The audience, the Student Program Board (SPB) staff and actors at Oakland University’s Improv Night synergized to create spontaneous comedy prompted by nearly a dozen improv activities.
On Thursday, Jan 18, the Oakland Center’s Ballrooms welcomed the audience with popcorn and a contestant entry form to greet a group of six actors from the GoComedy improv group.
“We’ve always been kind of worried. Improv can be a hit or miss,” SPB Vice President and Special Events Director Ula Tuskenyte said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. We’ve had a comedy in the past… but that was like two years ago.”
Nonetheless, a delayed comedy comeback on campus did not discourage the 35 students who attended the event. The largest crowd made up of the Oakland Improv Club greeted the cast with a warm and exhilarating ovation.
Doug Kolbicz, the show’s host, and resident company director of GoComedy introduced the “All-Star Showdown,” a five-act show in which two teams of three actors compete to win free tickets for three audience members.
The six lucky audience members were randomly chosen from the contestant entry forms, containing questions like “What is your dream job?” or “An unusual occurrence.” Along with other categories — including movie styles, specific locations and favorite celebrities — all of the entry forms were used as prompts for the ten improv activities on stage.
“The believers” team faced off against the “undeclared team” in a 90-minute contest filled with witty puns and improvised comedy. The show revolved around the collaborative improvisation of the audience and actors, creating a constant engagement reflected by the continuous outburst of laughter.
The first act encompassed a jeopardy game and a “changing styles” dynamic. In the “changing styles” dynamic, two participants from opposing teams recreated a father-and-son discussion that went from a dark romance to a holiday special atmosphere.
The actors weren’t the only ones improvising. Before the event, Tuskenyte realized that there wasn’t a technology director for the event.
“This requires tech,” she said. “But, we have Logan from the radio station.”
Adding comical sound effects during the event, WXOU staff, including General Manager Logan Pizzuro, took the improv night spirit beyond the stage.
Back in the spotlight, two audience members were taken upstage to participate in a “filler” activity in which they delivered the punchline for premises set by the actors. This characterized the tone of the show and became the most engaging act as the audience contemplated a mixture of amateur and professional improv.
“It was very encouraging, I enjoyed getting new ideas,” Henry Tussey, president of Oakland Improv Club, said. “It was good to see the professionals come and do it.”
Kolbicz highlighted the great synergy between actors and audience, united by the passion for improvisation.
Kolbicz said he was glad to learn that the audience was comprised of an improv club and improv students.
“That’s always good because they are already into it,” he said. “The main thing is being confident, and [this is] a whole room of confident people.”
The show continued with satires of Oscar-winning moments and the recreation of a family drama set on a pool section at Target. The particular enactments had almost everyone laughing, something that Tuskenyte took note of.
“Sometimes it’s like, quality over quantity, and I think we had good quality, so even though there were less people, everyone had a great time,” she said.
The last dynamic was based on recalling the inside jokes developed throughout the show and calling back running gags that formed a synergy between the audience and actors. The final game, “Innuendo,” encompassed Kolbicz’s vision of the event —“a show that hasn’t been seen before, and will never be seen again.”
For information about upcoming events, visit SPB’s website or Instagram.
