A new improv and sketch company called Awkward Silence has formed at University of Idaho under the direction of Ricky Kimball, a Masters of Fine Arts directing candidate.
Kimball said there’s been a high demand for this type of group since the end of a similar one four years ago.
“We do short form improv, like ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’ and eventually, we will go into the sketch comedy like ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Kimball said.
UI has been trying to get an improvisation group for the last couple of years because improv is an important skill to learn, especially for comedic timing, he said.
Kimball said he realized there aren’t many classes aimed at teaching improv at UI.
Washington State University has an improv group in Pullman, so he said he wanted to make a company in Moscow.
Clyde McCaw | Argonaut
“So, I decided on that, that I would establish an improv group here and teach the foundations of short form improv, while also performing and traveling to competitions,” Kimball said.
During improv rehearsals, Kimball teaches the rules of short-form improvisation and games, which can bolster improvisation skills people can use on the stage.
There are foundations to improv people can learn within this company, so they can all perform and compete in the spring semester, he said.
“A lot of the time people think that they can’t do improv because they can’t think on their feet or can’t come up with stuff quickly, but there are underlying foundational rules that the audience never notice happening,” Kimball said. “So, I teach those to the students, and basically, when they perform they can use those skills they learn from the games.”
Improvisational and sketch comedy shows, such as “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and “Saturday Night Live,” have a polished finished product, he said, but they also tape for a lot longer than they air on television.
However, the TV professionals use the same foundational rules Kimball is teaching in the new improv and sketch company at UI.
Any students interested in improv and sketch comedy are encouraged to come to the rehearsals, regardless of major. Kimball said they will perform once a month, starting the third week of January.
In February, Awkward Silence is traveling to the University of Oregon for an improv competition, as well as traveling, performing and teaching improv to nearby schools throughout spring.
Aidan Leonard, a third-year UI theater student, joined the company and encouraged anyone who is interested to give it a shot.
“It does not matter if you are a theater major or not, it is such a fun thing,” Leonard said. “Every moment you wanted to be as a kid — all the goofiness you might not be able to get out when you’re in class or the joke you want to say — here is the place to do it.”
Awkward Silence meets every Tuesday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Shoup Hall.
Clyde McCaw can be reached at [email protected]