IMPROVables opens 2025-26 year with show filled with improv games, laughs

Chipper Banks (left) and Claire Horacek (right) play a game of “Asides” with the prompt “tonsil soup.”

Photo credit: Natalie Guske

By Natalie Guske

Shouts of scene suggestions and the echoes of riotous laughter could be heard coming from the Borland Center Black Box Theatre on Friday night as the IMPROVables hosted their first show of the school year.

On stage, the eight-member cast of the show participated in various improv games, determined by the audience yelling out the name of the images taped to the back wall.

“[For shows] we pick a cast of people that are in the improv troupe, and we meet to pick what games we’re going to do, who’s going to play what games with whom, and who’s going to lead them,” junior panel member Jason Church said. “We try not to prepare too much. We get scene suggestions from the audience, and we roll with it.”

While the scenes performed were primarily dictated by spur-of-the-moment thinking and onstage collaboration, the improv games provided a basic structure for the cast to work off.

“[The show included] Pan, which is a game with four people and four different scenes that shift throughout the game,” junior audience member and theater program participant April Abbett said. “They [also] did Asides, which is where the characters can step out and do asides [to the audience]. [They did] Change too, that one was basically where they start the scene and once a panel member yells “change something,” they have to change.”

Featuring a variety of bizarre situations like getting stuck in a molasses rain shower, skydiving in a jumpsuit made of chocolate, and exploring an abandoned mall, the show was not only entertaining for the audience but great fun for the actors too.

“I love doing the improv shows here,” junior cast member Marieka Kaufman said. “It was fun getting to perform with my friends and do goofy scenes, especially with some of the panel members because I don’t usually get to [perform with them] in rehearsals.”

While many of the games featured two to four actors, the whole cast came together for the final game which consisted of a long form improv skit. Based off the idea ‘vampires and humans’ the show ended with a hilarious tale of evil kings, one-sided love, and interspecies friendship.

“[My favorite part was] when they all came together as one big group and you got to see each of their different senses of humor come together,” sophomore audience member Daisy Calloway said. “I’d never been to an improv show so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’m glad I came [because] it was great.”