Pet Rock’s Spring ‘25 General Interest Meeting followed the same general pattern as the rest of their meetups; that is to say: chaos.
Early in the meeting, the group starts with an icebreaker in which everyone in the room describes their ideal personal mascot.
Someone chooses Danny DeVito. Another is confident that the Philadelphia Flyers’ very own Gritty could be co-opted to represent them as well. A third flat-out rejects having a mascot due to their innate fear of mascots in the first place.
A fourth, senior Frayda Lieber, is confidently eating pistachios and arranging the shells in a row on the table in front of her. Occasionally she throws them at people. Her mascot would be Jack Black’s character, Dewey Finn, from the 2003 hit film “School of Rock.” She makes it clear that no other Jack Black role would suffice as a proper mascot.
“Frayda, what about the Minecraft movie?” someone shouts. Everyone in the room knows that Jack Black’s decision to play the role of Steve in the upcoming Minecraft movie was a sell out move for his career.
“I know where you live,” she replies.
The rest of the room piles on other Jack Black characters for Lieber to flatly reject. This is part of the fun: if someone sets up a rule, any rule, everyone else in the room must dive in and break it.
That’s the way it goes, and will go, for the foreseeable future here at Pet Rock Sketch Comedy. Ideas are constantly being bent and broken as members of the club search for the next best bit. Even though I was simply at the GIM, club members were already having a blast.
A few things about Pet Rock:
One: They’re a troupe. You need to try out in order to join, and you must also honor their commitment to show up.
Two: They’re all about writing. The goal in this club is to develop the best short form comedy possible. Not only do they have weekly General Member Meetings but also writers’ workshops, both at Genesee 325, where members and non-members alike can learn how to craft the best sketch. These workshops will meet Wednesdays at 7pm for the next two weeks. GMMs take place immediately after, from 8 to 10pm.
You can see the fruits of Pet Rock’s labor in an hour-long debut of the best sketches they’ve cooked up over the course of each semester. The first show of 2025 is scheduled for April 19. Additionally, their back catalog from past semesters is currently available on Youtube.
Three: Pet Rock is young, scrappy, and hungry. As the club is entering its fourth semester since its launch, they’re looking for new members. Part of that challenge is building reputation, and building reputation requires good ideas.
“I will say, overall, I’ve been really impressed with the quality of their sketches. Some of them are really funnier than some of what you see on SNL,” says Melissa Balmain, professor of Humor and Nonfiction writing. “Just making people laugh, period, is important. And just having the experience of making people laugh can be joyful.”
Whether it’s through laughter or just enthusiasm, it’s evident that the club is finding its niche, even recently winning the 2025 Student Life Award for Best New Student Organization.
Throughout the semester, members get to follow some of their best ideas to fruition, and ultimately are privileged to get to see their creations acted out either live or in video form.
Given its youth, the club’s culture is still taking shape, which prospective members find especially appealing. The current E-board believes that the club’s culture is what members make of it, and that has yet to be fully defined. Beware: after joining Pet Rock, your sense of humor could make a lasting impact on the campus, years after you’re gone.
Consider joining if you want to be part of this campus’s only sketch comedy club. Bring your A-Material. Or your B-Material. Heck, bring your F-Material. Just be ready to see it develop and become part of something greater.
You can follow for more updates on UR’s Pet Rock Sketch Comedy by following their Instagram @petrockcomedy.
