by ANDERS GUSTAFSON and LINA GU
Every Monday and Wednesday during 7th period, a group of dedicated, passionate and comical students meet up with Improv and math teacher Michael Cass to practice one of the most underrated parts of Chadwick’s performing arts program: improvisation. It’s their hard work, grit and passion for improv that makes Chadwick’s
Improv co-curricular such a successful program. Improv is a form of acting where there are no scripts, no preparation and no plan, only spontaneous performances with on-the-spot humor. Improv can be difficult for many people, but Chadwick’s Improv team manages to portray their talents every year in multiple shows that take place in Seeley Mudd Lecture Hall.
Most recently, there was a show in October, and there will be another performance tonight at 7:30 in the Lecture Hall. Additionally, a Christmas show featuring Chadwick alumni will be held Saturday, Dec. 23.
Every improviser is categorized into three groups: Chadwick Improvisers, or ChImps; Chadwick Untested Improvisers, or ChUmps, and Chadwick Alumni Improvisers, or ChAmps. Some of the shows, including the Christmas show, star the ChAmps.
During the improv classes, students engage in many kinds of improvisation. They perform in groups of two to six, and try to invoke different parts of a performance. These mainly involve acting out the characters and the settings, with the actors only having each other as support.
There aren’t any props, so it’s entirely up to the imagination of the actors. This allows for unlimited creativity––anything can happen in these short skits. “Multiple times at each show, somebody will say something that I think is hilarious and unexpected,” Cass said about the randomness of improv, one of his favorite parts.
Each member of the improv community brings his or her own ideas to each skit, and these influence members on stage.
It’s intimidating at first for nearly everyone, but the ChImps get used to being on stage. “Your first show is going to be the scariest thing you do,” says junior Jack Malone, echoing a point made by Cass and many other students in improv. Even though it can be nerve-wracking to perform without a script, the ChImps have each other while they perform, and they build community together.
It’s never up to one person to create a story, and the improvisers learn to help each other perform. Cass emphasizes teamwork. “It’s not about trying to be funny, or smart, or quick. It’s about being there for somebody else and supporting them.”
Practice in small groups teaches the performers to help each other and let others take charge of a story. For example, one activity involves making a story one word at a time. Everyone needs to be equally involved in making a sentence, which typically means a few people will have freedom in their word choice.
Not only does the spontaneous, satirical aspect of improvisation make Chadwick’s improv special, so does the collective theme of community. Much of improv’s success is credited to the friendly and supportive community that is created through practice.
ChUmp freshman Caleb Hartigan is a new enrollee in improv, and has enjoyed it because of the relationships. “With my friends, it’s a lot easier to create something on the spot, and a lot of people in the class make it a friendlier environment to make mistakes.”
Cass has taught improv at Chadwick for more than 20 years, and he’s learned a lot in his time. He originally started improv after being encouraged by a friend. He loved the spontaneous structure of it.
To be good at improv, performers clearly don’t have to be the funniest in the room or a quick-witted, imaginative wizard. Improv is something for anyone. Cass encourages students to try improv, as he believes “the things that improv accentuates and emphasizes are all really nice traits.”
The Mainsheet 