Get ready to rumble.
Theatre Strike Force, a UF student group of improvisational comedians, will host its annual improv showdown, dubbed "Rumble in the Swamp," at 8 p.m. tonight.
And to promote the event, members were their usual show-stealing selves on Wednesday.
A pie-eating contest on Turlington Plaza Wednesday afternoon promoted the show in outrageous TSF fashion.
Erik Voss, TSF treasurer and UF sophomore, chose to inhale his pie rather than eat it, causing him to dramatically spit it out and startle passersby.
"I got it all up my nose, and now everywhere I smell smells like lemon meringue pie," Voss said. "I just wanted to have fun with it and get the word out there."
Voss' pie-eating antics are the first of many spur-of-the-moment performances visitors can expect from him and about 30 others during the shows.
He has also helped the troupe write a few sketch-comedy acts.
"The process of writing and coming up with scripted material is something new and exciting," Voss said.
The troupe will divide into Team Orange and Team Blue before battling it out at Constans Theatre for the chance to earn bragging rights and a coveted improv championship belt.
Brooks Heatherly, TSF president and UF theater and telecommunication junior, said the troupe has been preparing for the show since November.
The group passed out fliers, wrote chalk messages on campus sidewalks and made a video to promote the event.
"It's a chance for us to really showcase who we are and what we do," Heatherly said.
The shows will be performed in a style similar to MTV's show "Wild 'N Out," but Voss said this version is more structured because a referee will be there to blow his whistle, throw flags and penalize players for breaking the rules.
The group will perform other short improv games similar to the ones played on the TV show "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" Audience members will shout suggestions toward the stage before each scene.
The group anticipates about 400 people at each performance and recommends getting to the theater by 7:30 p.m., as they almost always have a full house.
There are two more opportunities to catch the "Rumble," on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m.
