Campus improv group aims to spark interest using format adjustments
Morgan Schneider
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Features
If only this story could open with a clever, witty, improvised beginning. But print fails to lend itself to the zany, on-the-fly style of Hillsdale College's own improvisation troupe, Misdirection.
And Misdirection is zany.
"One of my first meetings, I watched one of my friends 'give birth' to 1,000 spiders," senior John Scribner said. "If that sounds disturbing, don't worry. Lightning rarely strikes twice in the same spot."
The group is looking forward to another year of rapid-fire random humor and they're hoping to branch out and involve more students on campus. Scribner, a theatre major, leads the group this year and said that a welcome surge of freshmen interest could bolster the group's ranks.
Misdirection expects to return about 10 upperclassmen, said Scribner, who has been involved in the troupe since the second semester of his freshman year. The group was founded about six or seven years ago, and has strong ties to the theatre honorary Alpha Psi Omega.
Participation is open to all students, and though most involved tend to be active in the college's theatre department, it's not a requirement.
"It's often quite spontaneous - that's the kind of people that show up to improv," Scribner said.
Sophomore Kirsty Sadler, a theatre and speech major, joined Misdirection last year. She said that one of the group's then-leaders, Zach Hendrickson '08, convinced her to bring her puppets along.
More than mere props, her Muppet-style creations, such as Kate Monster, join Sadler in improv. Kate Monster has played the host of Misdirection's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"-style show, called "Party Quirks," and also has played a leading role in longer scenes.
"Her puppets are a really wonderful anomaly," Scribner said.
Scribner said he hopes to bring the group back to playing the fun improv games, such as "Party Quirks," that are Misdirection's bread and butter.
Last semester the group experimented with Harold long-style improv, an elaborate process that builds upon imaginative problems with various scenes and solutions, Scribner said.
He said he intends for Misdirection to hold at least one comedy show this fall and in the spring. Their weekly meetings form the preparation for the shows.
A typical meeting opens with warm-ups and games to stretch participant's minds and get them ready for quick, witty improv.
"You have to work yourself into improv," Sadler said. "You can't really start off out of the blue."
Once warmed up, the troupe will play short games or run through a Harold long-style set up.
Meetings will be held Fridays at 4 p.m. in the Sage dance studio starting Sept. 12. Newcomers can expect random hilarity to abound.
"And when you're flying by the seat of your pants," Sadler said, "what happens in improv stays in improv."
And Misdirection is zany.
"One of my first meetings, I watched one of my friends 'give birth' to 1,000 spiders," senior John Scribner said. "If that sounds disturbing, don't worry. Lightning rarely strikes twice in the same spot."
The group is looking forward to another year of rapid-fire random humor and they're hoping to branch out and involve more students on campus. Scribner, a theatre major, leads the group this year and said that a welcome surge of freshmen interest could bolster the group's ranks.
Misdirection expects to return about 10 upperclassmen, said Scribner, who has been involved in the troupe since the second semester of his freshman year. The group was founded about six or seven years ago, and has strong ties to the theatre honorary Alpha Psi Omega.
Participation is open to all students, and though most involved tend to be active in the college's theatre department, it's not a requirement.
"It's often quite spontaneous - that's the kind of people that show up to improv," Scribner said.
Sophomore Kirsty Sadler, a theatre and speech major, joined Misdirection last year. She said that one of the group's then-leaders, Zach Hendrickson '08, convinced her to bring her puppets along.
More than mere props, her Muppet-style creations, such as Kate Monster, join Sadler in improv. Kate Monster has played the host of Misdirection's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"-style show, called "Party Quirks," and also has played a leading role in longer scenes.
"Her puppets are a really wonderful anomaly," Scribner said.
Scribner said he hopes to bring the group back to playing the fun improv games, such as "Party Quirks," that are Misdirection's bread and butter.
Last semester the group experimented with Harold long-style improv, an elaborate process that builds upon imaginative problems with various scenes and solutions, Scribner said.
He said he intends for Misdirection to hold at least one comedy show this fall and in the spring. Their weekly meetings form the preparation for the shows.
A typical meeting opens with warm-ups and games to stretch participant's minds and get them ready for quick, witty improv.
"You have to work yourself into improv," Sadler said. "You can't really start off out of the blue."
Once warmed up, the troupe will play short games or run through a Harold long-style set up.
Meetings will be held Fridays at 4 p.m. in the Sage dance studio starting Sept. 12. Newcomers can expect random hilarity to abound.
"And when you're flying by the seat of your pants," Sadler said, "what happens in improv stays in improv."
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