On March 12, at 2:45 PM, the new CGHS improv group, the FunAddicts, will be holding its first show. Comically named the Improvement Show, it will be unlike anything Gables has seen this year. Improv shows have no script or guidelines; the entire performance happens on the spot, and is completely spontaneous. Some improv performances may have you splitting at the seams laughing, while others might have you in tears, or just leave you utterly befuddled. The tickets for the show will cost $4 during the pre-sale, and $6 at the  door.

“Improv is acting without a script, simply. That is what improv is. Improv-comedy utilizes the use of certain comedic games that do have structure. However, it is dependent on actor and audience participation,” Mrs. Barrow, CGHS drama teacher and FunAddicts Sponsor said.

The improv group started small at Gables, but has grown way beyond its original 10 members and now has around 16. Everyone in the cast is very dedicated and very talented — but all in very different ways. Just like regular theatre, each actor or actress adds his or her own touch to the performance. In improv acting, this is much more pronounced, since everything is coming off of the actors’ heads; each performer has a completely different way of acting and reacting. No two shows are even remotely alike. It is a very different sort of theater show from the traditional kind one is accustomed to seeing.

“This is the first time in over ten years that CGHS has an improv troupe. It is a group of talented individuals from all levels of acting that have the unique skill to make up things on the spot. There isn’t a person that’s part of this group that I don’t feel is great at improvising,” director Alberto Ramirez said.

The group was founded by Alberto “Shaggy” Ramirez as a side project. After getting the green light from Mrs. Barrow and the school, he dived head on into creating the group, setting rehearsal times, and coordinating everything, with the help of Barrow and recruited Gables alumnus Andres Tanti, a member of a local professional improv group called Impromedy. Together, they taught the FunAddicts different acting games and coached them on how to improvise successfully. 

“The FunAddicts is group of kids, from freshmen to seniors, who were brought together to be funny without planning anything. That is our goal. It is acting by just going with the flow. It just getting a topic and acting it out. People should look forward to laughing a lot. A lot. You should also expect to see the real side of some of the people here, since acting is their outlet,” sophmore Alejandro Arzola said.

People should come prepared for anything. The show will consist mostly of improv games that the kids have learned how to play. None of the actors or actresses know what will happen. They will be given a random topic and work with it as well as they can. Themes could range from bananas to divorce. Think of it as the show Whose Line Is It Anyway? — but in front of real audience. The show promises to be funny, unique, and likely unlike anything you have experienced. But be warned: the show may need some participation from the audience. The FunAddicts’ Improvement show will be one that leaves little room for IMPROV-ement at all.