On Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 PM, our school’s Improv Troupe took on the Coral Gables Museum. Better known as “Improvocative,” this group of quick-witted theater kids played a variety of games that resulted in scenes created on the spot, which is the defining characteristic of improvisation.

Practice for the troupe began months before the show. Auditions were held in late November, and weekly practices have been held since then. The practices consisted of various games designed to help the students develop quick-witted, humorous responses to any prompt presented to them. Games consist of two or more students that are either given a prompt or instructed to come up with something on the spot.

On the day of the show, the students anxiously waited for it to begin. To relieve some pre-show stress, members of the club huddled up and the President of the club, junior Van Galex, gave a heartwarming speech. Now more spirited, the actors were ready to take on the show.

“Since Improv Troupe had been rehearsing for months, I was thrilled that it was already time for the first show of the year. While setting up, it was extremely nerve-wracking, as the nature of improv makes it completely unpredictable. I could not have done any of it without my Secretary, Brigette, and the help of the Coral Gables Museum,” junior Van Galex said.

After a brief introduction, the president and secretary, who were the moderators of the show, presented the first game, “Freeze and Justify.” This game consisted of eleven students in a half circle, with two of them at a time in the middle performing a skit. Whenever a player was in a pose that would make for an interesting scene, someone in the circle would yell “Freeze!” and that person would replace a player. The cycle continued, and the many different scenes produced plenty of laughter.

Following “Freeze and Justify,” the games in pairs began. Three to four couples would participate per game, and one of the more notable games was called “Forward Reverse,” in which the actors had to do just that within their scene. To make it fun for the audience, the moderators would yell “forward” and “reverse” when the actors were either doing something physically straining or saying something out of the ordinary.

The audience also played a big role in the show. For example, “One Liners” was a game almost completely based on what the audience wanted. The crowd was asked to write phrases on a piece of paper and suggest prompts. The actors would then use the given prompts and weave the randomly selected phrase into one seamless skit, producing many interesting and hilariously incoherent scenes.

To wrap up the show, everyone joined for one final game, which was arguably the most fun for both the audience and the actors. Dubbed “Beastie Raps,” the game mixed both singing and improvised humor. The actors lined up in a semi-circle, and, while a song played in the background, the actors had to come up with rhymes that matched the name they were given, which increased in difficulty as the game went on.

When the show ended, the actors ran off the stage as the eager crowd cheered in support of the great show they had just watched. Per tradition, the members circled up and chanted all together to close up the night. Overall, the performance ended up being a great success for both the troupe and the Coral Gables Museum. While the date of the next show is still tentative, those attending Bridge for Peace on March 7th can expect to get a taste of these high-energy actors!