Improvables’ fall Mini-Improvathon brings together a “really good cast and a really good audience”

From left to right: Catherine Vyhlidal and Nathan Sollberger act in an improv show (photo from previous event).

Photo credit: Mi-Ree Zwick

By Mi-Ree Zwick

The Improvables hosted their first Mini-Improvathon for the year on Friday night, starting with a Halloween-themed improv show before transitioning into free-form improv where audience members could join the games.

The show was held in the Janzow Campus Center and ran from 7 p.m. on Friday to 1 a.m. on Saturday. The show started a little late as some stragglers snagged a seat or stood in the back because all seats were taken.

The audience was eager for the show to start. A majority of the audience members were returnees from the previous show who wanted to laugh just as hard as they did for the homecoming show.

Panel member Sarah Stepp said the audience offered many scene suggestions and laughed a lot. The cast fed off the positive energy to create better scenes.

“We had a really good cast and a really good audience who laughed a lot and who just… rose our energy,” said Stepp.

A laughing audience at the Mini-Improvathon. Photo: Mi-Ree Zwick

Freshman Morgan Davis was a cast member in the show for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed performing for such a great audience.

“The audience found a lot of things funny which, you know, is kind of the goal,” Davis said.

Concordia alumna Anna Grass said that the show was entertaining and enjoyable to watch. She was in the improv troupe when she was a student.

“It was a lot of fun to see some people that I know as well as some new students that I haven’t gotten to meet yet, just kind of working together, keeping the improv going,” Grass said.

Grass said that the cast played the games well and that she needed a good laugh, which she got from the show.

Senior Josh Burmeister said that he loved the show, especially watching Caleb Jalas and Jason Church, who were in the show’s cast and on the improv panel.

“Caleb Jalas is a really funny guy,” said Burmeister. “All of his bits are really good. Jason Church is somehow an expert at acting like an eight-year-old.”

Burmeister enjoyed the scenes, especially the game called Layers, and said he would love to come to the next show.

“Layers is the most interesting game I’ve ever seen,” Burmeister said. “It’s fascinating.”

As an audience member, freshman Mackenzie Schepmann said that “every single show has been great” and that she loved this show. She especially liked the last game, Layers.

Another popular scene was the scene that everyone calls “Fridge-KEA” because it was a fridge store based on the internationally known Swedish furniture store, IKEA. Davis ended up being “a fridge monster of all things” which he thought was funny. Grass also enjoyed the scene.

Stepp said that this was technically her first show as a panel member and her first show for this year.

“It was just really exciting all together,” said Stepp, about the show.

The next improv show will be in early December. The next big theater event is Alice in Wonderland, with the first show on Nov. 8 and the last show on Nov. 17. Fliers can be found around campus for more details.