Friday Night Live (FNL), FSU’s sketch comedy group, is just days away from their anticipated spring performance, “FNL Returns.” Having previously performed on FSU’s campus, including at Club Downunder, FNL is now taking their show to Railroad Square for two showings this Friday, April 19. You can see FNL’s digital sketches from their previous shows on YouTube (more of them are to be uploaded soon!), but this Friday they’ll be performing a number of all-new comedy sketches. I got to sit down with Bailey Feuerman, the Social Media Director and cast member of Friday Night Live, to talk about the group’s upcoming show.
Her Campus (HC): Tell us about how you got involved in Friday Night Live.
Bailey Feuerman (BF): I did theatre in high school, where I was always wanting to play more comedic roles and characters. When I got to college and wasn’t going to be a theatre major, I wanted to find a place where I could express that creativity.
I randomly found FNL on my Instagram explore page. There was an audition for it three days after I had found their Instagram and I was like, “You know what? I’m just going to do this.” For the audition, you had to prepare three different characters and write your own original sketch, and that’s how I got involved!
HC: Tell us about your upcoming show at Railroad Square this Friday, FNL Returns.
BF: We’re going to be putting on a show that includes four digital sketches (usually we do more but we decided to cut it down this time) and we’re doing eight live sketches. We also have a musical guest, Solomon Hill, and they’ll be performing three songs.
HC: How will the show be structured?
BF: We have half digital and half live sketches, which we’ve already written and rehearsed. We’ll alternate between the two. We’ll perform one live, then show a digital to give us time to change, maybe have a musical guest, and then do another live sketch.
HC: What role will the musical guest be playing in the show?
BF: Since we’re called Friday Night Live, it’s kind of a spoof of Saturday Night Live (we pray every single semester that they don’t sue us for taking their name!). We do a setup similar to theirs where we’ll have a famous host and then have a musical guest, so we try to find people who are well-known on campus.
This semester, we have Mikey Frusci, who’s a senior theatre major, as our host. For our musical guest, we found Solomon Hill, who’ve performed at 926, Club Downunder, and a lot of other different venues. They’ll play two or three songs in between our sets so we have time to change into different costumes in between sketches.
HC: Can you give us a teaser of what the live sketches are going to be about?
BF: Let’s just say they’re going to feature a priest, an old man, and a Girl Scout.
HC: What helps you get into character for your sketches?
BF: This is really strange, but I feel like I always fall into doing an old woman with a New York accent. I always kind of do that voice before doing anything else.
HC: Is there a specific style of humor to the show? What can audiences expect from it?
BF: I’d say there’s some humor that’s similar to I Think You Should Leave by Tim Robinson. There’s some really absurdist comedy as well, like, set in different dimensions. There are a lot of crazy characters this time around!
HC: Do you have any other inspirations for this show and FNL’s content in general?
BF: I’d say I get a lot of my comedy inspiration from Parks and Rec. I love Parks and Rec, and also Curb Your Enthusiasm, which sadly just ended.
HC: What would you say sets FNL apart from the other comedy groups on campus at FSU?
BF: We have a lot of people from different backgrounds and we have a lot of different senses of humor, which definitely adds to the club’s environment.
HC: What would you say to someone who is thinking of joining FNL?
BF: I would say absolutely do it. Even if you don’t have any acting or writing experience, if you have an interest in sketch comedy at all, we welcome everybody. If you’re more comfortable with writing, we could cater to those strengths. If you’re more comfortable with acting, we can cater to those strengths as well.
HC: Is there anything else you’d like to add about your upcoming show on Friday?
BF: I would say expect the unexpected. A lot of the stuff that we have this time around is more absurd than what we’ve done in the past. And everybody’s welcome! No matter what your sense of humor is, there’s something for everyone.
FNL Returns will be showing twice (at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.) live on April 19, so there’s no excuse to miss it!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!