For students looking for a new way to meet people, step outside their comfort zone or simply have some fun after class, Brock Improv offers a place to do this.
Brock Improv hosts “Improv Jams” every Monday and Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Arthur Schmon Tower, Room 108. The club welcomes people to join regardless of their program, year of study or level of experience in drama.
“If you want to join, just show up,” the club states in their BUSU profile. “If you want to do improv, that’s all the reason we need to welcome you.”
According to another BUSU profile, in their sessions, Brock Improv teaches its members the basics of improvisation before moving into more advanced techniques. However, there are more useful skills students can take away from their Improv Jams.
“[Our] members also develop general skills such as presenting, leadership, and teamwork,” their profile states.
Students do not have to come regularly to participate; students can show up and leave whenever they want. Attendance throughout the whole three hours is not required.
The club’s upcoming jam is on Thursday, Sept. 24.
For students who have never participated in improv, the idea of walking into a room and performing in front of strangers can be intimidating.
A previous Brock Press article covering one of the club’s summer jams in 2023 described the activities as starting with relatively simple games before moving into more collaborative exercises with others.
The improv jam began with a “word association exercise,” where participants formed a circle and in order, said the first word that came to mind. Other games later in the jam focused on body language and acting, leading into longer scenes and group performances. The group activities were set at the end, so returning members were familiar with the new faces in the club.
The article described the club’s executives as “warm and inviting” toward attendees regardless of their experience level.
Despite the article coming out three years ago, Improv Jams remain “beginner friendly.” Students are not expected to walk into the room and immediately know what to do. Instead, their jams are set up in a way to help newcomers become comfortable with speaking, reacting and working with other people — skills that can extend beyond improvisation.
No matter their major, university students are regularly expected to talk in front of classmates and professors, participate in discussions and work with people they don’t know.
For many, seminars, where these skills matter, can be the most uncomfortable parts of university — and for some classes, ongoing participation throughout the semester accounts for 30 per cent of the final grade.
Seminars require students to speak without having a script prepared in advance. Improv helps foster many of those skills: listening, responding, thinking quickly and becoming comfortable without knowing what will happen next — and finding the fun in doing so.
One of the most common improv games is “yes, and,” which encourages players to accept “offers” introduced by another person and build on it. The game simulates similar discussions, where students must listen to their classmates or seminar leaders and respond with new ideas to contribute to the conversation.
Research suggests improv can affect how people approach situations that call for them to socialize and perform. An article written by Psychology Today reported on research by Peter Felsman, which found that improv was associated with reductions in reported social anxiety, even if it was done for only around 20 minutes.
Improv Jams run by the Brock Club offers students opportunities to meet new people and explore something different from their academic routine.
The next Improv Jam is happening on Monday, Sept. 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students are encouraged to RSVP prior to attending.
For more details on future workshops and jams, students can visit the ExperienceBUSU website and Brock Improv’s Instagram.