Alpha Psi Omega presents Theatre at Austin College
Austin College Improv Troupe
Austin College’s Improv Troupe is one of the entertainment highlights on campus. Directed by Dr. Kirk Everist, the Improv Troupe performs their own take on Chicago-style Improv. Shows by the Austin College Improv Troupe may include freeform Improv, Harolds, Short Games, La Rondes, and more. The Troupe performs an average of 8+ shows per semester, including midnight movie premieres and double features at the Friday night shows of main stage productions. Additionally, the Improv Troupe has maintained traditions of a Finals Study Break show every semester and at least one 8-hour long Improvathon per year that follows a cast of characters on a massive, 8-hour epic. The Troupe also produces Improv Workshops for Austin College students as well as visitors that cover Improv basics as well as more advanced techniques.
“Improv is broader than comedy,” says Dr. Kirk Everist, “and more than Mad Libs. The utility of improv is opening minds to what is in front of us.” He likens improvisation to liberal arts education, explaining that performers first must be information gatherers then begin to make connections that may not be readily apparent, thinking broadly as they artistically create and perform.
With support from Austin College, Dr. Everist has investigated new forms and approaches—from competitive improv using short, sometimes wordless, scenes
in Edmonton, Canada, to the 50-hour improvathon in London.
Everist joined the Austin College faculty in 2005. In 2006, he held an improv workshop and upon student request, began to hold regular open workshops. Students from those workshops offered performances but to create a solid team, membership in the Improv Troupe is now by invitation with two to three new members added each semester. The group rehearses twice each week for four hours; students perform on campus several times each year.
Excerpt from "The Cutting Edge of Improv"
