When Averleigh Fisher, performance and production senior, learned about community-based theater in her theatre in the community class, she created her own comedy community called San Marcos Live (SML).
According to Fisher, a community-based theater is a form of artistic inspiration that supports different communities as they express their own artistic expressions. Part of the requirement for her class was to create her own community-based theater, and her love for comedy inspired her.
“I was just thinking about how I could support… the group of aspiring stand-up comedians and sketch writers and comedy actors,” Fisher said. “The more time I spent with the project [of SML], the more I just became inspired by it.”
Fisher’s professor for the class supported her idea and encouraged her to move the organization outside of the classroom. From there, she began to satisfy the requirements to allow SML to become an official club at Texas State. Fisher started this endeavor by creating the official SML Instagram page, which amassed over 200 followers since its creation in early December.
“I saw San Marcos Live on Instagram, and I realized that the president of San Marcos Live is someone I know,” Paige Denman, criminal justice freshman, said. “I had no idea that she was also a fan of comedy and stand-up, so I followed the account and then I saw that she was having officer… applications.”
After submitting her application, Denman became the social media head of SML. Although Denman is pursuing a career in criminal justice, she still loves theater and wants to stay involved in the performing arts.
“There’s almost like science that goes into [comedy],” Denman said. “You really have to be smart to make your audience laugh, because when you’re in front of a crowd of people you’ve never seen before, you don’t know their kind of humor… I just love how intricate comedy is.”
Fisher wishes to provide an environment where people feel safe to practice comedy through a supportive group of people. The club offers three different positions for membership: stand-up comedy, comedic acting and sketch writing.
“My ultimate goal for this group is creating a space where people feel comfortable and open enough to share what’s inside of them,” Fisher said. “Because comedy is very personal, especially for stand-up because a lot of it is telling stories about yourself in a comedic light… turning tragedy into comedy and kind of wrestling with that.”
For Sydney Lafferty, performance and production junior and vice president of SML, comedy is an escape. It provides a space for those who enjoy comedy to practice and learn with their club mates.
“I’m a big laugher, so anytime I can laugh and make people laugh, it makes me happy,” Lafferty said. “The people that are on the board and the people that we’re hoping to have in this organization are gonna be people that are okay to stumble and fall on because we’re gonna pick you right back up.”
While the club is not officially registered under Texas State as of Jan. 26, SML is wrapping up its auditions and will proceed with the next steps to register. Under the university, it can receive the funding necessary to continue the program.
“I’m overjoyed because this is something I’m insanely passionate about and would not only be beneficial for others but be very beneficial for me,” Fisher said. “As I’ve said, I’ve loved comedy, but I’ve never pursued it outside of the comfort of my own mind.”
According to Fisher, a large part of being a performer is trusting yourself and your instincts, which is a part of why she founded SML. She hopes the space created within SML will help others pursue comedy as she has.
“I hope that it becomes a very intimate environment where we just learn each other’s quirks and the way that we perform very well so that the showcase is truly a showcase of the people in the group and just highlights their strengths,” Fisher said.
By the end of the semester, SML plans to showcase a mix of stand-up acting and comedic actors performing what the sketch writers have created.
To learn more about San Marcos Live, visit its Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/san_marcos_live?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==.
