The Rhody Ridiculousness improv troupe took to the stage on Friday in their first performance of the spring semester, where members of the club played out scenarios based on suggestions from the audience.
“We had a really great audience with really great suggestions, and I think our troupe did really well with incorporating them while also keeping the integrity of what we do well,” fourth-year club president Lauren Garnder said.
The club provides both a creative and social outlet for members both during performances and open rehearsals, according to member and recently elected future club president Angus Chelbecek when Garnder graduates.
“It’s a great place to screw around and not worry,” Chelbecek said. “There is no judgment here, everyone is a friend.”
For other members, it’s a good place to grow and relax, according to Garnder.
Many members have been with the club for several semesters, with Garnder starting with the club in her first year at the University of Rhode Island.
“It just kept getting bigger, and as it kept getting bigger, it just got so much better and we got so many personalities in the mix,” troupe member and fourth-year Nicole Shumway said.
The club started off much smaller a few years ago, but it’s been building ever since, according to Shumway.
“It was the old e-board’s last big show,” Shumway said. “They each got a scene together, and it was fun to see their different styles.”
One of the scenes that was improvised Friday night involved four troupe members freaking out at a Taylor Swift concert.
“My favorite scene was definitely the Taylor Swift one, that part was great,” audience member AJ Haaf said.
The club is not just all about the performances for some members.
“We are working on our active skills, pronunciation and team building, while also having a good time,” Shumway said.
The current e-board of the club is preparing the newly elected members for their new leadership positions for the upcoming semester. Everything from scenario documents, games, agendas and booking rooms needs to be understood by the new e-board to ensure a smooth transition, according to Garnder.
“When you have a large troupe like we do right now, it can sometimes feel like we are leading a classroom in some ways,” Gardner said. “In improv, there are learned skills like characterization, physicality, learning how to set a scene, being fully in a scene and trusting your partners.”
Open rehearsals happen the first Tuesday of every month.
“Anybody is welcome, we strongly encourage you to come too,” Garnder said.
Improv, despite being a performance art, is easy to get into, according to Shumway.
“I want people to know that improv doesn’t take any skill, you don’t need training for it, you show up and have fun, and you don’t stress about it,” Shumway said, “Everyone is new to it at some point, so everyone has gone through being nervous.”
