2008 Woodie Awards
Improv rehearses laughs
By: Lee Rice
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Lifestyle
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Several Webster University students have chosen to get in touch with their spontaneity by joining Chainlink, a student group dedicated to improvisational acting.
At its meetings, the group plays various improvisational games designed to hone the members' abilities to come up with humorous material on the fly. This week, the games included one meant to increase the members' reaction times and another meant to teach the members.
The first, called "Big Booty," involves the members standing in a circle. Each member is assigned a number. The game itself consists of a person saying his or her number, then passing it on by saying another number. The person with the second number must pass it on the same way, until somebody in the group makes a mistake.
Although these games are fun, the group's ultimate goal is to perform open improv where there is no gimmick, just the ability to grab somebody out of the audience and make up a scene with them.
Kathleen Weber, a senior video production major, founded the group three years ago with three of her friends. Over those three years, Chainlink has risen to 15 members, with others occasionally stopping by to get in on the fun.
Despite the fact that it has become increasingly popular since its creation, Chainlink started out as a temporary group that served a single purpose.
"Originally, we formed the group just to help promote Surfacing, the annual playwrights' festival," Weber said. "When we had finished, we felt that we should keep the group together."
Since then, other groups around campus have invited Chainlink members to perform at their functions. They are even invited to perform their routines in front of classes, such as the freshman seminar "This is a Joke."
The group has become popular enough to warrant a challenge from another St. Louis-based improv group, The ArchRivals.
In November, four members of Chainlink will face off against a team from the other group in a contest to show who has the better improv skills.
At its meetings, the group plays various improvisational games designed to hone the members' abilities to come up with humorous material on the fly. This week, the games included one meant to increase the members' reaction times and another meant to teach the members.
The first, called "Big Booty," involves the members standing in a circle. Each member is assigned a number. The game itself consists of a person saying his or her number, then passing it on by saying another number. The person with the second number must pass it on the same way, until somebody in the group makes a mistake.
Although these games are fun, the group's ultimate goal is to perform open improv where there is no gimmick, just the ability to grab somebody out of the audience and make up a scene with them.
Kathleen Weber, a senior video production major, founded the group three years ago with three of her friends. Over those three years, Chainlink has risen to 15 members, with others occasionally stopping by to get in on the fun.
Despite the fact that it has become increasingly popular since its creation, Chainlink started out as a temporary group that served a single purpose.
"Originally, we formed the group just to help promote Surfacing, the annual playwrights' festival," Weber said. "When we had finished, we felt that we should keep the group together."
Since then, other groups around campus have invited Chainlink members to perform at their functions. They are even invited to perform their routines in front of classes, such as the freshman seminar "This is a Joke."
The group has become popular enough to warrant a challenge from another St. Louis-based improv group, The ArchRivals.
In November, four members of Chainlink will face off against a team from the other group in a contest to show who has the better improv skills.
Be the first to comment on this story