Love and laughter often go hand in hand, just like a couple of sweethearts. That’s why The Love Project, presented by Laughta in New Hampsha, should be a perfect way to spend your Friday after Valentine’s Day.
NEC Concord will open its doors at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 for this one-time-only comedy variety show that’s all about love. If you’re not familiar with Laughta in New Hampsha, here’s a little background:
“Laughta in New Hampsha is a school of comedy, and part of that is giving people opportunities to perform stand-up,” said Doris Ballard, who started the program last year. “It was a big hit. Now we’re collaborating with NEC Concord, trying to bring this around town.”
The group consists of 10 people – five women and five men – and they’ve all been writing comedy sketches once a week all about love. They’ve been learning how to write and perform as a troupe, and this show will be the first time the routine will be performed in front of a live audience, so it’s kind of a big deal.
The night will be jam-packed with a variety of material (which should be considered R-rated, by the way, so don’t bring the little ones) presented in a number of formats.
“We’re going to be presenting 16 different types of sketches, improv and stand-up, and it’s all about the theme of love,” Ballard said.
The plan wasn’t always to have so much variety. Ideas just bounced off each other until the final format came together, Ballard said.
“When I was looking at the year, we started with stand-up and it was the plan to introduce people to sketch writing,” she said. “But in order to stay focused, I thought we should have a performance as an end result. We had to kind of pick a theme, so that’s how that happened.”
The group is still in the stage of making some final tweaks, but Ballard is confident everyone will be ready to go come showtime – they’ve been working pretty hard at this for awhile now.
The show has another purpose, too, one beyond providing a fun and relaxing night for all of you.
“We’re creating a troupe of performers, and this is gonna be – the idea is to find some people who want to continue performing and maybe network with other comedians,” Ballard said. The hope is that people realize what a good time it is and decide to stay on or join up – the more, the merrier.
The show will also serve as a benefit for Concord TV, of which Ballard is also in charge. Money raised will go toward giving kids scholarships for video camp. The show will also be taped and should be ready for viewing within a year.
Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the door. Email dorisballard@comcast.net to reserve yours. Doors open at 7, show starts at 7:30.
