Here’s What You Should Know Before Attending Your First Improv Performance

Audrey Colburn '25 and Director of Theatrical Arts and Theatre Mark Robinson participate in an Improv performance

One Friday a month, the Holton and Landon Improv Troupe, formerly known as Clause & Effect, comes together to provide a show for the masses.

With event locations alternating between the Holton Black Box Theater and the Landon Performing Arts Center, Improv performs a set filled with laughs, surprises and some would say...insanity.

The troupe is led on the Holton side by Audrey Colbourn ’25 and Betty Rose Bean ’26 and on the Landon side by Jack Sadow ’25 and Asher Josef ’25. Members of the troupe practice twice a month for their monthly shows, preparation that Colbourn said helps “performances feel more comfortable achieving a conclusion.”

The typical improv show is an hour and a half, split into two 40-minute acts with an intermission in between. The shows start and end with a game of “freeze,” a classic game that allows the audience to participate. In “freeze,” members of the troupe perform a scene before being “frozen,” and then another member taps in and creates a different scenario based on the previous members’

positions.

The troupe plays a variety of other games throughout the show, some involving storytelling and others directed toward the faculty guests. As senior Michelle Tan stated, “I love seeing the faculty guests get out of their comfort zones! It’s great to see them in a different light and having fun on stage.”

Improv is not just a monthly show led by students; it is an integral part of the Holton-Landon Performing Arts Community. Sadow remarked, “At least at Landon, the drama community is not always given the most attention, so it’s nice to have something to attract people to performing arts.”

And in the life of Colburn, improv “serves as a place of community and joy and laughter. Holton can get very stressful, so Improv serves as a breathing space from all the stress.”

The unique and authentic nature of Improv appeals to audiences greatly, and as the troupe recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, it intends to be around the Holton-Landon community for many years to come.