This “Design of the Week” features Lake Braddock MS Theatre Arts Program’s Comedy Improv Club!
Our Design of the Week is this fun shirt from Lake Braddock Secondary School MS Theatre Arts Program for their Comedy Improv Club. The student group is relatively new and uses improvisational comedy as an introductory experience for their theatre program.
“We have quite a few elementary schools that feed into our secondary school,” explains Theatre Director Stacy Mitchell, “and this is our attempt to not only give them a chance to get comfortable in our space before they get up here to the combined level, but also make some connections with each other in a positive and fun way.”
Improvisational comedy, or improv for short, is a form of theater that features performances without a script. The show is made up on the spot, sometimes with game structures and sometimes with a free-flowing story. Actors rely on building scenes through cooperative storytelling, often with prompts from and audience or instructor.
The collaborative nature of improv has other benefits besides simply being a theater performance. Some businesses use improvisational interactions in team building seminars to encourage teamwork and communication. Similarly, it’s beneficial for the development of students, especially at a young age.
“Improv builds problem-solving skills, confidence, and active listening at its core. It develops awareness and positive affirmation of the thoughts and ideas of others,” explains Mitchell. “The more students explore improv, the more these essential skills and traits grow and can be implemented as second nature.”
“My focus at this level with the students is to build ensemble-ship, listening to scene partners to develop a natural response, and focus,” she adds. “It doesn’t hurt that confidence tends to follow. Many times they don’t even realize they are building positive communication skills while having so much fun!”
Mitchell is thrilled with the final product of their shirts and credits the Excel process by turning her rough idea into the perfect shirt for her club.
“Excel is so easy to work with, and came up with pure magic from the things we had submitted,” raves Mitchell. “I had a rough idea, and the artistic team at Excel created this awesome design. I wanted a smiley face somewhere with our club name, eye-catching, and engaging for the kids.”
When asked if it changed or evolved in the creation process, Mitchell replied, “Drastically! My idea was very rough, and the designers ran with it! The whole thing exudes FUN, and that was what I wanted more than anything.”
She referred to her experience as “absolutely exceptional,” with “flexibility combined with smashing talent.”
The whole process ended up echoing one of the tenants of improv: building on each other’s ideas to create something special.
This “Design of the Week” features Lake Braddock Secondary School’s Comedy Improv Club!
Our Design of the Week is this fun shirt from Lake Braddock Secondary School MS Theatre Arts Program for their Comedy Improv Club. The student group is relatively new and uses improvisational comedy as an introductory experience for their theatre program.
“We have quite a few elementary schools that feed into our secondary school,” explains Theatre Director Stacy Mitchell, “and this is our attempt to not only give them a chance to get comfortable in our space before they get up here to the combined level, but also make some connections with each other in a positive and fun way.”
Improvisational comedy, or improv for short, is a form of theater that features performances without a script. The show is made up on the spot, sometimes with game structures and sometimes with a free-flowing story. Actors rely on building scenes through cooperative storytelling, often with prompts from and audience or instructor.
The collaborative nature of improv has other benefits besides simply being a theater performance. Some businesses use improvisational interactions in team building seminars to encourage teamwork and communication. Similarly, it’s beneficial for the development of students, especially at a young age.
“Improv builds problem-solving skills, confidence, and active listening at its core. It develops awareness and positive affirmation of the thoughts and ideas of others,” explains Mitchell. “The more students explore improv, the more these essential skills and traits grow and can be implemented as second nature.”
“My focus at this level with the students is to build ensemble-ship, listening to scene partners to develop a natural response, and focus,” she adds. “It doesn’t hurt that confidence tends to follow. Many times they don’t even realize they are building positive communication skills while having so much fun!”
Mitchell is thrilled with the final product of their shirts and credits the Excel process by turning her rough idea into the perfect shirt for her club.
“Excel is so easy to work with, and came up with pure magic from the things we had submitted,” raves Mitchell. “I had a rough idea, and the artistic team at Excel created this awesome design. I wanted a smiley face somewhere with our club name, eye-catching, and engaging for the kids.”
When asked if it changed or evolved in the creation process, Mitchell replied, “Drastically! My idea was very rough, and the designers ran with it! The whole thing exudes FUN, and that was what I wanted more than anything.”
She referred to her experience as “absolutely exceptional,” with “flexibility combined with smashing talent.”
