Cal Poly’s Improv Team is Building Community, One Laugh at a Time
In a small, comfortably lit lecture hall that neighbors the performing arts center, a group of Cal Poly students step into the light that shines from above them. These comedians embrace the audience with no scripts and no plans, but with a vision for laughter and community.
Smile and Nod is a student-led improv comedy team at Cal Poly that aims to create sketches from crowd suggestions and impromptu actions.
"Improv is an opportunity for people from all majors and age groups to just come together and bond over comedy," said Isaiah Covarrubias, a first-year on the team.
By letting everyone in the room have a part in the show, the team highlights the importance of maintaining a relationship with both each other, and the audience. From “Summer Camp Murder Mystery” to “The Heroes vs. Villains”, Smile and Nod’s themed show nights target public interests and common comedy tropes while adding an individual flare.
The quick wit and spontaneous energy of Smile and Nod has proved that laughter truly is the best remedy for all.
Improv is the art of making things up on the spot, such as songs, dialogue and actions. Being a teamwork based performance, the actors must quickly act to add onto each other’s improvisations in a scene.
The language of improv is known as the “Yes, and…” method. This method requires that regardless of what the other scene partners say or do, the performer must say yes to it, and build off of that idea.
“No ideas can be shot down during a show and that makes it even more entertaining,” Covarrubias said. “If your teammate says something completely absurd or inappropriate you just have to build off of it; it’s your job to keep the scene going.”
The ability to be open to anything that arises is what gives the performance style its unique sense of humor and spontaneity. Beyond that, its intimate and unexpected nature is what allows for the team to trust each other and bond over the shared exhilaration.
“Improv is exciting; it’s fast-paced and wild and reckless, but that's what makes it funny. That’s what truly lets us bond as a team, but more than that, it’s what lets us bond as friends,”
Covarrubias said.
As much as the team’s connection with one another plays a key role in the show, so does the connection with the audience. Alexander Hayward, an audience member at the “Summer Camp Murder Mystery” show, said that the “energy between the audience and performers” is what truly makes it.
“Sure I come to the shows to support my friends but I stay for the environment and energy that Smile and Nod creates,” said Hayward. “By letting the audience have a part in the scene, it goes beyond just making people laugh and it makes them feel seen and welcomed too.”
Smile and Nod performs every Saturday at 7 p.m. in Phillips Hall at Cal Poly. The next show will be on February 1 and will be “The Office” themed based on the hit mockumentary sitcom. The team’s full performance schedule and show themes can be found on their official website or via their Instagram page.
"It isn't about how many people come to the shows or who they are as a person, all that matters is we can all agree to have fun and make an impact on each other in some way, " said Covarrubias.
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