Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Improv Festival Keeps Things Light

ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA The 19th annual Georgetown Improv Festival included multiple different university acts.
ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA
The 19th annual Georgetown Improv Festival included multiple different university acts.

“My sweet prince!” “Grapefruit!” “Auurrghhh!” “Cross-country skiing!” shouted members of the audience.

These random and unrehearsed phrases were the foundation for the improv acts of students from SUNY-Binghamton, Columbia College and Georgetown this past Saturday. This followed Friday night’s routine, which featured groups from the University of Maryland, George Washington, George Mason and Ohio State. In the cozy Bulldog Alley auditorium, each act got the chance to perform its own unpredictably hilarious improv show.

This year marked the 19th annual Improv Festival at Georgetown, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The acts followed the long improv form that typically casts the audience as the starting point and then takes on a life of its own as the groups allow the sketch to evolve in whatever direction pops into their heads — all in a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds.

In more technical terms, the improv groups have three very standard techniques of long form improv called tap-outs, cuts and callbacks. After being given a topic or category, the groups may “tap out” a character, during which they take someone else’s place in the act, but the context remains the same. Cutting a scene is when a group member stops the scene, and a new skit ensues. Employing callbacks is when a group member shouts something in the middle of the sketch to give the scene a new or different context.

But aside from defining these techniques, the improv shows themselves are far from formal. Often polling the audience for random shout-outs and relying on simple spontaneity, the groups manage to make seemingly ordinary concepts and ideas come to life in extraordinary, bizarre and hilarious ways.
With a core team of only seven members, Georgetown’s improv group has weekly practices led by director Thomas Moakley (COL ‘17) and executive producer Emlyn Crenshaw. With such a small group, the team must be comfortable relying on each other not only for guidance, but also for spur-of-the-moment inspiration.

When one member has an idea in the middle of the sketch, that member can tap someone else out or cut the scene and move on to a new sketch. It is that reliance that gives each improv group its unique flair.
The SUNY-Binghamton team, new to the long-form show, impressed the audience with some quick and witty one-liners, while the Columbia College group “Droppin $cience” utilized quirky sound effects to get considerable laughs from the audience.

The nature of improv as an art form is inherently unpredictable. But for Cresnhaw, improv provides an outlet for performance.

“I joined the Georgetown Improv Association as a freshman. In high school, I did a lot of theater, but I knew coming into college that I wanted to continue to do something performance related without such a big time commitment, and I found that with improv,” Creshaw said.

A perfect blend of theater, humor and wit, the art form makes for a unique kind of expression that requires a slightly different skill set from traditional acting or stand-up comedy.

Despite some inevitable slow points in each routine, the Improv Festival was overall a tremendous showing of talent not only for the Georgetown Improv Association, but also for all of the schools involved. One of the most difficult aspects of the art is taking care of oneself in order to maintain focus and being ready to act at (literally) a moment’s notice. These constant spurts of action that must attempt to be simultaneously comedic and spontaneous create inevitable lulls in the performance — though overall, each had a unique sense of humor that ultimately prevailed as the “last laugh.”

Improv member Connor Rohan (COL ’16) captured the sentiment behind this impromptu humor. “My favorite thing about improv is that it’s an amazing mental exercise. It keeps you sharp, alert and ready for any situation that may confront you. My least favorite thing about improv is that the word is similar to “improve,” and autocorrect can’t accept that there’s a difference,” Rohan said.

Improv certainly has its rewards, especially in such a small group setting. Georgetown’s Improv Association only has seven members, but that, Crenshaw said, is part of what makes it so special. “By necessity, improv requires that you have a very close relationship with your team mates. As an art form, it is such a unique basis to build relationships on, and I have made some of my best friends here through improv, and I love that it’s been such a big part of my life here.”

“My freshman year we won the ‘wild card’ award at our CIT competition. We thought it was so funny that it became sort of our battle cry. I think it describes us well. We’re very out of the box and unpredictable at times, but we’ve also got heart. And that’s important,” Crenshaw said when asked to describe the group’s motto.

The next Improv Show will be Saturday March 21 . Tickets will be available for purchase online.

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