Ursula Stickelmaier



Projects by Ursula Stickelmaier

Breaking the Bubble: Boy in the Bubble members reflect on the challenges and rewards of sketch comedy

By Danny Durkin, Naomi Maurer and Ursula Stickelmaier

BLOOMINGTON, IND.  (April 3, 2025)

The stage is dark as people file into room 015 in the Fine Arts Building. Music blasts from the speakers above. And, as the audience finds their seats, members of IUs sketch comedy group Boy in the Bubble wait backstage for the show to begin. Performing comedy can be intimidating for anyone, but joining an established group like Boy in the Bubble comes with both rewards and challenges.

The group’s newest performers, junior Claudia Logan, sophomore Grace Parton and freshman Jesse Kunst, joined the group in January this year. Shortly after officially joining Boy in the Bubble, the group held their first show of the semester, or their “New Kids” show, on Feb. 1 in the Fine Arts Building.

Top row: Grace Parton, Austin Rubin and Claudia Logan Bottom row: Jasper Port and Leah Nykaza
Grace Parton, Austin Rubin, Claudia Logan, Jasper Port and Leah Nykaza pose at end of their dance to NYSNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” on Feb. 1, 2025 in the Fine Arts Building in Bloomington. The comedy group practiced the dance all week leading up to their official New Kids show. Photo courtesy of Claudia Logan.

Despite their prior individual performing experience, this was the first time that the three new members performed sketch comedy in front of an audience. But being comfortable on stage is also something that these performers must be good with. For a new performer, like Logan or Parton, the thought of trying to be funny in front of a crowd of strangers may seem nerve wracking at first.

“It was intimidating,” Parton said. “I’d seen them all perform before, and they’re all very naturally funny. And you’re just intimidated going in. Like, I have a lot of imposter syndrome, thinking I’m not funny, or I can’t write, or anything like that. But the more you’re around people like that, I feel like, the more you’re like, oh, that’s silly. These are just fun people to be around. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

Though all the new members of Boy in the Bubble have had some sort of stage experience – Parton, whose current major is costume design and who acted in high school, has been around the stage more than most. Despite currently working in shows with the University Players, some free time in her schedule allowed Parton to audition for the group.

“This semester, I didn’t have much going on, so I kind of wanted to take the opportunity,” Parton said. “And I’d been to a few shows before, and Bubble was always my favorite, so I wanted to try it out.”

Claudia Logan and Jesse Kunst (left to right) perform in one of the first sketches of their New Kids show on Feb. 1, 2025. The....
Claudia Logan and Jesse Kunst (left to right) perform in one of the first sketches of their New Kids show on Feb. 1, 2025 in the Fine Arts Building in Bloomington. The New Kids show served as a way to introduce Boy in the Bubble fans to new members that joined January 2025 after the group’s spring semester auditions. Photo courtesy of Claudia Logan.

With her obligations to school, the University Players shows and her own social life, the addition of Boy in the Bubble rehearsals and shows to her schedule can become a challenge. But to Parton’s surprise, the sketch comedy group is very accommodating of its members’ schedules.

“Bubble makes it easier, because we meet every other week, so I can kind of focus on my other obligations in the weeks in between,” Parton said. “Three of our members were just in Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, which is the main stage play this semester, and they just took a few weeks off. So, like, a few weeks is only three shows, and they’re going to be back with us the rest of the semester. So it’s not too bad.”

Grace Parton, Simon Mayer, Matt Trzaskus, Harley Babbitt, Noah Sanders and Sarah Warf (Left to Right) perform a sketch on stage in the Fine Arts Building.
Grace Parton, Simon Mayer, Matt Trzaskus, Harley Babbitt, Noah Sanders and Sarah Warf (left to right) perform in a Willy Wonka themed drug intervention for comedy group’s alumni show on March 30, 2025 in the Fine Arts Building in Bloomington. The performance marked the groups 25th anniversary and the crowd was filled with both Boy in the Bubble fans and former members. Photo taken by Ursula Stickelmaier.

Writing sketches can also be something that challenges new members during their first tries. Logan, who wrote scripts when she was younger for the global organization Destination Imagination which she participated in, has pitched multiple sketches to Boy in the Bubble and has even had some make it into the shows. As her time in the group has progressed so has her process for writing scripts. Currently this means pulling from things she experiences or hears in her own life to create something funny.

“I find one thing that I’m like, ‘Okay, this would be funny. How do I build up to that?’” Logan said. “Like this skit that got in the show, I got from talking to my neighbor. He was making a pie and said something like, ‘My God, my butter is gonna be melted and not just softened.’ And I thought that was so funny. Then in one of my classes, my professor mentioned, like the redwood forest. And I was like, ‘Redwood forest and butter. How can I add that?’ And then I just kind of word vomited.”

For Logan, inspiration can come from anywhere. Whether it is a random conversation with a friend, a silly remark she overhears or even a professor’s lecture. The beginning of her writing process is less about crafting a structured narrative and more about chasing what makes her laugh, no matter how absurd the connections might seem.

Now this process may seem chaotic to some, but Logan thinks it’s important to recognize that not every sketch has to make sense. Sometimes the funniest sketches aren’t the ones that have a logical beginning, middle and end but the ones that include a little chaos.

Ella Asher, Claudia Logan, Leah Nykaza and Darby FitzSimmons (left to right) perform sketch comedy on stage in the fine arts building.
Claudia Logan performs alongside Ella Asher, Leah Nykaza and Darby FitzSimmons (left to right) at their performance on Feb. 15, 2025 in the Fine Arts Building in Bloomington. Logan played played Crypto Barbie in a sketch centered around a line of alt-right Barbies and Kens. Photo taken by Ursula Stickelmaier.

“Sometimes we’ll read sketches, and they don’t make any sense at all,” Logan said. “And it’s okay, it’s just supposed to be funny. So I think, like taking that mindset, it really helps me write too.”

For new members, Boy in the Bubble isn’t just about the challenges it brings. It’s about finding a community where they can grow as comedians. And from writing sketches to performing on stage, Logan says they’ve found encouragement every step of the way.

“Everyone in the group is just so nice,” Logan said. “They all welcomed me in like I was already their friend, so that was pretty comforting.”

Claudia Logan and Grace Parton discuss what its like to be new members of a popular comedy group on campus. Logan and Parton both joined IUs sketch comedy group, Boy in the Bubble, in Jan. 2025 and have participated in all the shows of the spring semester through sketch writing and performance.

Apple Unveils A New Device In Their Long Series Of Products

Contact Information:
Ursula Stickelmaier
ustickel@iu.edu
Whitney Stephen
stephewm@iu.edu
Calli Stouder
cstoude@iu.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CUPERTINO, California [Sept. 09, 2014] – Apple redefined the smartwatch when CEO Tim Cook unveiled the company’s new product, the Apple Watch, this Tuesday at the “Wish We Could Say More” Event in Cupertino, California.

Held at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts, Apple debuted its new product alongside the iPhone 6 line of smartphones. Cook showcased the product with Apple Vice President Kevin Lynch. As well as, British-American designer Johnny Ive and Apple’s Vice-President of Fitness Technologies Jay Blahnik. 

The Apple Watch features a multitude of capabilities all designed to create a personal experience for the user. From a customizable timepiece to a brand new way for Apple users to communicate to an all-encompassing fitness tracker, the Apple Watch is tailor-made for whoever uses it. “We designed the Apple Watch as a whole range of products, enabling millions of unique designs and parallel personalization both in appearance and capability,” Ive said. 

Man relaxes in the couch, his Apple Watch prominently on display.
Aaron Stephen embraces the comfort of his new Apple Watch in his home in Whiteland, Indiana, on Feb. 14, 2025. Full of many capabilities for all age groups, the Apple Watch allowed accessibility and comfortability on your wrist.

The design choices in particular that make the Apple Watch unique for the wearer include interchangeable watch bands and multiple case options which go with three different models of the device available: the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition.

One of the new design choices that Apple made with the Apple Watch is the introduction of the Digital Crown which allows users to easily scroll through their Apple Watch device without anything obstructing their view. Should the user need to interact with the screen directly, the Apple Watch is able to detect both touch and force. This allows the watch to tell the difference between a tap meant to pause your music and a press meant to access contextually specific controls, that differ between app to app.

The apps available on the Apple Watch range from Apple designed apps to third party apps like Twitter or Pinterest. Third party app developers are able to use Apple’s WatchKit which will help them seamlessly integrate their own software onto the Apple Watch device. Any app on the apple watch will be able to provide automated functions for its users to quickly access.

The Apple Watch also comes with Digital Touch, the latest innovation by Apple. With Digital Touch wearers will be able to communicate with other Apple Watch wearers in new and unique ways. By tapping their screen in this function they can send physical vibrations to their friend’s device, users can draw pictures that will be sent and there is even the option to send your own heartbeat. This heartbeat function is just one of the many ways that Apple has made the Apple Watch more personal and intimate for their users. “That’s never been done before,” Lynch said. “It’s a really great aspect of this new form of communication with Digital Touch.”

Girl checks something on her Apple Watch.
Tara Stephen checks her Apple Watch to see if she hit her fitness activity rings for the day after coming home from her workout in Whiteland, Indiana, on Feb. 14, 2025. The Apple Watch allowed student athletes to be able to check their steps, heart rates and calories burned through the day.

What truly separates the Apple Watch from all other watches though is its fitness capabilities. It combines the information gathering technology of your typical fitness tracker with the easy to use and personal technology of an Apple device. Divided between two apps, the Fitness App and The Workout App, the Apple Watch is designed to give you a complete profile of your health.

The Fitness App is there to monitor all your activity and movement throughout the day as you wear the watch. It is then stored on your phone so you can track your day to day progress through something that is unique to you. In the Workout App the user is able to set personal goals based on how long they want to work out, the amount of calories they want to burn or even the distance you want to travel. You can also change your workout to fit whatever activity you are doing whether that is biking, running or lifting weights. 

Over time the Apple Watch will become tailored to you and is designed to provide helpful and healthy reminders to keep you active throughout your day. These goals will be both personal and realistic to you and your everyday life so you’re not getting any unneeded stress when it comes to working out. “Apple Watch is going to greatly improve the way we keep track of our activity and change the way we look at fitness,” Blahnik said. “We think it’s going to help a lot of people live a better day and a healthier life.”

Users of both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5 lines of smartphones will be able to connect their phone to the watch and can access all the Apple Watch functions seamlessly. Starting at $349, all three models of the Apple Watch will be available for purchase in early 2015. “We think people are going to love to use Apple Watch,” Cook said.”It empowers people and enriches their lives. Apple Watch is the most personal device Apple has ever created.”

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FIRST CLIP – Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the key points of the Apple Watch at the “Wish We Could Say More” Event in Cupertino, California, on Sep. 9, 2014. According to Cook, the Apple Watch featured multiple unique functions including a customizable time piece, new ways for Apple users to communicate and brand new fitness capabilities.
SECOND CLIP – The Vice President of Apple, Kevin Lynch, demonstrates the communication capabilities of the Apple Watch to a large audience at Apple’s “Wish We Could Say More” Event in Cupertino, California, on Sep. 9, 2014. The heartbeat function on the Apple Watch allowed users to send a real-time and accurate replication of their heartbeat to a friend’s device creating a more intimate feel for both wearers.