By Paige Miller, Features Editor
Merciful class member David deMena was a co-head writer for this year’s Friday Night Live (FNL).
Since FNL first began in the spring of 2017, deMena has been actively involved in the writing and sketch process. But the job didn’t come to him; he went out and got it.
“When I first got the job as head writer, I asked Nick Martinez, who was directing then, if he would consider me for the position,” said deMena.
DeMena is passionate about gaining experience, and that’s just what FNL has given him. While professionally driven, this same process has been the source for many of deMena’s best memories with FNL.
“My favorite memories are the nights I’ve stayed up with other writers, reading drafts that aren’t working and trying to figure out why and how to fix it,” said deMena. “Then when things all of the sudden start working, we’re laughing and writing and having a great time.”
A lot of FNL’s success has come from trial and error and the crew’s ability to work hard and fast. As a senior, DeMena is able to reflect on how FNL has grown and all that he’s learned through the writing process.
“When I look back at the scripts for the first FNL, I find it totally embarrassing,” he said. “Some of those scripts are so bad! Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned come from sketches that didn’t work very well. In one sketch, I learned how important it is to guide the audience’s focus instead of just throwing in tons of chaos. In another, I learned the importance of making the joke of a sketch play out in the conflict between characters. In another, I simply learned that music can make things funnier.”
DeMena has experienced growth during his time with FNL, and he hopes future FNL crew members will experience the same.
“My advice for the next head writer is to always strive for the best show possible,” said deMena. “It’s really hard, especially when you have a whole team of people who have already worked very hard on something, to tell them, ‘Well, with some more work, this could be even better.’ And yet it’s also important to know when it is OK to stop and go with what you have.”
As deMena reflects on the past two years, he also looks toward the next few years and where FNL will go.
“I would love it if FNL was still going 10 years from now,” said deMena. “But I think what’s most important isn’t necessarily the show itself but the experience it’s providing for its students. Like all student projects, FNL was created to give students an experience they couldn’t gain otherwise. We didn’t have the chance to write or act or direct comedy like this, and so we gave ourselves that chance. What’s most important is that Asbury students get the chance to learn what they want to learn.”
As graduation is around the corner and students look toward a new school year, deMena will continue to file “boatloads” of job applications and send out countless résumés as he searches for his first career outside of Asbury.