Improv Club Performs Spring Show
On Friday, April 21, the Viterbo Improv Club performed its last show of the school year in the Fine Art Center Recital Hall. The Improv Club's three performance teams -- new members, returning members and competition team -- played a couple of games each inspired by prompts from the audience. The club hosts on-campus performances at least once a semester with free admission.
Caleigh Havansek, a junior theatre education major, is part of the competition team, Square Wheels. Havansek joined the team her freshman year and has since become a co-president for the club. “This year has been really great,” says Havansek, “There’s been a great buzz on campus about us. Sometimes we get stuck in the theatre department bubble, but we love our members from other majors and love sharing it with the rest of the school!”
Earlier this year, Square Wheels traveled to Minneapolis to compete in a college improv tournament, where they took second place. “It was so cool to be a part of this,” says Havansek, “Last year we got third place, so it was nice to see that we are continually improving. It was also great to be at competition in general because we get to interact with other college teams and hang out at cool theaters in the Midwest.”
Havansek says Friday was a success. “I think our new members team – Sporty Enough for Golf -- did really great work, and it was nice to see them on stage,” says Havansek, “Many of them joined this semester so they haven’t all gotten the chance to perform with us yet. Our returning members team – Stressed Out Fruits -- did some different games than we usually do, and it was cool to see them take the lead on stuff.”
The Viterbo Improv Club meets every Sunday,. Member work on learning new skills and expanding on what they already know about improv comedy. The club also hold workshops with professional improv teams and Viterbo alumni. “Square Wheels”, the competitive team, performs on-campus and community shows, including performances at local nursing homes, hospital events, and combination shows with La Crosse Community Theatre’s improv team. The improv team also works with the nursing department to provide patient simulations for nursing students.
“Improv has been really great for my major because it gives me a full arsenal of games to play with students,” says Havansek. “For me, improv is this great section of theatre that teaches a lot of basics of acting and theatre in simple ways. Being a leader has helped me find new ways to constantly find new ideas.” The improv team is always looking for new members, and students should keep an eye out for information about next fall’s auditions.