HHS Improv Club
Of the many theatre and music related activities available at HHS, one of my favorites is the club I lead, Hanover High’s Improv Club. It’s a club that has been very small and has seldom met in years past, but with a new group of freshmen supplementing the pre-existing group of interested sophomores and juniors, Improv Club is back! Now with more improv! A group of half a dozen regulars gathers twice each week in the music theory room for some laughter and fun games. We had an amazing turn out at sign-ups, and we’ve gained three more new members since the beginning of October.
Although no two improv club meetings are ever alike, the group does have favorite games that have become staples at most get-togethers. These include “party quirks” and the classic “park bench”. But Alexandra, how do I play these games? No worries, improv club is a low stress environment! If you don’t know how to play a game, I or one of the other club members will be happy to explain and then demonstrate any game you don’t know. You should also feel free to bring your own games to improv club, because we always love to add a new game to the mix! If you have another club during one of our improv meetings, or you need to meet with a teacher, no stress! You can come back at any time, and we’ll just bring you back in!
My favorite part about improv club, specifically this year, is the group. In previous years, there has either been a total of two students coming to improv club, or the turnout was so sporadic that we just couldn’t meet. This year the club has been blessed by a dedicated group of improv-lovers. These kids genuinely want to be here. They’re not here because I said, “hey, come to improv club.” They’re here because they love improv, and they want to spend their free time playing these games. It’s why I do improv: it’s fun, it’s funny, and it’s a stress reliever.
Our favorite game in improv club, or at least the one we play most often, is called Park Bench. Sometimes referred to as Bus Stop, the concept is simple: You’ve got one person, who is a neutral character, sitting on the “bench”, and the other person needs to get them off the bench. However, you have to do it without physically removing them from the bench. But the rest is totally up to you! Some people stand on the bench and start singing off key, others choose to cough on the neutral character, or launch into an incredibly deep personal life story that the other person is just not wanting to hear. Either way, the quicker you get someone off the bench, the better.
But how, dare you ask, do I become part of this fantastically fun club? It’s simple, you just come to the music theory room during activity period on a Tuesday or Friday, and join in the fun! We also love spectators!