The house seats filled with students who signed in to their auditions for the Improv team, Mission Improvable. With close to 40 students auditioning the stage and house felt alive and full of energy.

As everyone settled into their seats, the directors Mr. Jeremy Ferman and Ms. Sarah Fortune shared words of advice encouraging students to put themselves out there during their audition times.

“We are looking for; do you build a scene? Are you creative? Are you willing to participate?” Ferman said. “The first game we are playing is “Freeze” to kind of see who is willing to jump in.”

The directors called out names for each student who would be on stage in that specific round of the game. The selected students then lined up on the stage and were instructed for two people to step forward and two more to place them in random poses.

In the game, the students acted out scenes on the spot. However, when someone wanted to take place of another actor they would clap and say freeze. The actors would then freeze and the student who said “freeze” would choose to replace one of the two. Whoever took their place would then lead them into a brand new scene and would repeat for the duration of the game.

“And this is the legendary sword Excalibur,” senior Kinsley Stuart Browne said. “I hope you take it to slay the monster.” 

With three rounds of Freeze, there were many opportunities to see talent and humor in each auditionee. Each student who would take on the next scene brought something new and funny to the stage. These scenes consisted of praising Beyonce on the floor, an old woman tearing her flanges, a person exclaiming they see the lord as they dramatically die and so much more.

“No you listen to me, I’m the coach and get on the ground,” sophomore Cora Lewis said. “You better not go run to Jimmy now — sit-ups!”

Laughter and applause from the audience after each scene made the theatre feel even more alive, but it wouldn’t end there. The next part of auditions proceeded with the game of “Last Line.”

“Last Line” consisted of four groups of two students on stage enacting different scenes specific to them, however, they would need to clap and start their scene with the last line said from the previous group.

“I can’t understand this label right here,” senior Kamryn Hannigan said. “Which button is it that turns the oxygen back on?”

The students acted out various scenes: a bus stop, junior prom, a wedding and space shuttle. Every scene, although the same setting as before, became a new story as every group had to use the previous line.

“See that’s exactly the plan!” senior Logan Chapman said. “Except you forgot the part of the plan where we run away together.” 

Students alternated in two rounds of “Last Line”, every student jumping in, from one scene to another, while the ones in the house sounded with laughter at every joke and action. Every student brought humor up on to the stage, as each scene inhibited randomness and energy.

After “Last Line” concluded came the final game of auditions, “Remember That One Time”. This game had half of the students on stage and had two rounds. The rules of the game were for two students to partner together and enact a scene from the phrase “remember that one time when” and would continue with the next pair acting out the requested scene.

“Why are you in here?” sophomore Cassidy Allen said. “This reminds me of this one time where my brother peed in my cereal.”

As students flailed their arms and gobbled like turkeys to start the new scene, the laughter became even more immersive in the room. The game moved at a fast-pace and never seized with the amount of energy put in every scene.

“Ah, you frizzle frazzles! This reminds me of that one time my son in law gave me raw soup,” sophomore Tutu Saliu said.

While the game winded down, the students looked tired but eager to see the results of their audition. The directors were stumped on who they would cast into the Mission Improvable team. However, they collectively decided on which students to put in the cast and posted the results on the call board accordingly.

Mission Improvable Cast List of 2019-2020:

Logan Chapman

Hannah Davis

Hannah Elston

Abby Ewing

Kamryn Hannigan

Annali Hollinger

Kyle Horne

Cora Lewis

Ryan Mathis

Seth Matthews

Audrey McReynolds

Angel Morales

Jake Neesen

Tutu Saliu

Jeny Schnuck

Kinsley Stuart-Browne