COCA’s Improv Troupe will perform in the Staenberg Performance Lab at COCA on November 16 at 7:00PM. Ed Reggi, Teaching Artist and Director of COCA’s Improv Troupe, shares insights about how these pre-professional artists have been preparing for this fun and interactive event.
During Improv Troupe: COCA IGNITES!, audiences will have the unique opportunity to influence the show’s direction by suggesting themes for different scenes or games performed throughout the evening.
One of the biggest challenges in preparing for this performance is that it is completely unscripted.
“Rehearsal is closer to something you might do in sports, meaning you are just going to practice the skills and the different things that make parts of improv exciting […] We are flexing different kinds of muscles that the students don’t normally get to do,” said Reggi.
Members of the Improv Troupe must practice active listening, respond quickly to interactions, and create original material.
Practicing improv has had a positive impact on Reggi’s students across various professional fields. For those pursuing careers in the arts, it has made them more comfortable in performance settings, especially during auditions.
“Improv really gets you comfortable to be in any space, any place and be okay with just listening and asking the right questions or taking bold choices,” said Reggi.
This is largely because they have learned to embrace uncertainty and the unpredictability of what might happen next, and even transfer these skills to professional fields that do not primarily involve the arts.
Performance photos by Ann K Photography.
