This year, Junior Audrey VanSkiver, inspired by her sister’s fond memories, decided to go from sitting in the FHC Auditorium seats year after year to performing up on stage herself, and she has no regrets.
“My oldest sister was on the improv team when she was a senior, and I was in sixth grade,” Audrey said. “I remember her coming home and always talking about how much fun she had at practices. I remember going to her first show, and I absolutely loved it. I’ve been going to practically every FHC improv performance since then. So this year, I thought I would give it a shot and try out, and here we are.”
Audrey has loved her experience on the team so far, and although her decision was spur-of-the-moment, she knows it was the right one after the fun she’s had at practices. Being a part of the improv team has allowed Audrey to make new friends and memories and have a lot of fun while doing it.
Senior Keegan Redmond has been on the team for a few years now, and fun was the descriptor that came to his mind as well when reflecting on what pushed him to try out and join the team.
“[I joined improv because] it seemed like a fun place with some fun people,” Keegan said. “It is a great community and a great place to express yourself.”
The community within improv is important because, like in any team, the members need to be able to rely on each other and work together if they want to be successful when they perform. Natural cadence and chemistry make the team a lot better at building off of each other on stage when it counts.
Improv advisor Morgan Beckett acknowledges that this rapport is crucial in improv, and she believes that the Chicago trip the team embarked on this summer was instrumental in creating it.
“As the improv advisor, I love watching the team bond and form new friendships—and memories—while participating in the Chicago trip,” Beckett said. “Something just happens on this trip where the improvisers seem to really understand the nature of improv and how important it is to build chemistry and trust with their teammates.”
The main reason why the team begins to realize the nature of improv while in Chicago is that they not only get to bond with one another while doing a variety of activities but also that they get to attend improv shows there, which are both entertaining and educational, in this case.
Audrey and Keegan also enjoyed the team bonding and liked watching the shows. Audrey particularly liked getting to know everyone and feeling like a part of the team as someone who decided to join this year. She gained an appreciation for her teammates beyond the realm of doing improv.
“I definitely thought the Chicago trip brought us closer,” Audrey said. “Being someone who joined the team this year, I was a little nervous working with people who have been on the same team for four years. But the trip really made it more comfortable for me, as I felt I bonded with everyone on a deeper level than just ‘being funny,’ if that makes sense. For example, there was one night when we all just sat in a circle and talked until around 3 a.m. The trip allowed me to open up around all the other amazing people on the team.”
Through growing closer to her teammates, Audrey has gained a new community in the improv team. She loves attending practices, describing them as easygoing. Another perk of her involvement over the summer was getting to know Beckett before the first day of school when she walked into AP Seminar to a friendly face as her teacher.
Beckett sees value in the trip from the aspect of team bonding and also admires how the team gets to partake in the trip’s planning. The opportunity of choice makes the trip more enjoyable for the students, as they get to do what they want.
“[The Chicago trip] totally [helped with team bonding]. Shared experiences inevitably build bonds,” Beckett said. “Now, the improvisers have shared jokes that they witnessed through the shows they watched. They also pick the activities that we do throughout the trip, which gives them more opportunities to make their own memories.”
Beckett urges people to join improv for a simple, yet important, reason: it’s truly a lot of fun. Not just because of the obvious fact that improv comedy is comedic and humorous but because being on the team provides a space to be imaginative and creative while being with friends.
And to those who decide to go for it and try out, Keegan offers advice.
“Just be yourself at auditions,” Keegan said. “It’ll go a long way. [People] should join because improv is a really fun space for everybody.”
