WIT NEWS ITEM | FIST Interview: Princess Trainwreck

FIST INTERVIEW: PRINCESS TRAINWRECK

POSTED 3.5.08

With the Tournament of the FIST moving in to its second week of competition, WIT.com sat down with student trio Tara Maher, Alaina Harris and Jenny Hunt (aka Princess Trainwreck) to learn more about their team and life inside the ring.


Hello, Alaina, Jenny and Tara... thanks for breaking away from training to talk.

Tara: You are welcome.

Alaina: My pleasure!

Jenny: Training, primping... same thing for a princess, right?

So... Princess Trainwreck. Explain.

Jenny: I think it started with the fact that Alaina plays this very seductive sorority girl character, but really not sure where it evolved from there. Maybe that we all want to meet our prince charming that is going to treat us like the royalty we are, but some how he hasn't show up yet.

Alaina: We were emailing different names for our group back and forth and were leaning towards Princess Bonkers. However, we got sidetracked by a discussion on Britney Spears and next thing you know... Bam... Princess Trainwreck.

Tara: "Breasts of Varying Sizes" seemed a little wordy. So we went with our back up name.

How did you come up with the show?

Jenny: We just play well together and it created itself. We didn't think about it, it just happened. Tara said "celebrity diary" and we haven't stopped laughing since.

Tara: Jenny's a vegan from Seattle who keeps her TV in the closet. We wanted to make our reference points as far reaching as possible for her.

How did you all meet one another? How long have you been playing together?

Alaina: We met in the WIT classes program. Jenny and I started playing together in Dan Hodapp's 1B class and then Tara joined our next class with Topher.

Tara: Since I had not been a part of Dan Hodapp's love fest called 1B I had a bumpy start with these girls in level 2 last Fall. They were all "Who the hell is her?" and I was all "Who the hell is they?" Then one night we had beer together and the rest is history.

Jenny: It was probably the social worker in Alaina that brought us together.

Are you the type of team that thinks practice makes perfect, or do you rely on your game day instincts?

Alaina: Oh, we practice. If by "practice" you mean "gossip about our WIT peeps and personal lives".

Jenny: We know we are perfect, it is everything and everyone else that needs to realize that. Practice is just an excuse to play in a make believe land, that is removed from facing reality.

This is the first time that WIT has opened up the FIST competition to student teams... what's the atmosphere like in the class program right about now?

Alaina: It's actually really supportive. Now that some of our classmates have been eliminated, they are starting to pick their teams. I expect that the Student Championship match on Friday will be insane in terms of what the eliminated players will do to see their personal favorites succeed!

Jenny: I am a drop out this semester, but the comradery outside of class is great. The immediate string of emails trying to plan teams and the fact that everyone wants to play was great. Then speculating classmate's performance and having other classmates in the audience, it is becoming rather familial.

Tara: Fingernail sensitivity. Chant al from Grab Bag is in my class and I've been doing all my scenes with my back to her.

Speaking of Grab Bag, your next match is this Thursday at 8:00 against them... how do you feel going in to the ring?

Alaina: Confident that my girls and I will have a lot of fun while on the stage. I try not to think about the other team too much, other than to discuss strategy in terms of how many friends we need to bring to beat their cheering squad! But when it comes to our show, I just want to go out there and have fun with my girls and the audience.

Tara: The Celts used to fight naked in battle as a demonstration of their fearlessness. We've been unzipping our flies backstage before we go on.

Jenny: Excited to play!

What scares you the most about the tournament?

Alaina: I'm really afraid to have a bad night. Its one thing to mess up in a student showcase, it's another thing to have an off night in front of a paying crowd!

Jenny: Aliana and Tara rock and I admire both of them as improvisers and my biggest fear is that I would let them down.

Tara: The t-shirts. They are a frightening orange.

What is your biggest strength as a team?

Alaina: Out hair because we use Aquanet hair spray... I kid... we just really like each other and I think that is evident when we are on stage.

Jenny: My teammates are big huggers and we are just girlfriends with each other, so we are in tuned with each others energy level and feelings.

If you win the whole shebang, what will you do to celebrate?

Tara: We're a little too far from Vegas to do it right but I imagine it would involve men and booze.

Alaina: I think we three should have a spa day...or at least get mani/pedi's together. No matter what happens, I've got a special treat for my team already planned out!

Jenny: Even if we don't win, I hope to celebrate with night of dolling up that involves more Aquanet.

If you could impart any words of wisdom to aspiring FIST teams out there, what would Princess Trainwreck like to say?

Tara: It is the most important thing you will ever do in your life.

Alaina: It's even more fun that you think it's going to be!

Jenny: Just have fun!

Any final thoughts before we let you go?

Tara: Because of this all of my married friends are jealous of me.

Alaina: Come cheer us on! I'd really like to make it to the finals!

Jenny: Is it okay that I gave my friends cow bells and bull horns to cheer in the audience? How about a Chinese Gong?

We'll have to check with the Commissioner about the gong. Thanks again for taking the time and best of luck this weekend, Princess Trainwreck. FIST!

Alaina: FIST!

Tara: You are good looking, thank you.

Jenny: Yeah, and if you see Prince Charming tell him to hurry up!


Tickets for the Tournament of the FIST are on sale here. Check back each week for more from this year's competition. FIST!

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