Queen's Players
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The Queen's Players is a sketch comedy/improvisation/rock and roll troupe that performs at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario in the Clark Hall and Alfie's pubs. It produces three shows every year: one in the fall, one in the winter, and one show in the summer. The shows are cast by and with Queen's University students, are each twelve scenes long and each scene is bookended by rousing rock or pop songs sung by one of the players and performed by the show's live band.
The first manifestation of the Queen's Players was as the Queen's Drama Guild, established in 1900. Prominent members of the Guild included Lorne Greene and Roberston Davies. It wasn't until the 1980s that the troupe adopted the format that now makes them so popular on the Queen's campus. The shows draw characters from popular culture, have them descend upon the Queen's Campus. Each show is given a witty, often bawdy title that reflects some of the key characters in the show. Furthermore, the shows are marked by their often low-brow, ultra-sexual humour that would be unbearable without the alcoholic indulgence that makes Queens Players the spectacle that it is.
But the stunning vocal abilities of the Queen's Players and the musical prowess of the band makes it a consistent success. In 2004's winter show, the entire run of Queen's Players sold out in 43 minutes.
Other noteworthy alumnists of the QP include Ashleigh Banfield and the Arrogant Worms