For people who are looking for a change from the norm of Friday night keg cups and crowded houses with loud, pre-recorded music, consider the "Dark Side of the X" variety Show.
Modeled after famous variety shows such as the mainstream "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" and local phenomenon Tricklock Theatre Company's "Reptilian Lounge," "Dark Side of the X" allows people to go as wild as they want in the basement of Popejoy Hall.
Even the audience is expected to get in on the gag. This up-coming weekend "Dark Side of the X" is sponsoring an open mic night, where anybody can come up and try out some of their material.
One person who's sure to be there is third-year University student Amber Earls. Last year, Earls, a theater major with her focus in directing, joined the Associated Students of Theatre and Dance because of all the good things that she'd heard about the group.
The fact that "Dark Side of the X" is student-run and largely because of how informal it is, Earls became interested, eventually becoming the contact point for the group.
Earls is proud that the theater has a somewhat steady audience, although she says that they could always use more people. Typically, about 50 to 60 people show up for the weekly event, although at special events there are often more than 150 people - sometimes more than filling capacity.
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Part of the problem is that very few people know about the existence of the "Dark Side of the X." Earls acknowledges this fact, although she says that it is very heavily advertised within the theatre department, and said handbills were being distributed among the students of the University in an attempt to gain some exposure.
Also, Earls said that the typical methods of advertisement are not the only ones that "Dark Side of the X" relies upon. Word-of-mouth is generally very strong in the theatre department, and this venture has proved no different. The presence of local band, the Yah Yah Boom Project, lends a touch of unique flavor to "Dark Side of the X" that other improv groups lack.
Although Tricklock Theatre works with the University for some events, and is well known within Albuquerque, Earls said that the two groups have not yet interacted and, at this time, have no plans to. She said that the group is very self-sustained, drawing heavily upon the college community that it was founded on.
In the college community, one thing that is certainly not lacking is enthusiasm. Earls says that she encourages people to come if they like live music, live performances or really anything live. The theater is always looking for fresh faces to participate in this vibrant project.
The "Dark Side of the X" happens every Friday night in the X Theater at 10:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted at the door.
