As Allie Kolb (COM ’14) tells a story, her natural theatricality is evident. Her pitch and volume rise and fall, taking the listener along with her on whatever journey she is portraying. Though many possess the ability to entertain, Kolb is not putting this quality to waste. She is a member of the six-person improvisation and comedy group, The Callbacks. However, Kolb’s initial call to comedy was not the favorite comedian or comedic author that one may traditionally expect. Instead, she cites a popular television program as her main inspiration.
“Boy Meets World,” Kolb states. “I used to watch Boy Meets World and think it was the funniest thing on the planet. I used to talk about [characters] Cory and Topanga like they were real people.”
Though I’m sure many collegiettes™ share Kolb’s affinity for the show’s brillo-headed hero Cory Matthews (not to mention his dreamy partner in crime, Shawn Hunter), Kolb decided to take further steps pursue her sparked interest in comedy. Kolb first began training her improv and comedic skills (both writing and performance) during the summer of 2010, as a student in an eight-week program at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York.
“Over the course of the class we wrote five sketches,” Kolb explains. “It just taught the basics of sketch writing- the formatting, the different types of sketches… and you got to work in a writer’s room style which was really great because you got to bounce ideas off of other people which I’d never really gotten to do before.”
When Kolb reached the end of her UCB summer, she knew that she wanted to pursue comedy during her career at Boston University. She used BU’s student activity fair, Splash, to help her find a platform for her interest. Of the many student comedy groups on campus, The Callbacks were her perfect fit, providing her with many of her closes friends. Though members are provided with a fun, family atmosphere, Kolb points out that it’s not all fun and games.
“Right before shows we tend to get really serious, and there tend to be screaming matches. We spend too much time together,” Kolb laughs. “When we’re pitching it’s just a lot of craziness. We just try to make each other laugh. But as we get closer to shows, we definitely take it really seriously. We just want the shows to be as good as possible.”
These pitch sessions are how the group comes up with their sketch ideas, such as “Psychiciatrist,” the story of a psychic psychiatrist, and “Escorts,” a Cops-style sketch about the Boston University escort service. Though Kolb, as well as all other Callbacks members, has a part in both the writing and performing of these sketches, she knows where her true calling lies.
“I feel more comfortable writing,” Kolb says. “As I perform more I do get more comfortable with it, and I love both aspects, but I would probably stick to writing if I could. In a perfect world, I would go on to write sketch, but it’s a tough field.”
Though joining The Callbacks has provided a medium through which Kolb is able to practice her passion, it has provided her with something even more important.
“We’re just a crazy ridiculous family,” Kolb explains. “They’ve definitely become some of my best friends at school, and I think everyone needs something like that at a big university like BU. It’s about having fun.”
The Callbacks are hosting auditions on September 24th at 11:00 am in CAS room 324. You can watch them on their YouTube channel, TheBUCallbacks, or follow them at www.facebook.com/thecallbacks. Their next performance will be in BU Central on November 5th.