An Evening of Fish and Miscellany: A night of comedic and artistic expression

FASS (Faculty, Alumni, Staff, and Students) is an amateur theatre company based at UW. The company has been presenting amateur theatre to the KW region for 62 years, and writes original scripts and musical parodies, putting on productions once or twice a year. If you’ve ever tried a cake sampler and felt the unparalleled excitement of trying multiple flavours of cake in one sitting, you’ll have a good idea of what the FASS Fall 2024 Variety Show embodied with its display of various types of performing arts by UW’s very own. On Oct. 8, the arts lecture hall was filled with improv, vocal and instrumental live music, short films, and of course, live theatre. 

Wryly entitled “An Evening of Fish and Miscellany,” the show boasted impressive performances from UW ACE (A Cappella Ensemble), UW Improv Club, Waterloo Warriors Band, Jam Network, and UW Film Club. In between showcase performances, FASS members performed original scenes chock-full of zany characters, endearingly campy plot lines, and a comically large amount of fish puns. My favourite scene of the night was witnessing an expressive Bill Gates trying his hardest to be an evil warlord, but failing due to his antics, saving thousands of lives and solving the climate crisis. 

The show started off with a performance by the UW Improv Club, where the focus of the night was, “Why script it when you can wing it?” And wing it, they did, in the most hilarious of escapades. Whether it be spotting small turkeys in the distance or going on a blind date with Medusa, the improv members did a fantastic job of putting on an entertaining and interactive experience. 

The Waterloo Warriors Band, famously coined “The most disruptive band on campus since 1966,” then played renditions of “Counting Stars,” “Sweet Caroline,” and my personal favourite: “All Star” by Smash Mouth. The variety of instruments on the stage was thrilling to spectate, and listening to each instrument come together to make a song was enchanting. At points during the performance, the entire audience got involved by singing along and cheering at their favourite songs. 

UW ACE performed next, performing a capella renditions of “Sweater Weather” and “Pink Pony Club.” The performers included a beatboxer and a selection of singers. Their performances were angelic at some times and intense at others. As the club walked off the stage, the members even started chanting their club name, during which, the audience joined in. It was a delightful display of togetherness and community.  

UW Film Club had a showing for two of their original shorts. The first was an eccentric tale about a boy who finds himself embroiled in a cult that worships the moon (“Hey Moon, it’s me again…”). The delivery from all the actors, especially from the mysterious Moon King, was hilarious. The second film was an ominous portrayal of the main character being stuck in the frame of the camera. There was no dialogue, but the cinematography and editing certainly propelled the plot of the film. 

The night ended off with a campfire-esque sing-along put on by the Jam Network, where audience members were encouraged to sing along to classics such as Spongebob’s “Gary Come Home,” “Bud the Spud,” “Wonderwall,” as well as original music. The participatory atmosphere was infectious. 

Though at times the sound got loud due to the small nature of the venue, the evening was truly a testament to the artistic talent that UW has to offer. Bravo FASS, and all the talented performers of the night! 

If you’re looking to get involved with any of the performing groups of the night, you can find them at the following contacts: 

UW ACE: @uw_ace (instagram) 

UW Improv Club: @uwimprovisation (Instagram) 

Waterloo Warriors Band: @wlooband (Instagram) 

Jam Network: jamnetworkuw.ca (website) 

UW Film: @uwfilmclub_ (instagram)