A near-sellout crowd gathered at the Rozsa Center for the annual Winter Carnival Stage Revue Thursday night.
The Stage Revue is a Winter Carnival tradition dating back to 1946 in which groups of students write, rehearse, and perform short sketches. The skits are judged on acting quality, technical production, originality, theme, and entertainment value.
Comedian Patrick McIntyre opened and hosted this year’s event. “I love traveling around the country,” said McIntyre, “I get the chance to speak to large audiences all the time. I talk to cameras, I talk to crowds. One of my absolute favorite things though is sharing in other people’s joy and getting to see creativity, which I love, and that’s what you’re going to judge on today.”
The Stage Revue featured eight student groups, each delivering comedy sketches centered around this year’s Winter Carnival theme: “From Forests to Shores We Love the Outdoors.”
Guardians of the North won the audience choice vote with their sketch “Downed Pilot,” depicting the comedic misadventures of two Air Force pilots stranded in the wilderness. With the help of local Yoopers, they’re able to find their lost plane at Michigan Tech’s campus.
Between each skit, the master of ceremonies, McIntyre, filled the room with even more laughter as he brought several members of the crowd up on stage to compete against each other in various challenges. These challenges ranged from making a paper airplane in 30 seconds and seeing whose plane flew the farthest, to seeing who could name the most Marvel movies without repeating one that was already said.
Other acts included “PE1215: Introduction to Backcountry Travel” by Delta Phi Epsilon and Delta Sigma Phi, which humorously portrayed MTU students navigating the challenges of camping, and “The Great Race for the Keweenaw” by Phi Kappa Tau, a zany tale of competitive brothers vying for success in Michigan’s snowy north.
From SpongeBob references to paying homage to local legends like Bishop Frederic Baraga, the sketches entertained and showcased the creativity of Tech students.
