Entertainment with nothing to lose

Stand up comedy, original plays, drag shows . a possible on-stage proposal. Every other Friday, students and other guests perform whatever they desire at the No Shame Variety Show at the Shafer Street Playhouse.

Many people assume No Shame is simply a talent show but after just five minutes it’s versatility becomes apparent. No Shame boasts new acts every week, such as original poetry and dance pieces. What gets audiences so invested in No Shame are the acts that create a series out of the show.

The Chef/Armada is “martial arts soap opera” with Cooper Forsman, Trevor Dawkins and Dallas Tolentino. The series started last year as stage fighting, but slowly grew into a plot where each character had a force-type power called “the influence” with which they try to overpower the other each week. Performances like these are what make No Shame legendary.

“It’s not so much a talent show . you don’t have to prove anything,” said Zach Jesse, a senior theater major. “You just do whatever you want . literally anything.”

Jesse has performed and written original pieces for the show.

No Shame has recently begun its third semester at VCU. At the premiere show, the playhouse was as packed as ever. In the past, attendees had to wait as long as an hour to get in and occasionally were turned away.

Although the show’s popularity seems to have outgrown the space, those involved can see no better option. Shafer Street Playhouse is a public student space nearly restriction-free. Moving the show to a larger, privately-owned space would mean possible noise limitations and censorship of the show’s content.

“The space we have is a home for us,” show participant and senior theater performance major Taylor Brewerton said.

No Shame’s popularity is with an overwhelming majority of theater students, both in the audience and on-stage.

“I’m trying to reach out, but I mostly know theater kids,” senior theater performance major Eric Arnold said.

Arnold is the master of ceremonies and organizes the line-up for No Shame along with stage manager Kelsey Rudiger.

The prominence of theater students on and off the stage contributes hugely to the atmosphere and the show’s uniqueness. The comfort level of No Shame makes it commonplace for the audience to get out of their seats. The on-stage talent regularly spills off-stage during a performance. Arnold jokingly reprimands someone in the audience at every show.

But the show is not completely devoid of diversity.

“At least one act in every show has been a non-theater major,” Jesse said.

These have included accounting majors, dance and choreography majors, music majors and even non-students. All acts are subject to Arnold’s approval, but there are no strict qualifications.

“I’ll take anybody,” Arnold said.

The next No Shame Variety Show is Feb. 27 at 11 p.m. at the Shafer Street Playhouse.

“It’s exceptionally good for a variety show,” said Carole Jones, a senior fashion design major. “The whole point is no shame.”