July 24, 2011

Sketch Comedy Troupe: HARVARD SAILING TEAM

Despite stormy weather and tumultuous waves, the Harvard sailing team prevailed for the third consecutive year, defeating Princeton and winning the Ivy League championship regatta. Just kidding! That didn’t happen. Or maybe it did—but it doesn’t matter, because we’re profiling  the Harvard Sailing Team, the hilarious and awesome NYC sketch comedy troupe, not to be confused with the prestigious university’s athletic team. We were first introduced to HST when nymag.com featured their satirical viral video duo, Boys Will Be Girls and Girls Will Be Boys, and since then we’ve been hooked on their comedy, showing off their collection of videos as part of our online video repertoire. The group--Jen Curran, Rebecca Delgado Smith, Clayton Early, Faryen Einhorn, Katie Larsen, Adam Lustick, Billy Scafuri, Chris Smith, and Sara Taylor—first met while studying together at NYU, but it was only post-graduation that Chris and Billy (who had started writing together) formed the team, who have since won the 2011 Nightlife Award, the Friars Club Sketch Competition, and the ECNY and INNY awards.  

So if a comedy troupe that bonded through a collective affinity for argyle intrigues you (how could it not?), read on--and be sure to or check out their videos online and their weekly show at the People’s Improv Theater (PIT).

Photo credit: Eric Michael Pearson



Why “Harvard Sailing Team”? 

Someone suggested Harvard Sailing Team. We were really into argyle at the time. We all laughed and it stuck. The name also coincides with our clean-cut, family friendly comedy.

Three words to describe HST:
Functioning Dysfunctional Family

What makes you laugh?
Videos of people falling down water slides, jetpack malfunctions, Steve Martin, Woody Allen…

Your idea of happiness:
A huge field of puppies—or a combination froyo/nacho machine for your home.

Your guilty pleasure:
Making up songs together—especially if they make fun of Jen. Billy also loves Nacho Cheesier Doritos.

Theme song:
The Growing Pains’ “Show Me That Smile” theme song.

Comedic role model:
The Muppets.

What makes a good team?
Friendship…and a shared appreciation for food.

The secret to great improv:
Being unafraid to fail.

Your proudest achievement:
The longevity of our weekly show at The People’s Improv Theater. It’s been running for the past 5 years. Also, staying friends throughout this process.

Your motto:
Ivy League Sketch Comedy.

Do you get stage fright?
Faryn gets stage fright for all of us before every show.

When did you realize you were funny?
We’re still not sure we are.

Best way to ease an awkward situation:
Avoid interacting with other people at all costs. If you have to, tell them you don't have a television, which is probably why you haven’t heard about what they are talking about. Also, try to stay away from handshakes—they can get pretty awkward.

Saturday Night, 2AM, NYC: where are you?
Stuck on the subway or already in bed.

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