The Formative Years of Robert Baumgardner

The Clique, IRTE's next show, opened Saturday, August 3rd 2013. The last performance (unless we bring it to a festival) is Saturday, August 17 at 8:00 pm. It's about those high school years we all remember and love so well. At the top of the show, our principal, Jeff O'Leary will interview a member of the audience about their high school experience. So, to be fair, we decided to interview some of the cast members of The Clique before we subjected anyone else to such experiments.

This time we hear from improvisor Robert Baumgardner:

BIRTE: Where did you go to high school?

Robert: I went to an all boys prep school in northern New Jersey run by Benedictine priests.

Jersey Boy

B: Who were your friends? Were you part of a clique?

R: I think the school was too small to really have strictly defined cliques. There definitely were jocks, and I suppose nerds. I played soccer, then ultimate frisbee, and sat in the library a lot. I guess my closest friends were nerds and stoners. At least the latter had a reputation for being stoners. I actually never saw weed until I went to college.

B: Did you ever get bullied/picked on by someone?

R: By students or faculty? Ha! I don't really remember anyone getting picked on a lot. Not that there weren't days...threats of chocolate swirlies, your-mama jokes were big, etc. One guy who got picked on in my class was actually the biggest kid in the class. I think he was an offensive lineman on the football team, and others would pick on him because he wasn't the sharpest pencil in the cup. He would take their crap, but sometimes if he thought someone else was getting picked on, he'd put the bully in a headlock. That pretty much ended the bullying for awhile.

B: Did you ever get sent to the Principal's office?

R: We didn't have a principal. We had a headmaster, a very strong priest who had been living for over a thousand years. Oh, sorry. Let me turn off "True Blood". There we go. Where were we? Oh no, the headmaster was probably in his forties. I don't ever remember getting sent to the office. The priests scared me, so I stayed in line.

Check out The Clique this Saturday, August 17 8:00 pm at

Gotham City Improv
48 West 21st, 8th Floor - Buzzer #801
New York, NY 10010
212-367-8222

Tix: $6

Reservations: IRTEinfo@gmail.com

Special Discount!!!: $3.00 for High School / College Students with advance
reservation.
$3.00 for groups of 3 or more with advance
reservation.