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Getting into the Funny Business: Landing a Spot in Divine Comedy

After hours of interrogation, Kayla Peel, one of Divine Comedy’s newest members, finally reveals her secret to landing a spot on BYU’s favorite sketch show: “I brought a birth certificate that said my middle name was comedy.”

Kayla Peel

Peel is one of four people who made Divine Comedy’s final cut this year. She is joined by Alena Helzer, Addison Jenkins and Dalton Johnson.

Alena Helzer

“I was in the Tanner building from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.” Helzer said. “I missed a family vacation for it so I hoped it paid off – bailing on my family to do it!” The four new members competed with over one hundred other Divine Comedy hopefuls to secure their spot. Tryouts spanned two days and were broken up into three rounds. Entry-level auditions required each contestant to write and perform a ninety-second skit. Twenty people of the initial hundred were chosen to progress to the second round beginning the next morning. “I was dazed really, because I wasn’t expecting to even get callbacks.” Peel admitted. “The whole day I kept thinking, ‘This isn’t happening! This isn’t real life!’”

Dalton Johnson

The remaining contestants were split into groups and given twenty minutes to write three to five minute sketches. After performing their sketches and playing more improv games, contestants had to memorize and perform previous divine comedy sketches. “That was actually the hardest part of the day – in just a few hours having to memorize the whole thing and then performing a show,” Johnson said. That evening, ten out of the twenty progressed to the final round, when the finalists performed their original sketches live in a Divine Comedy show. After more than 12 hours of skits, games and shows, the victorious four were chosen.

Addison Jenkins

The new members are already excited to make a positive impact on the troupe. “People in the back never get candy or glow sticks.” Jenkins said. “I’m a populist. I will please the masses at the back of our venues. That is my mission.” For the masses in the back and everybody else, these outstanding newcomers are bringing fresh ideas and personalities guaranteed to harness more laugh energy than the entire Monsters Inc. factory. Catch the new cast members in the upcoming show, “The Hunchback of BYU,” at 7:00 and 9:00 P.M. on Oct. 9 and 10 in room 151 of the Tanner building.

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