Sometimes when life is bringing you down and the stress begins to be too much, you just have to say screw it and waste all of your time on social media instead of being productive. This summer I was constantly turning to Twitter for comic relief and (luckily) encountered this gem: “Fooseball is not only a fun game, but a neat way to practice giving four sloppy hand jobs.” I decided this account was worth perusing (as any intelligent, good humored person would). “I went to Chipotle today and forgot to steal a rude amount of napkins and I regret that,” “Leg day is like a holiday for me: I celebrate once a year and drunkenly spill hot dogs into the pool,” and “Came into work hours late. No one noticed. Tomorrow I steal a potted plant” were some of my personal favorites. Who is this comedic genius you ask? It is none other than Phil Forrence, one of the Head Writers for Pitt Tonight, the University of Pittsburgh’s first and only late night comedy show.
Year: Junior
Major: Computer Engineering
Her Campus: How early on did you get involved with Pitt Tonight?
Phil Forrence: October of 2015
HC: How did you get involved?
PF: A friend in Pittiful News (campus satire paper) told me about this late night show starting up. I had always been a huge fan of late night, and so I went to a meeting.
HC: How early on did you become Head Writer? How did that happen?
PF: After the first episode, the original head writer had to step down due to non-show-related issues, and Jesse promoted Joe Marchi and me to head writers. I tend to be a bossy person who has to add his two cents into every conversation/issue so I very much bullied my way to the top!
HC: What is your favorite joke/sketch you’ve written for Pitt Tonight?
PF: My favorite joke is the last monologue joke of episode three in season one. It got a great crowd reaction and it was about Harry Potter! (You can watch here)
HC: Can you tell me a joke?
PF: I scream, you scream, we all scream. We all scream.
HC: What do you hope for the future of Pitt Tonight?
PF: Become funnier. I love what we’ve done so far, but we can do better. Find our voice. The show hasn’t had enough episodes to really hit its stride in the writing department. I’d love to have a unique comedic voice that can be easily distinguishable from other late-night shows. Become a staple of Pitt culture. I’d love people to come to Pitt because of Pitt Tonight, I’d love the University to use us as a recruiting tool. I’d love people to talk about our show with excitement.
HC: So what other activities are you involved with on Campus?
PF: I am the vice president of the Pittiful News. I’m also a member of the Pitt Comedy Club and through that I host and produce the Collegiates and Comedians stand-up show.
HC: You seem pretty busy with engineering and comedy, what else do you do with your free time?
PF: Not much! I play folk guitar when I get the chance, and I try to read every night. I just watched all of Stranger Things. I perform at open mics most nights and hang out with comics there which includes other comedians from Pitt. We’ve gotten pretty close over the past year so most nights and weekends I spend with them which is amazing. I don’t have that much free time, but if I did I would probably just spend it doing more comedy.
HC: What do you hope to do after you graduate? How does being a part of Pitt Tonight fit in with that?
PF (Changs): I hope to become a comedian whether that is strictly stand-up or strictly late-night/television or a combination of both. Pitt Tonight is practice. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a baby step toward writing jokes professionally. In addition to writing, I learn a lot about production and marketing through working with those departments
HC: Tell me some fun facts about yourself!
PF: I’m a redhead. I once hiked 30 miles on the Appalachian Trail over three days with only a squeeze bottle of honey for sustenance. I once punched through a glass door. I once offended 12 Australians in Sydney by saying the word “rooting”. I have type B+ blood. Freshman year I asked my RA to buy me beer in a crowded elevator because I didn’t know what an RA was.
If you ever get the opportunity, I highly recommend attending a performance of Pitt Tonight. With a fantastic host and hilarious writers, such as Phil, you are guaranteed to have a fun time. If you haven’t yet witnessed this comedy gold, take sure to check out past episodes of Pitt Tonight on their website: http://www.pitttonight.com/