Comics of Color Go Corporate

For one month, Elijah Groves ’27 had been working on his five-minute stand-up routine, delivered at the annual Comics of Color show on November 1 in the Little Building’s Judee performance space.

“You don’t know how you’re going to feel until right before,” Groves said before the show. “You only have five minutes, a whole month is focused on those five minutes.” 

The theme of the show was Comics of Collar, revolving around a professional office. While their outfits might have been formal, the performances were anything but—the show kicked off with executive producer Sophie Canon ’26 riding a unicycle through the audience. 

Like his fellow comics ready to showcase their standup, improv, and sketch comedy talents, Groves donned a collared shirt and tie to get into the professional office look. As the head stand-up writer for the show, Groves felt nervous about his own routine, and was also apprehensive that comics would go over time and possibly take attention away from later acts. 

During Groves’ stand-up set, he joked about how his dog went to a training school during the dog’s gap year, inappropriate roommates, and doing his own hair. 

Groves reflected on his routine afterwards. “I’m happy with how the audience responded, for sure. I feel like we had a good time while I was up there.”

He also acted in several sketches, including an HR meeting about a racist Captain America. Based on the many laughs throughout the theater, Groves said the night was a success. 

“Every single sketch and stand-up [act] really resonated with the audience,” Groves said. “People loved it.”

Clowning Around with a Silverman Lining

Tam Silverman ’26 joined Comics of Color when it started two years ago. Silverman led the improv acts in previous years, but wanted to relinquish some leadership and perform a wider range of acts this year — including the show’s first ever clown set.

“I’m really excited for it to happen,” Silverman said before the show. “Clown[ing] is so entertaining and fun to do.”

With painted faces, Silverman and the other clowns ran around the stage laughing and dancing. Canon held a plush stuffed toy cupcake with a light-up candle, and the clowns tried and failed to blow it out. 

“[The] clown [performance] went amazing,” Silverman said. “I was so nervous about it, and it went so good.”

Silverman was part of multiple improv sets including a game called Objection, in which comics had five minutes to rant about audience-picked topics, including eggs, Elon Musk, and dollar bills. At any point, a comic could stop another’s rant by yelling an objection and starting their own rant.

Silverman also played a contestant on a reality show where a potential love interest talks about themself, and contestants pop a balloon once they’ve heard enough. Like a real reality show contestant, Silverman had butterflies. 

“I think I do (get nervous) but honestly, I think that’s when the best stuff happens,” Silverman said. “People love to watch people struggle.”