On Friday, Feb. 1, Alumnus Alec “G-Chrome” Presley and Sophomore Justice Banks will be hosting their third stand-up comedy and improvisation show at The Riad in downtown Springfield from 8-9:30 p.m.

Previously, the Justice and G-Chrome Show performed at the Magic Bean, but the team is excited to debut at The Riad. The upcoming show will include familiar places like Christian County and Nixa, Mo.

“We try to have a theme to each show we put on. This one is ‘Life in Springfield.’ We’re talking about all the annoying things, the stereotypes, the advantages and disadvantages,” explained Banks. “We’re satirizing the town and its quirks,” added Presley.

A dynamic duo

Photo via Presley and Banks.

Presley and Banks met in Dec. 2017 and quickly realized that they made a good team.

“In my junior and senior year of college, my roommate was in the theater department and I ended up making friends there. I met Justice and over the summer, he and I decided to combine our talents. We had planned on uploading our sketches to YouTube, but then we got the offer from the Magic Bean,” explained Presley.

“I’ve been writing since I was 10 or 11 and I’ve definitely gotten better as I matured and learned more about the aspects of writing. I met G-Chrome and I knew we worked well as partners. We pitch each other ideas as part of our writing process. Once we start talking, the sketch pretty much writes itself,” added Banks.

Overcoming challenges

Like any beginning to a comedy career, the team has faced some setbacks. However, Presley and Banks know how make the best of a bad situation, and it led to bigger and better ideas.

“In our first show, it was crazy, our guest stand-up comedian no-showed, and then our guest musician no-showed, too! We had extra time to fill so we had to improvise, but that got the best laughs. We’re excited to do more of that,” said Presley.

Presley also explained that finding actors can be a challenge, but this show is going to have a larger cast, including Drury students, alumni, and members of the community. The full cast includes Blythe Hopper, Alaa Almoamen, Will Schneider, Selyna Tosch, Faythe Brooks, and Adam Coroleuski.

The pair would like to give a special shout-out to Rosa Lin Alcoser. Alcoser is a Drury photographer who is responsible for the promotional photos used for the show’s flyers.

“If you’re looking for something to do on First Friday, please come check out the Justice and G-Chrome show,” said Presley. “We do stuff that puts a smile on people’s faces, come laugh and relax.”

Presley and Banks encourage Drury students to invite their friends and family to see the show on Friday, Feb. 1 at The Riad.

Article by Delilah Gadd