No script, no do-overs and absolutely no guarantee things will go according to plan. For the Boise State Honors Improv Group, that is exactly how they want it.
An improv group that grew out of the Honors College prepares to take the stage this Friday, September 11, turning audience suggestions into flashy and funny unscripted scenes. Students are able to put into practice the lessons they learn in class about confidence, risk-taking and letting go of the idea of perfectionism.
The group was born out of an Honors improv course designed around utilizing improvisational theater to challenge perfectionistic beliefs. Students take a course to learn the fundamentals of improv before exposing their abilities in front of an audience for their class final. The course offers students an opportunity to step out of their comfort zones through a performance where mistakes are unavoidable – which organizers say can actually become part of the fun.
“Because improv can’t be perfected, there’s always the opportunity to be exposed to scenes where you fail, take risks, and then sit with those feelings and learn how to come back and try something again,” Jacob Andrysiak, director of the Honors College Improv Group, said.
This Friday, students who have passed the course are not invited to take on the big stage. Unlike traditional theater, there is no predetermined script. Performers will take audience suggestions in a three-part improv show. Improv’s unpredictability is what the director believes makes it useful beyond the stage. Real-life conversations and interactions don’t provide you a script to follow.
“You can’t just read a book about improv — you have to do improv,” Andrysiak said. “It’s teaching them to be brave, to follow the fear.”
For these student performers, this upcoming show offers them a chance to display what improv has taught them: to step into the unknown with fear, take a risk and embrace what happens next.
The show is taking place at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Union Building in Bergquist ballroom.
