Humorology, Inc., also called Humo, is a Wisconsin nonprofit organization and an annual fraternity and sorority philanthropic event at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. Annually, the nonprofit hosts a competition of original mini musical comedies written, produced, and performed by studebts and overseen by a student-run executive board. Begun in 1947, Humorology is one of the oldest traditions at the university.

History

Founded in 1947, Humorology is annual fundraising event where

fraternities and sororities present short musical comedy shows. Originally, the shows were sponsored by the Inter-Fraternity Council and the Pan-Hellenic Association and were akin to

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

acts, filled with

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

, lampoons, and

clowning A clown is a person who performs physical comedy and arts in an Improvisational theatre#Comedy, open-ended fashion, typically while wearing distinct cosmetics, makeup or costume, costuming and reversing social norm, folkway-norms. The art of ...

. The winner of the first show in March 1947 was Sigma Nu which performed a

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...

. For its first twenty years, the event's main beneficiary was the ''The Capital Times''' Kiddie Camp for children with

rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...

. Humorology raised $1,909 in 1951 and $2,050 in 1952 for the camp. By 1963, the Humorology had given more than $16,400 to Kiddie Camp. Next, the event raised money for international student scholarships. Humorology ceased to exist after 1970 due to a lack of interest. After a hiatus, it was revived in 1979, and again supported Kiddie Camp. Now, Humorology supports a different local charity each year. Between 1947 and 2023, it raised $1.5 million for various groups. One of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's oldest traditions, Humorology or Humo overseen by a ten-member student executive board. Humorology incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1993 and is Wisconsin's largest student-led nonprofit organization. Its mission is "to promote community engagement and philanthropic service through creativity and dedication".

Performance

The Humorology show consists of six original twenty-minute shows that adapt popular music and into a story with singing, dancing, and comedy. Students write, direct, choreograph, and perform the show; student also make the sets and costumes. Each Humorology company consists of members of a University of Wisconsin–Madison

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

teamed with members of a

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

. Individuals who are not part of the Greek system can also participate. Around 1,000 students and 28 fraternities and sororities participate in the philanthropic event annually. All fraternities and sororities are eligible to audition in November for Humorology, but only six acts make it to the final performance in April. The six mini-musical comedies are performed over a series of three nights. On the final night, a panel of judges presents selects the top three acts. The winner is the act what has raised the most money.

Philanthropy

Proceeds from Humorology are donated to local children's charities, with a different charity being selected each year. The event has raised more than $2.4 million from its founding in 1947 through 2023. Some recent beneficiaries of the Humorology include: * Badger Childhood Cancer Network $405,000 * Blessings In A Backpack $341,000 * Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County $145,000 * Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and the Dane County chapter of

United Cerebral Palsy United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities. As one of the largest health nonpro ...

$185,000 * Canopy Center of Dane County $508,000 * Logan's Hearts and Smiles $490,000 * Neighborhood House $234,500 * Respite Center at RISE Wisconsin $441,000 * The Rainbow Project $195,000

Show winners

Notable people

Television producer, director, and screenwriter

Steven Levitan Steven E. Levitan (born April 6, 1962) is an American television producer, director, and screenwriter. He has created many television series such as ''Just Shoot Me!'', '' Stark Raving Mad'', '' Stacked'', '' Back to You'', ''Modern Family'', a ...

started his career in comedy working on shows for Humorology. Michael Begler and

Jack Amiel Jack Amiel is an American TV writer, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-creating Cinemax's period medical drama ''The Knick'', and for writing the films '' Raising Helen'' (2004), '' The Shaggy Dog'' (2006) and '' Big Miracle'' ( ...

met when working on Humorology and are now a screenwriting team for television.

References

External links

Official Humorology website
{{University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Wisconsin–Madison