Improv Club provides students with a space to be themselves and allow their creativity to take control, creating tons of laughter along the way.
The Improv Club is a team of students from all parts of campus who come together to play improv games. More often than not, the goal of the games is to make the audience laugh.
It is a common misconception that improv is directly correlated with theater. However, that is not the case. In a traditional theater club, they may spend time performing more serious or dramatic scenes rather than comedic ones. Especially at Carlmont, the aspect that makes improv so special is that the club focuses on comedy and making people laugh.
“You can be the weirdest version of yourself and even get some claps for it. The games are very loosely formatted and allow for a lot of creative freedom,” Bilello said.
You can be the weirdest version of yourself and even get some claps for it. The games are very loosely formatted and allow for a lot of creative freedom. — Elena Bilello
Improv Club has two parts, the practices and the showcases. A typical practice consists of playing games, giving feedback, and laughing along the way.
“We hold practice every Sunday, where we play a series of improv games. The games are usually made up, such as, ‘Make a radio show only using two letters’ or funny things along those lines,” Stanton said.
After many two-hour practices for months at a time, they all lead up to a big event, a showcase. According to Stanton, the Improv Club usually has four showcases a year, in which all members participate. A showcase is open to all Carlmont students and the general public and it is free for anyone to attend. At the showcases, the club plays its games, getting suggestions from the audience with the intent to get as many laughs as possible.
“In a showcase, all the improvisers get together and play three improv games where we get suggestions from the crowd and try to make them as funny as possible… Everyone in the crowd starts laughing,” Stanton said.
Outside of practice and showcases, the club also merged with the drama department last school year.
This merger allows the club to get some funding and become more professional. Drama teacher Elizabeth Berg is the club advisor.
“Improv is still being run by the students with very minimal interference with Ms. Berg, but she is present for auditions to negate any possible claims of unfair or biased member selection,” said Georgia Kelly, the other co-president of Improv Club.
Auditions are a key factor in choosing the right people for the club. Improv Club holds auditions at the start of first semester and the middle of the second semester every year to get new members on the team.
“I am thinking about joining Improv because it seems so fun to create laughable skits,” said Nate Dempsey, a Carlmont student.
Improv Club strives to create a sense of community where anyone can be themselves and get some laughs out of it.
“People should join the club because it is a very fun and open space for people trying to make friends or find a community to be a part of,” Bilello said. “I’d recommend it for anyone who is in drama or just likes to laugh.”
