In many studies that look at this kind of thing, public speaking is the number one fear of human beings. Add on the pressures of making things up on the fly and trying to be funny…and you might wonder why it is ComedySportz actletes choose to do what they do. If only there was some sort of comprehensive list of ComedySportz players and why they love improv…

Great news! See below…

Alli Vollmer

I do ComedySportz because in all the imaginary worlds I create or take part in on stage is where I find my true self. In real people world, I am censored, small, and I tend to blend in. In make-em-ups land, I’m nerdy, outrageous, ridiculous, supportive, witty, and fearless. This is the part of me that the audience celebrates and I celebrate when I do improv. Also, I have no choice. No seriously. I mean, no, wait, I love ComedySportz. Do not call the police.

Corey Jefferson

I do improv because I don’t know how to not do improv.  Any time I step away from it for too long, I don’t feel right.  It’s like something’s missing.  Doing improv is integral to the proper functioning of every other part of my life.  The skills that you learn through improv translate to all other everyday interactions.  We are all going to die much too soon and the abilities of thought, feeling, and experience are gifts too often taken for granted.  In light of this, the only appropriate thing to do is to savor it all and enjoy every minute of it.  Improv helps you to stay in the moment, which is good since this moment is really all we have.  As far as the plane on which we exist is concerned, the past is just shadows of thoughts and the future really doesn’t exist, it’s just an abstract concept.  Improv teaches you to be fluid and flexible, to become whatever you need to become for the moment at hand.  It teaches you to adapt and change to make the most of every situation without fear of judgment or making an ass out of yourself.  And while performing improv I can sometimes achieve, for lack of better phrasing, a religious experience.  We have called it ‘group mind,’ but there are times when energy is flowing freely between performers and audience and it really feels like we’ve attained a higher level of functioning or being, like we’ve somehow tapped into something deeper and we’re just conduits for this wondrous thing flowing through us.

The Level III class ends with a performance for family and friends. But first…there some preparations to be done. We went over the logistics of the show…how we would be announced, how we would enter, where we would sit…all of the little details that keep a show going. I can’t speak for the rest of the class, but I thought it was fun to set up the practical parts of the show as well.

As the audience began to come in, we went to the dressing room and did about 25 minutes of warm-ups. The room was full of nerves, excitement and support. One of my favorite parts of the night happened just a minute before the show. Ed brought us all into a huddle and went over some fundamentals from our classes…and ended with “have fun.” It was nice to have one more encouraging group moment before we went on stage.

For the past seven weeks, we had only been performing for each other. It was nice because it was a supportive group that was all there for the same goal of getting better. But…there is something about a large, live crowd that just forces you to bring more energy as a performer.

One nice touch was that ComedySportz did everything it could to turn this into a truly professional show. We had someone running sound, they were serving food and Ed served as host. It really gave it the feel of one of the weekend performances which, again, was good for our energy level.

I can’t realistically give you a play-by-play of the show, but I can tell you it was a ton of fun and very gratifying. It was everything we had been working toward for two months. I don’t really feel that it’s my place to try to tell you how I personally did, but I can tell you that the others were incredible. They were on their game, very funny…and I would not be surprised at all to see any or all of them as regular weekend performers in the future. I can also tell you with confidence that I feel the show we put on would have satisfied a paying ComedySportz audience…and as a performance-level class, that is the goal. 

Looking back on the class, I’m very proud of what I personally, and what we as a group accomplished. It’s a challenging workshop, but it’s a lot of fun and absolutely worth it. It took me out of my performing comfort zone, which is healthy, and it built my confidence, which will be important whether I move forward in ComedySportz or not. I would also like to thank my classmates and my instructor Ed Trout…I am a better and more confident performer because of all of you.

On a personal note…I hope you enjoyed reading about this class and I hope it shed some light on what you could expect if you decide to take it yourself. I don’t know what the next step for me will be as a performer, but I can tell you that you will certainly see me around the theater over the weekends, so please feel free to say hello. I’m always happy to answer any questions about the class as well.

The class I took is one of several that ComedySportz offers, and the troop is looking for more people to write about their experiences. If you are interested in taking any of the workshops and blogging about it, you can contact Troy Hanna at thanna@indycomedysportz.com.

In many studies that look at this kind of thing, public speaking is the number one fear of human beings. Add on the pressures of making things up on the fly and trying to be funny…and you might wonder why it is ComedySportz actletes choose to do what they do. If only there was some sort of comprehensive list of ComedySportz players and why they love improv…

Kelsey VanVoorst

I do ComedySportz simply because I enjoy it. I am in love with the art form of improv and I am also in love with the people that I am blessed to perform with. It’s something I can look forward to on the weekends after a long week of schoolwork. I leave every match feeling on top of the world. For me, there is really no better feeling than hearing the uproarious laughter of an audience.

Chad Woodward

I do ComedySportz because it gives me a huge outlet for my inner child.  It lets me engage in an artistic activity that reaches people in a way that plays and poetry cannot.  Improv is a building block that everyone can grasp and appreciate.  It’s a common unifier.

Lauren “Orenga” Ahlwardt

I love to make people laugh – people of all ages. I love that I am involved in something where the people I work with are amazingly talented. I love that anything goes and things that come out from it are comical. I love how wonderful people respond to this improv comedy. I love to perform!

Assistant Artistic Director Claire Wilcher

The ComedySportz Theatre, Home of ComedySportz Indianapolis, is delighted to announce the appointment of Claire Wilcher as Assistant Artistic Director.

Wilcher has been a performer with ComedySportz Indianapolis since 2004, and is a member of the Three Dollar Bill Comedy Company. She  is a veteran theatre performer around Indianapolis, with three encore awards for her performances.  In addition to performing, she has taught acting classes with Acting Up Productions, Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, and Wayne Township Education Foundation.

Wilcher will be active in growing the brand of ComedySportz Indianapolis through weekly matches with the professional company of performers and coordinating the weekly practice schedule.  She will also serve as High School League Coordinator.

“ComedySportz Indianapolis has been my second family for seven years, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work even more closely with this fantastic group of performers,” says Wilcher.

“It’s been a great pleasure to get to work with Claire for the last seven years. She is an incredibly talented performer, improviser, and teacher, and I am thrilled that she has agreed to step into the role of Assistant Artistic Director here at ComedySportz Indianapolis,” Ed Trout Artistic Director/owner of ComedySportz Indianapolis

One of Wilcher’s first responsibilities will be to help coordinate and promote the ComedySportz performances of A Christmas Carol: Unscripted, which is presented Friday evenings between November 25^th – December 30^th.

About ComedySportz Indianapolis

ComedySportz is the longest running show in Indianapolis, now in its 19^th year, featuring team-against-team improv comedy. Matches take place Thursday and Friday nights at 7:30, and Saturday Nights at 7:30 and 10:00. ComedySportz is also available for private and corporate functions, and offers corporate team-building workshops called Group Unity Training Seminars (GUTS).

This week we focused on performance games using the music and genre work we’ve spent time on over the last few weeks. I think we were all happy to get to the performance games. If I had any athletic ability at all, I would tell you it was like going from doing drills at practice to playing scrimmages. But…I don’t, so I won’t say that.

During the music games, we worked with musical tracks for the first time, rather than singing only a cappella. That, as we learned, is a mixed bag. It’s nice to have some musical support, and I tend to think you sing a little better with music behind you…but, you no longer have the freedom to just sing however you want.

I particularly enjoyed the genre games we did. We started by telling a story with each of the five of us using a different genre/style. I was assigned the style of an investigative reporter, which, being in the media, was especially satisfying (do you know meerkats are killing YOUR children?!?) We also did a game called “Replay,” where we did the same short scene in three different genres, and one called “Split Stage,” where the genre you use depends on what side of the stage you are on.

Ed also provided us with a list of movies and books that are good examples of many of the genres we’ll use. I’ve already watched Gypsy, which showed me that everything Bugs Bunny cartoons taught me about vaudeville is absolutely accurate.

I think this was most fun session we’ve had. Everybody is really coming together well. The energy is higher and higher, and we’re working together better and better. I say this every week, but it’s a lot of fun to see the progress. It makes you realize the time and resources you’re putting into the class are worth it.

To close, I’ll share with you the most challenging bit of advice I got. Ed told me my eyes were going to him too much while I was on stage…he told me to stop looking at him. Anyone who has seen Ed’s glamour shot on the ComedySportz web site knows this is a tough assignment…but I will press through.

One of the things I’ve noticed about the improv workshop I’m taking, at ComedySportz, is that after each class, I find myself wishing we had another session the next day so I could take what we worked on and immediately put it to use. With that said, I certainly did not want to wait two weeks between classes. Before I signed up for the workshop, I had booked and paid for a week at Disney World, which is a trip I take each year. But…wanting to stay sharp, I asked instructor Ed Trout for some solo exercises I could do at the happiest place on earth.

One area that I wanted to concentrate on was pantomiming. In the middle of a scene, it’s easy to forget little details. For example…if you’re getting out of an invisible car, you need to remember to take out your invisible keys and shut the invisible door. One of the exercises Ed sent me was to take note of something you’re doing, then remove all the actual objects and pantomime it. At first, this proved challenging. You spend a whole lot of your time at Disney World waiting in line, and pantomiming that isn’t much different than actually doing it. However, as the week went on, there were plenty of opportunities…getting off and on buses, interacting with characters, taking pictures and even the movements of the rides themselves. Admittedly, I didn’t do the pantomime right after the original action…I waited until I was back in the room. Even in a land of talking mice and evil octopi, that comes off as a little weird.

Another suggested activity was to give yourself a character and play it as you interract with someone else who doesn’t know you’re doing it. Now…it has to be believable. My week one character of a southern physicist bodybuilder might have been tough to pull off, even the land of mouse-talking and villianous octopi. But…just adding an accent or something simple like that is certainly doable. It’s a good exercise in keeping to your character…you can’t accidentally drop your accent or else you’ll have a bit of an awkward explanation to give.

The week was good at Disney World…it always is. But…I’m looking forward to getting back to the actual class as well. Improv, like Disney, is a world where talking animals and almost anything else you can think of has a place.

Check back to read this week’s class blog on Thursday 10/6/2011

For a lot of people in Indianapolis, ComedySportz is just something that has always been there, putting on weekly improv shows for its loyal fans. But…like any business, ComedySportz Indy has its own story, including the group’s founding and the changes it has undergone since then. One man who has been there since the beginning is co-founder Ed Trout, who gives some insight on how some former members of an improv group put together a successful improv business.

Back in my day?

Who were the founding fathers/mothers of ComedySportz Indy and how did you get together? What prompted the idea for an improv comedy club? 

CSz Indy was started from the former members of the improv/ sketch group “Below the Belt”. Of those who started the group, Mia Lee Bauman, Lynn Burger, and Ed Trout retain ownership of Way Cool Productions, Inc. (the company which produces CSz Indy), and are still actively involved. Dave Ruark, also one of the starting “Below the Belt” players is also still an active performer with the group.

There are ComedySportz locations throughout the country…what kind of process did you have to go through to establish a chapter in Indianapolis?

The process we went through in 1993 is very different from what clubs go through today. We learned of the format and contacted Dick Chudnow,the creator of ComedySportz, in Milwaukee. Dick liked us and gave us permission to start up.

For new clubs today, they have to go through a much longer and more involved process, submitting a business plan to the World Comedy League, and so on

How many people started in the group and where did you find them? How do you add members now?

When we first started, we held auditions to add to our “Below the Belt” numbers. We started with about a dozen players. We’ve added players over the years either from open auditions or from seeing them work through our public workshops. Both methods are useful in different ways for finding new talent.

What were the shows like at the very beginning? Do they bear any resemblance to what we see now?

The shows do look very similar, but there certainly are differences. When we first started performing, we normally played four against four (something that is still done in the ComedySportz High School League). We also had some other fouls that we used to call regularly, like the “Waffling Foul” for a game that was going nowhere. The players were given 15 seconds to introduce some excitement (like a birth, a death, or a major religious experience), or they would be “waffled” off the field. We also relied on a much smaller group of improv games when we started out. Now there are hundreds of game options.

When did the remote shows and corporate training come into play? How about the workshops?

Remote shows and corporate training started in very early. People wanted private shows, and we are always happy to work something out for them to help make that happen. As for the corporate training, it became evident very early that the benefits of learning teambuilding and communication skills through improvisation are universally beneficial.

What has been the biggest challenge/hurdle to establishing, maintaining or growing ComedySportz? Was there ever a time you doubted it would work?

We never doubted it. One reason we’re still around is sheer stubbornness. But the biggest challenge in the early years was simply having people understand what we did. They always thought it was stand-up, or sketch comedy. Admittedly, when the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway” gained popularity, it really helped to be able to mention that as a recognizable form of entertainment. People then could wrap their heads around us making things up, being funny while doing it, and ultimately playing it as a sport.

What would you like people to know about the ComedySportz players that they don’t get to see on stage?

One thing that people probably don’t realize is how much of a family ComedySportz is. Sure, there are lots of different personalities, and in some cases, those personalities don’t see eye to eye. But in reality, when the chips are down, you know that other ComedySportz players have your back…even players from other cities. We all know each other, and oddly enough, we all like each other. Well, you know… as much as you like all of your family.

Week 2: The Music Man

A lot of the initial nerves that were in place for week one of improv class were not there for week two. I knew my classmates, and it was easy to see that everybody was starting with a higher level of comfort. It was a good thing too…this week’s exercises were all musical.

A lot of people have trouble with public speaking…even more have trouble with public singing. On top of that…the exercises were all a cappella, and for the most part we were singing without backup. Instructor Ed Trout made a point to put us all at ease from the beginning. He said musical improv, above all else, is a lot of fun. I found that to absolutely be the case.

Nobody expected Grammy-nominated performances, but Ed started us off with some basic tips on how to make our voices sound a little better. The exercises began with us all working together on a musical “jam session” and whittled down to us all doing improvised solos. Just like last week the games were challenging. But, as promised, they were also a lot of fun. We all found things we need to work on. For me…it’s trying not to over think what I’m singing about. Said the wise Ed Trout: “The fact that you are singing doo-wop about muskrats is funny on its own.”

To me, the progress we all showed was very encouraging. During the first week, it took us all a while to get out of our shells. For the second week, we all started off with a higher level of energy and confidence, and we were able to build off of that. I wrote last week that it’s not worth taking a class unless it can make you better, and in just one week I think we’re all showing noticeable success. It’s fun to see.

And, as a side note…if the market ever calls for a rock opera about muskrats, bar mitzvahs, Jar Jar Binks, and Alexander the Great’s hair weave (often neglected by history), we’re ready.

CSz lineups for Friday, Sept. 16th at 7:30pm (subject to change). Red Team: Jason McIntosh, Jarrod Reid, and Strange David. Blue Team: Dave Ruark, Brent Owens, and Aili McGill. With Referee Jon Colby and Mr. Voice Phil Graf.

CSz lineups for Thursday, Sept. 15th at 7:30pm (subject to change). Red Team: Brent Owens, Dave Ruark, and Kelsey VanVoorst. Blue Team: Chad Woodward, Danny Rockey, and Matt Raborn. With Referee Ed Trout.