Improv club provides unique creative outlet for students

Photo Courtesy of www.mo-thespians.com

A few members of Improv Club will be competing in the Missouri State Thespian Conference Improv Olympix, a series of games in which the Improv team is judged on their ability to think on their feet while establishing a plot. “MoThesCon to me is like Christmas, but so much better, because it is thespians,” junior Madelyn Pecka said. “MoThesCon” will take place in St. Louis from Jan. 12-14.

“The act of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation.” That is what Dictionary.com defines improvisation as. The theatrical definition is a bit more clear.

“It’s basically establishing a scene with a stimulus and a certain amount of time,” junior Madelyn Pecka said.

Pecka started Improv Club at the beginning of the year and is currently seeking out people who want to do improv or are simply curious.

“I thought our school and community would benefit from that kind of creative outlet that improvisation offers,” Pecka said.

Pecka has high hopes for the club in the future.

“Hopefully once we get a more established group, we can start doing little performances for the community and maybe ask for donations and putting it towards a charity of our choice,” Pecka said.

Some members of improv club are going to attend Missouri State Thespian Conference and compete in the Improv Olympix. Teams of five from schools all around Missouri compete against each other in different improv games with stimuli from the audiences. Improv doesn’t have to be stressful though.

Sophomore Dori Key joined improv club because she said it is fun and a place to just be “goofy.”

“Everybody can do it. If they don’t know what theatre is about or if they’re not ready to be in plays, then improv club is a good start,” Key said.

Some may have the fear that it is only for “theatre kids.” However, that is not what improv club is about. It is open to anyone.

“It’s really not just directed at theatre kids,” Pecka said.  “It’s for anyone who has a little bit of a spontaneous and creative side to them, which I think everyone has, so it is a club that everybody could benefit from and enjoy taking part in.”

If you are interested in joining improv club or just learning more about what improv club does, talk to Madelyn Pecka, sponsor Kerri Flynn or any improv club member.