Inside Jokes
On selected Thursdays, ACB Production Manager Mike Scalise makes his recommendations on a cappella performance in a DO and DON’T format.
DO: Use current events and popular jokes throughout a show.
DON'T: Use inside jokes to enhance a show.
A common practice among a cappella groups, especially groups hosting competitions, is to fill the time before the show, between group performances, and during the judges' deliberations, with jokes and skits. It's a nice change of pace and it can make for a really great show. However, while group members may understand the jokes, or the change in lyrics in a song, many of the audience members--specifically visitors to the institution--may not. Telling a joke that no one understands tends to hurt a group's image. So save the song about "Nutcase," the famous campus squirrel who once ate a student, for campus show. Instead, talk about current events, or make a joke or two about college life--something the entire audience can relate to.