Improv and A Capella

Your parents want you to show them what Duke nightlife is all about, but, well, you'd rather keep them away from your Busch Light-stocked fridge. Thank goodness for improv and a capella. This weekend, nine of the most popular performance groups on campus will be serving up a healthy dose of wholesome family entertainment.

Friday night, Duke University Improv will dish out its third annual free Parents' Weekend show at 9pm in Von Canon. According to flyers around campus, these shameless fools have been "bringing parents and children together for years."

"This is one of the shows we look forward to the most," said Bobby "Bojo" Jones, a senior member of DUI. "Parents are some of the best audiences we have."

The charming boys of DUI have been rehearsing some new comedic techniques in the abandoned Hideaway and are working on turning the former bar into a comedy club on the last Friday of every month.

But for the time being, treat your parents to some free laughs. Yes, free--your parents will appreciate their Dukie's rare attempt at thinking economically. Despite the lack of an entrance fee, DUI has managed to bring in between $400 and $600 in donations for the Scott Carter Foundation for Cancer Research during previous Parents' Weekend shows. Since its inception in 1997, all the money the group has raised has gone to this charity, created in honor of a 13-year-old cancer victim.

Get there early if you want a seat; doors open at 8:30 for a reason.

The fun moves to East Campus Saturday night for Acappallooza, a double-dose of aural pleasure. At 7pm, Out of the Blue, Speak of the Devil, DZj^ Blue and Something Borrowed, Something Blue will do their thing, followed by Lady Blue, Rhythm and Blue, Sapphire and The Pitchforks in a separate show at 9pm in Baldwin Auditorium. If you don't already have tickets, you may be able to get your hands on the last few at the door. You can't go wrong with either show--they've both got your standard mix of all-male, all-female, co-ed and Christian singing groups to satisfy all your a capella fantasies.