Those of you who are regular readers of my blog (shout out to my mom!) know that I'm a member of Quipfire!, Princeton's oldest improv comedy group. And believe it or not, my interest in comedy carries over into the summer. So this summer, while other students worked in finance, engineering, web development, etc., I worked in the highly profitable field of improv!
Kidding, kidding. Everyone knows we improvisers are destined to live as struggling artists, forever haunting late-night comedy clubs in pursuit of a few bucks and those ever-elusive laughs. But the hardship associated with life as an improviser doesn't mean I didn't love love LOVE my summer internship with the musical improv group Baby Wants Candy.
I met Baby Wants Candy at Princeton. They performed in McCarter Theater during my freshman year and offered a free workshop to students through the Lewis Center for the Arts. They also let Quipfire! open for them. Through that amazing experience, I met the co-creator of Baby Wants Candy, who asked me to accompany them as an intern during their time at the world famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And I got funding from the Lewis Center to help me go!
This was my second summer interning for Baby Wants Candy, and the weeks I spend in Edinburgh are always my favorite part of the year. The interns learn a lot about improv by taking improv intensives, exploring the Fringe, and watching Baby Wants Candy perform a fully improvised musical every single night. We also do some very Scottish things, like eat haggis and climb Arthur's Seat and learn traditional cèilidh dances.
I think that sometimes, when people come to Princeton, they think they have to devote themselves solely to academics and commit themselves to a lucrative career path. But if my summer proves anything, it's that you can be silly and have fun and do what you love, and Princeton will not judge you for it. In fact, they'll help you do it.
