Boxes are hurriedly shifted into place as students await their queue.
Coach Elizabeth Stephensen instructs the practice, and the students jump eagerly into a scene. The eight students, engrossed in an atmosphere of creativity and spontaneity, are part of Grant Park High School’s Improv Team. These practices improve teamwork and develop critical thinking. These skills are fundamental, explains Eva Rice, and even apply to life off the stage.
“You learn how to think on your feet, problem-solve situations, interact, and react to different emotions and situations,” says Rice. “I want to be like a lawyer, right? And so, for me, I feel like improv is a great skill to have for a courtroom.”
The team can also count themselves as winners, taking first place in the Manitoba Regionals back in February. As a newer team, Asher Rohne says he is still shocked by their achievement.
“I thought we would get second, but we didn’t. Just the rush of feeling that like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe we won’ was so amazing, and I’ll never forget it.”
As one group ends their scene, another quickly fills their place, taking only a moment before they throw out ideas. Rhiannon McNair says that friendship is the cornerstone of what has made their team so successful, never taking things too seriously.
“We’re all such great friends. Improv is something to be enjoyed. It’s so fun, and I get to hang out with all these great people all the time.”
Josh Goodman says the experiences the team has created together are not something he won’t forget.
“Some of the scenes we create are just so absurd and funny, and they get called back to later in completely different scenes. And you remember that stuff for a long time, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Even for those who are new, the experiences have been memorable. What started as a passive curiosity for Anna Solomon pulled her in completely.
“I like the idea of improv, and I would just join them sometimes. I’d walk in the door of the drama room once. I just came in here not knowing, to just to grab something, and they were like, oh, it’s improv. So I stayed and watched them at lunch, and then one day, they were like, you’re part of the team now.”
For many of the students, improv has changed them, granting new perspectives on life. James Estabrooks has found it’s helped him in his studies and provides a place to control chaos instead of being swept up in the maelstrom of what can not be controlled.
“We have in general, growing anxiety in the world and to take away at least some of the conversational anxiety and the getting away from phones and just like always texting people kind of things. And I think it helps a bit with that.”
“I used to have stage fright, but something about the comfort of this group made me okay with performing,” explains Susannah Rosssen. “There’s less pressure in improv because you don’t have to fit into a script, and you just go with the moment.”
Aaron Babiuk-Frost agrees. “It’s great to think on the spot and to come up with all of these ideas in your head. It’s a good way to release stress or, like, any emotions.”
Assistant coach Kyle Gerbrandt, a former improv team member himself, has been amazed at the growth of the students. “I’ve noticed so much growth in basically all forms of their acting. They’ve just gotten so much greater at making their offers and being big, bold characters, which is such an important thing in improv.”
Coach Stephensen initially hesitated to start a competitive team but has seen how the team has grown in the art and themselves. She says the team is dedicated and ready for their next big challenge, nationals, practicing and fundraising as they prepare to head to Ottawa for the National Festival and Tournament April 16 – 19.
– Ryan Funk, U Multicultural
