For experienced performers or students looking to step out of their comfort zone, the weekly improv workshop hosted by the Crimson Comedy Collective offers an environment to develop new skills, build new friendships and laugh along the way.
The workshop takes place every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Lloyd Hall and is open to all students regardless of major and acting experience. Initially, improv may seem nerve-racking with an audience watching, but it can act as a confidence builder and is an effective way to refine one’s spontaneity.
“This is actually the main thing we do, and then a couple times a semester we’ll have a show, or we do a lot of partnerships with the College of Engineering,” said Naomi Lisko, a junior majoring in mathematics and president of the Crimson Comedy Collective.
Lisko has been a member of the club since her freshman year and became president at the beginning of the fall semester. Pete Ludovice, executive director of the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program, is the club’s advisor and assists in providing resources during finals week to help students cope with stress through comedy.
The club has become more of a community over the years and members have gotten closer as they return to each workshop throughout the semester, Lisko said. Each meeting, the members participate in a handful of prompts and activities, bouncing off of each other’s responses and laughing at the quick replies.
“It’s kind of the people that you meet here,” Nathan Stickney, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, said about his favorite part of the workshops. “You see what ideas they have and how they project it in their scenes.”
One of Lisko’s favorite games is “newscast,” where two actors pretend to be news anchors of a fictional event while the audience acts as correspondents. Each meeting rotates through about 15 prompts to keep members on their feet and to encourage creativity.
The workshop included prompts like good cop/bad cop, random scenes from a hat, and a warm-up prompt to shake out the nerves and get everyone ready.
Though Stickney doesn’t usually participate much during the workshops, he enjoys suggesting scenes and seeing how they’re played out by the actors.
“It’s definitely been a great experience, and I definitely recommend it,” Stickney said.
Lisko mentioned that participating in the workshop is a nice contrast to other activities in her daily life.
“I’m in Air Force ROTC and a STEM major, so it’s very chill, and you can just kick back and have fun,” Lisko said.
Members urged curious individuals who are nervous about attending or unsure of their theatrical abilities to try it once and step out of their comfort zone into an inclusive and accepting environment.
“Just try, because remember, everyone else here is not a professional, and nobody’s judging,” Lisko said. “We’re happy to have people.”
