By: Elaine Best, Editor
On Friday, Sept. 25 Spartanburg locals gathered together to see “The Latest Thing in Spartanburg”– a live talk show featuring improv skits, live commercials and guest interviews.
Tim Giles, co-founder and host of “The Latest Thing,” says that people can expect to have a good time at one of their shows.
“The show is fast, lively and even a little racy,” says Giles. “The fun part of keeping it a live and late night event is that we can push the boundaries of what people are used to seeing in Spartanburg. We don’t seek to offend, and I don’t think many people would find what we do is in poor taste, but it’s definitely adult entertainment.”
Some of the skits from the night of Sept. 25 included a live commercial for Leslie Horne & Associates featuring an Australian house hunter, a support group for SBI, or “S— Beer Intake,” and an improvised skit that ended with one member crying, “there is mold – here come the gremlins!”
Eric Kocher, co-founder of “The Latest Thing” and Wofford adjunct instructor in English, explains that “The Latest Thing” attempts to dispel the stereotype that there is nothing fun to do in Spartanburg.
“We just find that to be a totally inaccurate description of where we live. We are able to make a show that’s about all the things that are happening [here]. We’ll have live music, sketch comedy and really wonderful guests,” Kocher says. “And at least one person will have beer dumped all over them.”
Not all the skits written by the staff make it to the live show. Dr. Patrick Whitfill, English professor and writer for “The Latest Thing,” describes the revision process for the show.
“At some point there’s always somebody in the room who has to say, ‘okay, but is this funny for only five to 10 people in the room, or is this premise heavy enough that we can get a 150 people to laugh along and be entertained by it?’” Whitfill says.
Along with finding sponsors, one of the show’s biggest obstacles is finding enough time to create the production.
“You work with what you have, and also that’s part of the fun. It feels like a grassroots show,”says Whitfill. “We’ll meet in the hallway if we have to, but it’s important enough that we want to do it even in face of the obstacles”.
For Giles, one of the highlights of working on “The Latest Thing” is having the chance to get the Spartanburg community together.
“I’ve been witness to an out-pouring of love over the way we celebrate Spartanburg and how proud people are to see something like this that the city can call its own. It’s an honor to get to hear such enthusiastic responses to something that we pour so much love and work into,” says Giles.
“The Latest Thing” hopes to branch out and have more diverse guests and audiences in its future.
“The idea is to celebrate the Spartanburg community, that the person sitting next to you right now has a lot to offer,” Kocher explains. “More so than any particular individual, I would say that it is our goal to increase the diversity of our guests to more accurately reflect the profoundly diverse community we live in.”
“Also, I think Wofford’s President, Dr. Nayef Samhat, would be a wonderful guest,” Kocher adds. “Please consider this a personal invitation.”
Kocher encourages Wofford students to attend future shows and try something different from their regular Friday night plans.
“I think it’s an event that Wofford students should seriously consider coming to. I know that Friday nights are valuable, especially when you are in college, but it’s a little timeout from normal routine, a few hours where your only job is to relax and have a good time,” Kocher says.
Students can purchase tickets at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium box office for $10 with a student ID or $12 on the day of the show. Adult prices are $12 and $15 day of. Readers can follow “The Latest Thing” on Facebook or go to the Hub City website to stay updated on future show dates and times.
