The close-knit comedy scene returns

After a year away from campus, USC’s improv groups returned to their old routines and added new members to their troupes. Auditions, held Sept. 11 through 13, gave students the opportunity to try out for a spot for one of the four on-campus troupes: The Merry Men, Second Nature, Commedus Interruptus and Spoiler Alert. 

Over the weekend, each troupe held a two-hour audition followed by callbacks. Students were allowed to try out for as many of the groups as they wished, meaning an entire weekend of improv for those interested in all four. The audition process was a collaborative one; at the end of the weekend, all the troupes came together to make final decisions on who fits best on their team. Devin Harris, a sophomore majoring in theatre, auditioned for three groups and got into Second Nature. 

“The joke is, that during auditions and callbacks, it’s like the only time the troupes ‘fight’ … But then, as soon as that’s over, it’s just like we’re all friends who do improv together, and we just happen to be on other teams,” Harris said. “Come see our show, we’ll come see your show, let’s do fun things.” 

Unlike other clubs on campus, The Merry Men, Second Nature, Commedus Interruptus and Spoiler Alert are comprised of approximately 10 members, making the community extremely tight-knit. 

“Each team has somewhere between like five and 10 members, so there’s probably like 30ish people who are on the improv teams and that’s also like a nice little community … We’re all friends, we all do stuff together,” said Second Nature member Jonathan Krone, a senior majoring in narrative studies.

Due to last year’s shift to a virtual environment, most groups  — except Spoiler Alert, who continued virtual shows and auditions — did not take any new members last year. 

“Auditions [are] always really exciting because bringing new people and new energy just energizes the troupe and makes us excited to get to know people and improvise with them,” said Bebe Katsenes, a junior majoring in theatre and a member of Spoiler Alert.  “[Our] troupe is very close and so it’s kind of … nerve-wracking to bring new people into the fold, but it’s very exciting.”

Katsenes said she didn’t fully comprehend what she was “getting herself into” when she joined Spoiler Alert as a freshman. However, she considers the group a family.

“I didn’t realize I wasn’t just choosing a group, I wasn’t just auditioning for a group of people who do improv once a week together, I was joining a family,” Katsenes said. “They are my home base and that’s what’s so exciting and also nerve-wracking about bringing new people, but it’s been really great.”

Right now, the troupes are working to get the “newbies” accustomed to their comedy-styles and skits before incorporating them into their shows. Nico Fife, a senior majoring in theatre and a member of The Merry Men, said the troupe welcomed four new members this fall. During practices, returning members explain the rules of one of the games that they typically perform, play a few rounds and then let the newcomers try it out themselves. Afterward, older members will answer questions and give notes.

“We don’t necessarily need them to be perfect in any way, because none of us are perfect, no matter how long we’ve been on the troupe,” Fife said. “Everyone comes in with their own comedic ability and skill and from auditions, we know that they’re funny and they mesh with us, but it’s like, ‘What’s your slice of the pie [so] we know you knock  out of the park every time, and how do we bring that out of you?’”

Even as teams work hard to prepare these new members for upcoming shows, the environment still seems light, Harris said, matching the familial energy audiences see at their shows. 

“This is so much more about people who are friends doing improv together … which is really cool because, [at] the practices, I was like ‘OK we’re going here to work and do stuff,’ and we do do that, but at the same time it’s just cool people hanging out [and] making jokes,” Harris said.

Even though their newest members might still be practicing, the four troupes are finally starting their post-pandemic debuts. The first show for The Merry Men will be Oct. 11 at 10 p.m. at the Zumberge Hall of Science, and their Halloween spectacular murder mystery will take place Oct. 25. Spoiler Alert has begun their weekly shows at Tommy’s Place, every Tuesday at 10 p.m. Show updates for Second Nature and Commedus Interruptus can be found on their Instagrams. 

Without an in-person audience, Krone said improv groups not only lose audience participation, but also other physical aspects of comedy that are virtually impossible online when members do not perform together in a shared space. 

Now that members and audiences have reunited, the University’s improv groups are ready to once again connect with students. 

“I’m excited to see not only those people who used to come pre-COVID,” Fife said. “But the new people who are going to start coming now and to get a new group of people in our close circle of improvisers and audience members.”