Media Credit: Salve Today
By Frank Lombardi;
Mosaic Staff Writer–
Salve Regina students were welcomed to take a “Shot of Reality” this past Wednesday night, when the CAB office hosted an informative, improvisational comedy show about alcohol and the dangers of underage drinking.
The event took place on Wednesday, November 7th from 7-8pm in Antone’s Bazarsky Lecture Hall. Prior to the show, the CAB office provided “mocktails”, consisting of nonalcoholic frozen drinks, sodas, and juice as well as Jell-O “shots”.
“A Shot of Reality” combined interactive comedy with statistical facts, educating the audiences about the dangers of alcohol. The program mixed humor with sincerity throughout the performance.
CAB officer Jivanto van Hemert first learned about “A Shot of Reality” at the National Association of Campus Activities conference, and thought that their performance would be welcomed on the Salve campus.
The production is produced by M.i.Productions; most known for Mission IMPROVable, and was performed by members Chad and Colin. The two comedians stated that they have performed “A Shot of Reality” over 200 shows a year.
During their Salve performance, Chad and Colin discussed drinking through interactive skits, discussions, and trivia.
Sophomore Emily Barkan was one of the duo’s volunteers. Barkan’s participation consisted of wearing drunk goggles that gave off the blood alcohol content of 0.23, three times the legal limit. Barkan then had to test her hand-eye and foot-eye coordination through various tests.
In another skit, Chad and Colin had Salve students use their skills to prevent drunk driving. Colin pretended to be a drunk driver and had the students use their creativity to trick him into giving them his car keys.
While this garnered a lot of entertainment and laughs, there was much more to this show than mere jokes and skits. Much of the production contained facts and statistics about drinking.
“It was a good comedic approach on drinking and they provided many facts that people don’t stop and think about before they do drink, as well as provided health facts that I never even knew about,” said sophomore Brianna Newman.
Mission IMPROVable had performed on college campuses for more than ten years before the creation of “A Shot of Reality”. Over the years, the performers discovered that many colleges were looking for alcohol awareness that was both fun and informative.
“We didn’t want to use scare tactics,” said Colin. “We didn’t want to say ‘Don’t Drink’. We get you [drink], just do it this way.”
The program also provided six ways to stay safe when drinking.
1.) Stay hydrated. Have a drink then have a water.
2.) Be wary of bubbles. Carbonated drinks increase the speed alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream.
3.) Stick with your friends. Alcohol makes you vulnerable.
4.) Clear your schedule for the next day. Your brain won’t be functioning at its full potential.
5.) Don’t mix alcohol with any type of drugs.
6.) Delete your ex’s phone number from your cell phone.
“A Shot of Reality” talked about drinking realistically and comically. The show was very well- received by the students at Salve Regina University.
“I really enjoyed the show,” said sophomore Caroline Fragoza. “I hope that they come back to Salve, because I think everyone should have the opportunity to see this!”
Information about “A Shot of Reality” and its performers can be found online at www.shotofrealityshow.com.
