by John Huffman
“Can you tell me
somewhere your grandmother wouldn’t want you to know she visited?” The crowd
doesn’t hesitate; they’re used to questions like this. Within seconds an answer
is shouted from the back of TDU and something magical happens: an
improvisational comedy scene is born. Members of JMU’s improv comedy troupe New
and Improv.’d take audience suggestions, typically yelled from the back of TDU,
and use them as inspiration for the entertaining scenes and games they perform.
“Improv is the art of making stuff up,” says Jeremy Tuohy, a senior Theatre
major and the director of New and Improv.’d. “Everything that is done in a
night of improv is completely unscripted. It’s a very collaborative process.“
It’s a
collaborative process that results in a fun escape for everyone participating,
both the audience and the performers. Abigail Moore, a freshman SMAD major,
just joined New and Improv.’d this year. Like many others before her, she
became interested in improv comedy because of the TV show “Whose Line is it
Anyway?”. Since joining the troupe, she has found that practicing and
performing comedy at JMU has helped her get away from some of the everyday
stresses of being a college student. “It’s one of the most fun things I’ve
participated in,” she says. “No matter what’s going on in the week you can
always go to improv and just forget about everything.”
New and
Improv.’d has been performing shows for the past thirteen years, and in that
time, they gained a reputation for putting on great shows. They aren’t,
however, the only comedy group on campus. Student-generated comedy has been
expanding; this year, a new comedy group calling themselves Maddy Night Live
gave their debut performance to a packed Warren Hall on November 27th, 2012.
Maddy Night Live doesn’t do improvised comedy like New and Improv.’d. Instead,
they found a flavor all their own in the realm of sketch comedy. Nathan
Gallagher, a junior WRTC major, is a member of both Maddy Night Live and New
and Improv.’d (the two troupes share several members). Nathan enjoys exploring
comedy in different ways with the two troupes. He explains the difference
between them, saying, “I really like the behind the scenes collaboration idea.
With Maddy Night Live, you can really talk and revise. With improv, you only
get one shot, but there’s this sort of energy with improv.”
With two clubs
on campus tackling comedy in different ways, it’s clear that student-generated
comedy is as strong as it’s ever been at JMU. The campus benefits from comedy
shows that provide a fun, safe environment for Dukes to unwind and laugh
together. “This is a really good place where people like to laugh,” says Jenna
Frick, a junior SMAD major and the President of Maddy Night Live. “People like
to have a good time. They’re very open and welcoming and would love to come to
any kind of comedy show, whether it’s sketch comedy, a play, or an improv show.
JMU’s just a good place for that.”
If you’re
interested in attending a show or becoming a part of one of these troupes, look
for more information online:
Visit New and Improv.’d
on Facebook.
Follow New and
Improv.’d on Twitter @New_And_Improvd.
Visit Maddy
Night live on Facebook.
Follow Maddy
Night live on twitter @MaddyNightLive
Looking to
explore more unique clubs at JMU? Check out Student
Org Night 2013 on Thursday, January 17th at Festival Ballroom from 8-10pm.
