What is Improv?
When people think about theater at Hinsdale South, they tend to think of the musicals, like Carrie or The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, both elaborate productions put on by the drama department in recent years. However, the first show of the year is something a bit more spontaneous. This is, of course, improv.
Improv has a long history at Hinsdale South. Members of The Unscripted, our improv troupe, are grouped into four teams and compete in various games during the show, which includes plenty of audience participation. Unlike in other plays and musicals, everything is improvised (as the name suggests), which makes the show more unpredictable and fun, as actors have to come up with their lines on the spot. According to junior Leah Simpson, a member of the Unscripted, this means there’s “less pressure to be perfect”.
There are two different types of games that teams compete in during the show—during head-to-head games, two teams face off against each other directly, whereas in team games, individual members of teams compete with each other. In both, the audience decides what prompt the actors have to follow as well as the winner of each game.
The show, which will be on Thursday, September 8th, is structured like a tournament. During the 4:00 pm showtime, all four teams will be paired up and compete against each other. Then, at the 6:00 show, the two winning teams and the two losing teams will be paired up to compete against each other to determine a final winner.
These four teams will face each other during the 2024 show:
- Emotional Damage, led by captain Luiza Oliveira
- Top Dogs, led by Quinn Isberg
- Catching Zs, led by Zara Jami
- Sorcerers Six, led by Molly Severus
Be sure to stop by the auditorium on Thursday to support The Unscripted!
Interested in joining The Unscripted?
If you’re interested in acting and improvisation, The Unscripted might be for you. Sophomore Alaina DeRousse, a member of the troupe, says that it’s a great way for freshmen to make friends in drama at the start of the year, and you “get really close with the people on your team” during rehearsals. Similarly, Leah Simpson says it’s a great way to make connections as well as “get out of your comfort zone” when it comes to acting. Mr. Yuska is the head of the theater department, so be sure to contact him if you’re interested!
