that give value to survival."

– C.S. Lewis

I've talked a couple times now on this blog about Divine Comedy, the sketch comedy group that I worked with for a couple years. I just wanted to take the time to reflect on how truly amazing that time was and, in many ways, still is to me. These last couple weekends I've had opportunities to get back together with the group so I thought I'd try to finally take time now to put down how I feel about the whole experience.

I first learned about DC from a friend of mine who I dated for a while before my mission. While I was out, she'd occasionally mention going to a show, just how hilarious they were, and one time even auditioning to get in herself. I figured once I got back to BYU, I'd check them out and see just how funny these guys were.
The first show I went to was in November 2011, and the headliner sketch was a parody of "X-Men: First Class". I'd only been home for a few months, so I made sure to watch the movie before so I got all the jokes in it. Even if I hadn't done that, though, I'm sure I would have laughed my head off, because it was absolutely hilarious. The jokes came one after another, they were throwing glowsticks and candy out to the audience, and I was immediately hooked. I went to the shows immediately after that: "Twilight: The Day Dawn is Breaking" and "The Phantom of the Awkward" (which to this day is still one of my favorite parodies of all time). I thought that I'd just be a lifelong fan, going to all the shows even after I graduated and enjoying it along with everyone else. And with the show that they mentioned they were trying to get up and running – which has now turned into the wildly successful Studio C – I'd have even more ways to enjoy it.

Then the opportunity came in September 2012. On their Facebook page, they posted something about needing a new sound technician. I jumped at the chance; I admittedly didn't know a ton about sound engineering/editing/etc. but I knew that I wanted to be a part of it all. This was something that I enjoyed, that was for sure, but this... This would mean that I'd get to enjoy it even more. This would mean I'd get to participate in something that brought me joy at a time in my life when I wasn't exactly in the best place emotionally (if you'd like some context on what I meant by that, see part 5 of the personal history posts I did a while back). And I'd be able to help others feel that joy as well, if only in my special way.
I was asked to come to the auditions with about a dozen others just to help out, and they'd get a chance to get to know each of us through that. I worked mainly with Megan Ward and Eric Magleby, the stage manager and visual tech for DC, respectively. While I didn't really do any audio work then or for the next two days of auditions, I did get to know Eric and Megan, as well as many of the cast members (I'd get to know them all soon after that). I mostly just helped organize the 150 people who came to audition and the hundreds of others who came to support them and watch – not only did we fill the auditorium's seating capacity, but we had people filling up the stairways making it near impossible to walk through easily.
At the end of the auditioning process, I was the last of the people who remained for the audio tech position. Honestly, I was just offering as much help as they needed, and so I stayed later than any of the others. The auditioners were all gone, and the cast members had made their decision as to who they would add to the lineup. Eric then told them, as I was just kinda hanging out with him, that I was the new tech guy.

That was it. That's how I was lucky enough to become part of something that has been so phenomenal to me for the last two years. That's how I started one of the things that has brought me such delight and, frankly, kept me sane. I put in a lot of time to make sure my part was done well, despite not really having someone teach me exactly what I needed to do for the job. I'd spend hours making sure songs were just right so that by the time each sketch was over the music could start and get people immediately dancing and pumped for the next one. Or for some sketches, I'd make sure songs and sound effects were edited just right so that the jokes were their most effective. I remember even making some sound effects and audio tracks from scratch (like using my own car horn to recreate the whistle from the Hunger Games).

Now, that's all fine and dandy, of course I had a good time putting on these shows for everyone. Something I didn't really expect when I joined, though, was the new family I'd get.

I didn't take into account how much time I'd really be spending with everyone in Divine Comedy. Being in this group was a lot like the time that I spent in drama club in high school. And while that was a blast as well, that group of people is just so much different. We were there because it was high school, we didn't really have much say at that time in our lives to be anywhere else. I made some great friends there, some of which I still consider great to this day, but most of them I've just grown apart from. Everyone here, though... There's really not an exact word or phrase to describe it besides familial. There really is something divine about Divine Comedy, and it's something that needs to be experienced to truly understand. It has brought people from completely different places and backgrounds together and made us into a tight-knit, loving, supporting, laughing, caring, charitable, wonderful family. Having been chosen to be part of it myself and having seen others come into the fold, I can guarantee that the goal is to make sure everyone feels loved at all times, no matter who they are or what their role is. I can spend time with anyone from Divine Comedy and feel at ease. At peace. At home.

I could go on and on about specific experiences, but a lot of those are personal to me. And besides, if I started talking about one I would just go on about another, and another, and another, and then you'd either stay up late into the wee hours of the night reading this post or just have to take a break from reading so much at once. Suffice it to say that absolutely every moment I've had with Divine Comedy has been a blessing in my life. Whether it be at a practice and going over sketches, talking about how to really make them as funny as they could be, purposely trying to make others laugh, to taking a dance break, or breaking out into a song or jam session, or playing games like Murder in the Dark, late night dinners, road trips, any of the many performances we've done, on- or off-campus – all of that and more has helped me feel part of something that truly has been divine.

So thank you, DC, for making me feel appreciated.

Thank you, DC, for making me laugh harder than I had in a long time.

Thank you, DC, for helping me make friends I know will last for a lifetime.

Thank you, DC, for allowing me to be part of something I'll always be proud of.

Thank you, DC, for the memories I can always look back on with a smile.

Thank you, DC, for being such a loving, affectionate, lively, and hilarious group of people.

Thank you, DC, for everything.

The cast and crew when I started

And right when I ended

"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine."

– Thomas Jefferson