By Haley Zeller, Editor of Arts & Entertainment; Photo Credits to SU Improv
SU Improv Comedy is excited to present “Fooling Around,” their Valentine’s-themed improv show on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. With two groups of new and returning improvisers, they can’t wait to show what they’ve been working on. “We have a bunch of new faces that people haven’t seen before. New, talented improvisers, and the return of the best. I’m excited for the audience to see our new dynamics worked into a funny theme,” says Bronwyn Lucyszyn, the president of the club.
The first performing group consists of Quentin Palmatier, Brandon Snare, Francis Rogai and Lily Warshaw. Brandon says, “I’m excited to try out new games in front of a bigger audience and see how we can improve the games we’re bringing back. I’m also excited to see how our dynamics with Quentin go, since he’s new to the cast!”
Brandon will be leading two games: Book Club and Pan Left. So far, rehearsing all the games has gone incredibly well. In a game of Opening Line, Brandon and Francis were given the phrase “I haven’t seen you in forever,” which they had to integrate into their scene. “We ended up toying with the word ‘you’ and giving it every conceivable meaning that wasn’t the most obvious one. For example, we referenced the Netflix thriller “You,” female sheep (ewe), and the letter ‘u’ itself,” Brandon explained.
Improvisors Paxton Furr, Clayton Maxwell, Nathan Schwing, Christian Tagoe and Bronwyn Lucyszyn will perform the second set of games. They are commonly called “Bronwyn and the Orphans,” based on a previous skit from the fall semester. Each of these talented improvisors are excited to show off their favorite games on stage.
For Nathan, it’s his first time performing in an improv show. “I’m excited. It’s not something I thought I’d be doing, but the opportunity turned out to be really fun,” he says. Two Line vocabulary is one of his favorite games when done correctly. “The best one we’ve done so far was a sword fight between knights where Chris chopped off one of my hands.”
On the other hand (no pun intended), Paxton is ready to see how the Confessions goes. “It’s a full cast game where we can all show off our talents,” he says. In his favorite rehearsal of it, “the punishment for the crime Chris committed was to eat a box set of the extended cut edition of the trilogy ‘Lord of the Rings.’”
One difference between the comedy troupe’s spring show and their fall one is that the two casts get to watch each other perform in their downtime. “I’m excited to see Brandon and Francis’s opening line,” says Paxton. Additionally, Brandon’s just as enthusiastic to watch the second group.
With midterms approaching and Valentine’s Day just having passed, we could all use a good laugh or the perfect Friday date night. “Improv is just fun,” Bronwyn says. “We could all use some laughter. It’s ninety minutes of improv, themed around love and all the random things that come out of it. Since it’s improvised, I don’t know how it will go in the moment, but I can guarantee that it’ll be fun for everyone.”
The troupe welcomes students, family and faculty to show up, relax and take part in the improvising. “The audience can be so creative, and they really give us the true opportunity to improvise. Forcing yourself to get out of your comfort zone is half the fun of improv,” says Paxton.
Join this amazing group of performers this Friday night in Isaac’s Auditorium. It’s the perfect chance for laughs that you don’t want to miss!