The California Lutheran University Improv Troupe is gaining popularity on campus and it comes as no surprise with their witty jokes and audience involvement. Every other Thursday night the Improv Troupe performs in the Forum at 11 p.m. for the entire Cal Lutheran community to enjoy.
Although the shows started out small, they have grown rapidly to the point where audience members have to either stand in the back or sit on the floor. Each show draws about 150 to 200 people for some late night laughs.
Photo by Hailey Moore – Staff Photographer
“We used to do it in a smaller place so moving to the forum was this huge big thing,” said Lisa Fredrickson, the improv professor who also directs the improv shows on Thursday nights. “It used to be once a month and you don’t want to make it too regular otherwise it becomes bor-ing.”
Since the show is every other week it is the perfect amount of time to keep it interesting but also gets anxious for the next one.
It is great to see the Improv Troupe growing but recently it’s been difficult to find seats. Two years ago audience members were able to arrive ten minutes before the show and easily find seats. Now, you’ll be lucky if you are able to find a seat 30 minutes prior to the show.
Grace Spadoro, a junior who has been attending improv since her first year, is one of the audience members who now has been enjoying the show from the ground.
“This year it’s been really packed,” Spadoro said, “the past two times I’ve been this year I’ve had to sit on the floor even though I got there 30 minutes early.”
Sitting on the floor can be dangerous since all of the walking space in the forum is filled. Nolan Monsibay, a senior who has been a part of the Improv Troupe for three years, easily noticed the growth in audience members.
“I feel like last year especially [the shows] started getting super packed all the time,” Monsibay said. “It’s definitely a fire hazard with the amount of people we have in the forum.”
It’s hard to solve the issue having such a small campus and no major auditoriums but the Improv Troop will always do what it needs to make sure the show will go on.
“We want the audience to be happy and comfortable, of course, and I know it’s getting super crowded, but we’ve always been completely flexible because sometimes we don’t have the forum and we’ll do it in a room somewhere else,” Fredrickson said. “We’re always doing whatever we need to do to get the show done.”
The size of the forum may be an issue but what is not an issue is the quality of the performance. Every other week the Improv Troupe is guaranteed to make you laugh and if you’ve never attended a show, I highly recommend checking it out.
Even if you have to sit on the floor for the entirety of the show, the humor will be worth the uncomfortable seating.
“I really enjoy the social aspect of it. Attending the comedic show with your friends towards the end of the week is always something to look forward to,” Spadoro said.
Ryan Perez
Published October 8, 2014