What is “improv”?

Improv is theater but without a script and without any idea of what you’re going to do before you step on the stage. It’s like doing a class project when you have no idea what the class project is about. It’s not just you, though, it’s you and someone else, and you have to sync your brains to do a logical performance, a performance that makes sense.

How did you get involved in it and why?

Over the summer I heard about the school Perpich from someone at summer camp, so then I got in contact with someone who went there, and he talked about how he was part of this teen improv team. I thought that seemed cool, so I checked it out online. It sounded really great. I decided to try out, and I got in.

Describe what a team practice is like.

It’s really weird because it doesn’t feel like a practice. It’s just a lot of improv games, making stuff up, being silly, laughing a lot. Before you know it you’re able to do stuff better and you don’t even realize that you’re learning.

Why does improv theater interest you?

Before high school, in elementary and middle school, I was in a lot of theater stuff, but then I got really busy because of high school, so I needed something that wasn’t every day after school. This is really good to be able to write the story and collaborate with people who are also really creative and learn how to be funny.

What’s the hardest part about it?

When you go up on stage and you do something wrong, like you say something that doesn’t make sense or you’re suddenly unable to do the accent you’ve been maintaining the entire skit. You don’t have any ideas so you freeze on stage. That doesn’t look good.