Seven college improvisation teams and three professional improvisation troupes will be showcasing their talents at the COMOtion Improv Festival this weekend.
This is the third year of the improvisation festival, but the second year with its current name. During the first year, it was called “The University of Missouri Improv Festival.”
“I think … the president at the time wanted to call it ‘The 8th Annual 1st Annual Improv Festival,’” MU Improv member Jake Wallach said. “And then on the eighth year, it would be a really big year, but the idea was turned down by (the Department of Student Activities). They helped us sponsor it, and didn’t really want to call it that, just because it’s really confusing.”
Two independent teams from Chicago will open for both nights. The troupe “Sand” will go on the first night and “Sugar” will open the second night.
Two MU alumni are current members of Sugar, and will be performing with them during the festival.
Six other college teams, in addition to MU’s team, will perform at the festival. The colleges represented include Ohio University, Washington University, Ohio State, Kansas State, Missouri State and the University of Illinois.
Friendships among many of the teams have formed over the years as a result of going to various festivals and seeing each other perform.
“We grow so much by getting feedback and seeing other groups perform, and we’ve made some great friendships by going to festivals and competitions over the last few years,” said Lianna Cohen, a member of Washington University’s “K.A.R.L. Improv” team.
Matt Roeder, president of Kansas State’s “On the Spot Improv,” said the team is excited to see everyone again.
“Something I’m personally looking forward to is watching new members of ‘On the Spot’ getting immersed in their first improv festival,” Roeder said. “Being at an improv festival, with so many people that also love doing what you love, is a truly unique and rewarding experience.”
MU’s improvisational team for this festival,“Fatt Motis,” consists of six members: Wallach, Clint Cannon, Jason Clark, Josh Ejnes, Drew Kohler and Chase Newman.
Each team will have between 15 and 20 minutes to perform onstage. Cannon and Wallach said it’s more of a showcase to highlight each team’s talents rather than a competition.
“It’s a chance for everyone to get together and see what the other colleges are doing improv-wise, a chance just to bond over this thing that we have in common, and also show Mizzou how widespread improv is, and how funny our friends at other schools are,” Cannon said.
This year the Improvised Shakespeare Company, a Chicago-based professional team, will perform at the festival on Feb. 21.
Team members Joey Bland, Brendan Dowling and Blaine Swen are attending the festival with the goal to create an ad-libbed play based on a suggestion from the audience, which is then spoken and performed in the style of a Shakespeare play.
The festival begins Friday at The Shack in the MU Student Center. Sand will kick off the event at 7 p.m. and the college teams will follow.
On the next night, the festival will move to Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union where Sugar will open for the Improvised Shakespeare Company at 7:30 p.m.
