A resounding chorus of laughs and cheers will be floating out of the auditorium on Dec. 5. On stage, the Stillwater Improv Troupe will be performing, making up skits and scenes on the spot. For the first time ever, the community will have the chance to watch students performing improv. However, though community entertainment will not be the only product of this performance. It is also being used to raise money for drama club.

For years, the theatre department has hosted annual, sometimes even biannual variety shows as a drama club fundraiser. However, this year, the new director Grif Sadow decided to eliminate the variety shows. In place of the winter/fall variety show, Stillwater’s first ever improv troupe will perform a holiday show.  The purpose of this show is to both entertain community members and to raise money for drama club. The variety shows were always popular with the community and drew large crowds, and hopefully the improv show will do the same.

The obvious purpose of the improv show is to provide community entertainment, and that is just what it will do. During the show, students will perform short form improv, such as games, and long form improv, where the students form full scenes. Another aspect of the show is the performance of sketch comedy scenes that the students wrote themselves. They even took a two hour class on how to write sketch comedy from a professional from Brave New Workshop. All of this will be tied together by a holiday theme weaved throughout the whole show.  This will provide a variety of forms of entertainment for the hopefully large crowd the show will draw.

“The improv show is going better than I could have ever expected,” theatre director Sadow said.  “I have a team of 15 improvers who are really committed and fun, so I feel like we’re ahead of the game and we’re going to give a really good performance.”

As for the actors, most are brand new at improv or have had very little experience performing improv.  With all the practice, however, by the time they hit the stage, they will look as if they’ve been doing improv for years, like some of the improv troupes that perform in Minneapolis.

“It’s really scary with the idea of messing up or not being funny,”  Bahma said. “But once I just get out of my head and realize we’re just a big group of friends it’s all so much easier and just so much fun, I’m never not laughing.”

In any other year at this time, the drama club would be having an annual variety show. The variety shows were cherished by the community, and gave everyone a chance to get involved. Once the word gets out, the improv show will probably be just as loved and as anticipated as the variety shows had become.

“Personally I prefer the improv show over the variety show,” senior Noah Campbell said.  “I love being able to act freely and be on the tip of my toes when I’m on stage. The feeling of needing to react and jump in on a moments notice is really a cool thing to me.”

Though the improv show is obviously very different from the variety show, they do share a common purpose. Both serve as a fundraiser drama club. In past years, the variety show served as the main fundraiser for drama club. If if goes as well as anticipated, the improv show will be just as successful.

“Because its the first year, there’s no guarantee,” Sadow said.  “I think like anything that’s new, it may take time to build, but once the word gets out, I think it will be as successful as the variety show was as a fundraiser.”

With the variety show being so successful, the improv show has a big spot to fill. Many think it will be just as successful, if not more. However, even if it isn’t great as a fundraiser, it is still beneficial in many other ways, and there are high hopes for it.

“I hope the improv show continues in later years,” Bahma said. “I feel like it’s a needed skill if you want to be a good actor. In a normal play, things can go wrong, and improv helps you prepare for that.”