Vines. Michael Jackson’s wedding. Fish-Man. Atholton High’s Improvisational Theatre Group wowed the community on Wednesday, April 11 during their annual performance.
“You don’t prepare for an improv show. An hour before the show starts, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said club leader, Thomas Finegar. Using a series of improv games, Atholton High Improv, or AHI Tuna, showed the audience their quick thinking and wit.
Walking into the show, there are few expectations that the audience could have. The stage consisted of chairs lined across the stage with a podium on the left. When the show started, the senior leader Thomas Finegar came on stage, announcing each member of AHI Tuna to the audience. After welcoming the audience, Thomas gave the audience some background information on what was to going to happen throughout the show. “We pretty much play crowd pleasers,” added junior leader, Jack Pazulski, “games with a lot of crowd participation.”
As the night went on, different improv related games ensued, leaving the audience members in stitches as Keon Parsa, a sophomore member, recited vines in his firefighter scene and Emma Danaher, a senior member, played Fishman, a much cooler and more effective version of Aquaman. The club put on amazing renditions of Survival Fairy Tale, Yo, Press Conference, CSI-AHI, and many more games. Each game had an element of audience participation, whether it was choosing the character, scene, or actions, and every game was interesting to watch as each character thought on their feet.
“Improv is an audition club, so you have to audition in the beginning of the year,” said Finegar. “It’s a community of people who enjoy improv and we’re passionate about the thing we’re doing.” The group is always looking for new members each year and is a great way to make new friends. “You meet a lot of people that you wouldn’t normally run into and you can become friends and broaden your horizons in that respect,” said junior member, Chloe McDonald.
Whether you love comedy or enjoy the thrills of theater, it is always a great idea to go to an improv show. The games in the show are hilarious and test each member’s ability to build a character and plot from one idea. “There’s always a surprise. You will always come away from it spouting little jokes that people say throughout the show. It’s just a really fun experience,” added Jack Pazulski.