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Second City second only in name Anyone who has passed the Englert Theatre lately has probably noticed the posters of John McCain and Barack Obama: The two nominees' mug shots look as if a mad marker with ulterior political motives scribbled all over them. If the artwork has angered or humored passersby, well, that was the point - the posters were the product of Second City for its new red, white, and blue revue, DeFace the Nation, which will stop at the Englert Theatre tonight through Oct. 12. "People love it," said DeFace troupe member and Iowa native Shad Kunkle, 35. "It's all of the political stuff we've done in the last couple of years modified toward our current situation." DeFace hasn't received much criticism since it received a standing ovation at its début in Oberlin, Ohio, last month. It's almost as if the three companies of actors have pleased most audiences because of their equal-opportunity-offender status. "There's no rule out there that says we can't say exactly what we're thinking," Kunkle said in describing the improvisational acts that will take place at the end of each two-hour revue. The show will kick off with a series of comedy sketches and end with improv. "We don't necessarily have a stance either way on that issue as much as we want you to see the ridiculousness of one side of that philosophy," Kunkle said. During a phone interview last week, he described a sketch that may make it to the Englert stage about a family feeling the effect of U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's $700 billion Wall Street bailout. "If it's done well, you could be a supporter of one party or one candidate and still laugh at them," said UI political-science Associate Professor David Redlawsk. "If it's done well." Kunkle and his fellow jesters have nearly perfected the art of reading and guiding audiences with comedic finesse. "Performing is not too unlike reading minds," he said, noting that he wouldn't make a "m.i.l.f." joke during a college parents' weekend. "Usually, our message isn't so heavy-handed that everybody can't relate to it from a personal point of view." The company, made up of six actors, will not make fun of anyone's mother this weekend. Instead, the members will stick mainly to a grab bag of old and new comedy sketches - many of which have been supplied by the likes of Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert. These pieces are glittering jewels tucked away in Second City alumni archives, which actors dip into often. "They're modified to make the jokes specific to us," Kunkle said. "But all in the name of representing Second City itself." And represent the players will. The history of Second City is founded on the genius of the comedy created by the players, who master their talent through training programs and classes. UI film graduate student Andrew Peterson, who enrolled in a 2002 comedy-writing program at Second City in Chicago, believes he could never imagine a world without political satire, because it is, to him, an important tool used to inform voters. Political satire provides a colorful explanation of technical government issues, he said. "A clever satire is infinitely more enjoyable than a sterile TV debate and usually communicates more truth," he said. Kunkle has pulled from those debates to use as new material. "Turning [these issues] into comedy has given me a real opinion about what works and what doesn't," he said. "Sarah Palin entering the race was probably the greatest thing that ever happened for me comedically, because she's just such a controversial figure." And comedy has proven to be a significant factor in politics; just look at "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," which, of course, so many of you do. According to Nielsen TV ratings data collected in September 2008, the Comedy Central shows drew 1.9 million and 1.4 million viewers. And who could forget Colbert's brief run in this year's election? According to a blog published on the Washington Post's website, the Facebook group "1,000,000 Strong for Stephen T. Colbert" reached its goal in a matter of three days. The group is ever-expanding. When asked if audiences' opinions might be swayed by DeFace the Nation, Kunkle replied, "We sure hope so. Ultimately, we want you to vote. Hopefully, we've comedically shown both sides of the coin so that you can spend some more time thinking about the issues." UI sophomore Mark Smith, who watches political-satire-based TV shows whenever he can, said his vote most likely wouldn't be swayed after seeing DeFace the Nation. "Poking fun at both sides [of the] political spectrum is something that's funny," he said. "Especially when it's poking fun at the side you oppose." Peterson has one piece of advice when it comes to the election: "If the political process is your thing, the best way - maybe the only way - to engage in that process is to treat it as though it were all one colossal joke." Email the reporter |See this story on the Daily Iowan website |