And… Lights up! The West Ranch Improv Club performed its first showcase of the year. While West Ranch Theatre’s scripted works are usually directed by West Ranch Theatre Director Mr. Spradling, Improv Club Team Captains senior Lucas Chrisman and juniors Daniela Dolan and Mackenzie Hillhouse stepped up to entice the audience with their comedic performances at the West Ranch Improv Show.
Improv versus Scripts
There are many differences between a scripted show and an improv show in theatre. In scripted works, actors use prepped materials. In improv, or improvisation, actors have to come up with new lines and staging to keep the scene going. Rather than rehearsing a scene over and over again, improvisation allows the actors to think and act impulsively.
Senior club president Lucas Chrisman revealed his take on the difficulty of improv compared to scripted plays and musicals. “Improv is one hundred percent more difficult,” he described, “It’s way easier to just add emotions and intent to a scene without having to think of all the words than to constantly have to add all of those simultaneously, with no direction.”
The Root of Improvisation
While improvisation is very different from scripted plays and musicals, there are still rules that the actors use to guide them during their improv scenes.
Spradling elaborates on the rehearsal process, detailing that “We make it up on the spot [but] there are still parameters or guidelines that are improv. Of course, the main rule being ‘Yes, and?’” This improv rule of thumb occurs when your partner inputs a follow-up to move the scene forward. Rather than disagreeing with or ignoring what their partner has to say, Wildcat Improv Club members embrace each new element and adapt to the change in direction.
“It’s really fun because you have to say the first thing that comes to mind. You ‘Yes, and?’ it, you agree to move on and add onto the story. You don’t want to shut the scene down,” junior Daniela Dolan, the Improv Club Vice President, explained.
Preparing for the Showcase
Although improv does not require the rehearsing of a script, practice is still essential to the success of the show. When asked about the preparation process, Spradling described, “On Thursdays, the students get together and practice those rules in their games, and that’s where it starts.” To ensure the show’s success, these students must master the improvisation mindset of quick thinking, which requires regular rehearsal.
Performers may feel stage fright prior to starting a scene on the stage. When asked if she feels a sense of nervousness before a showcase, junior Gabrielle Anis detailed, “A little bit, but then you realize you don’t have to remember anything. You never know what’s going to happen because everyone is so unpredictable.”
Likewise, Dolan added that “You never know if it’s going to fall flat, meaning the scene is not interesting; it’s boring. The audience is not into it. There’s just two people talking, and there is no scene.”
The Show
Improv Club consists of four teams: Ella the Fellas, Four and a Quarter Brain Cells, Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies and The Old Timers, each with four to five members per game and scene. On Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., each group played a series of improv games, including Change, Letters, Cartoon, Three-headed Monster, Lines from a Hat and Alien Language, which kept the audience entertained with comedy.
Junior stage manager Alina Rose Kliarsky elaborated on her experience watching the show from backstage: “We’re always laughing backstage, it’s so great. My favorite part is probably watching everyone pitch in and laughing. Just watching the whole process of it and everyone being happy and joyful.”
“I thought it went really well and I’m excited to see how the people in our club grow and get even better,” Chrisman concluded.
As West Ranch Improv Club continues its second year, it expects to host more upcoming showcases and performances. Wildcats, make sure to tune in to Improv Club’s next showcase in December!
