NORTH WEBSTER – Sometimes they’re ballerinas or artists. Sometimes they’re family members at a funeral, or famous celebrities. Whoever they are in a scene, the members of the Level 2 Comedy Improv Group “Nothing To Prov(e)” have been learning more about the craft over the past month to bring a free show to the public. That showcase is Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the North Webster Community Center. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. “This show will focus more on long-form improv where the students will have more control over how the story flows instead of it being facilitated by me,” stated Jessica Hardy, teacher. “They’ve been working on ‘group mind’ work and collaboration, and working on forming an ensemble rather than doing games.” Level 2 is the third comedy improv class Hardy has taught at the NWCC this summer. She taught two Level 1 courses consecutively, then offered the Level 2. Each course consisted of four weeks of three-hour classes, and then a showcase for the public the fifth week. Taylor White has taken all three of Hardy’s courses. He started taking them because Derick Gamble suggested it to him. Gamble also has taken all of Hardy’s classes. “(Derick) said he thought I’d be good at it. For the first show, I got a good reaction so I thought I’d keep taking it. I like making people laugh,” White said. Taking the classes has helped him in several different ways, too. “I find I can speak much easier,” White said. “I am more at ease with conversation and being myself. It also has helped me be funnier in every day life.” Like the other 10 students in Level 2, White is anticipating Tuesday’s show. “I am excited to be on stage,” he said. “I have been on stage most of my life, so it’s kind of natural. I’m more excited with the connections I make with people after the show than on stage.” If more comedy improv classes are offered, White said he plans to take them. He’s “kind of a homebody,” but wants to do stand-up on the side as a hobby. Taking the improv classes will help. Owen Stech has taken all three classes because he always has enjoyed comedy and improv. “I wanted to try to do something different and get better. I also have a past experience with Jessica,” he replied when asked why he took the classes. Being in improv allows you to be spontaneous and random, he said. Plus, he just likes doing fun things. Cindy Darr Nei is one of the three women taking Level 2. “It was awesome fun and I met a lot of nice people,” she said of her experience. After taking the second Level 1 class, Seth Anderson continued to drive from Huntington to North Webster for Level 2. “A friend in Australia, Justin Stech, heard about the class and told me I would really like it,” Anderson remarked as to why he started taking it in the first place. Of all the students in Level 2, Gamble has taken his interest in comedy improv the farthest so far. Not only is he taking Hardy’s third course, but he drives to Chicago every weekend to take classes there. “It’s helped with my confidence from nothing,” Gamble said. “It seems like I meet a lot of new people all the time, especially in Chicago. It helped me be more open and not scared with a lot of things.”
