SAMUEL AGYEI
Special to The Leader
Photo by Cottonbro Studio | Provided by Pexels
If you’re a fan of spontaneity, creativity and quick thinking, you’re in for a treat.
John Read, a co-captain of Random Acts and Brent Hetrick, treasurer of the club, gave a sneak peak of what is to come.
Random Acts is an improv group on campus with a mission to entertain and educate.
The world of improv is as diverse as it gets, ranging from short games to long-form performances. It requires quick thinking, effective communication skills and adaptability.
According to alumni testimonies, these skills are not just for the stage, they’re for life.
“We’ve had a good opportunity to talk with a lot of alumni or connect with them on social media that do not do improv at all anymore. Or maybe they just do it for fun, but they have other jobs,” Read said.“They have said that what they learned in Random Acts has helped them so much in their life, because they’re able to interact with people better, they’re able to take information that people give them and add to it and they’re able to collaborate more.”
Read continued, “[Random Acts] also [lets them] keep a sense of play and…creativity in their life, even in jobs that you might not think would have the capability to have that much freedom…I think an alumnus is [a] testament to how much these skills can be used really, for anything.”
This team collaborates to come up with unique themes for their shows, and within these themes, each member is assigned a character to play.
It’s all about embracing spontaneity and creativity, and each time they go on stage Random Acts plans to deliver just that.
According to Random Acts, their central purpose revolves around the betterment of their members and the delivery of a spectacular performance for their audience.
To keep the ship sailing smoothly, the crew goes through extensive training, continuously building upon their knowledge. Team captains play a crucial role in shaping the agenda and ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard.
Read emphasized that they make every effort to resolve any conflicts among team members before they hit the stage. There’s no room for hate within the cast.
When planning out themes and games, they ensure that nothing goes against their moral values, be it societal, environmental or personal issues.
This commitment to a positive environment allows them to connect with their audience through platforms like Instagram, where they suggest ideas via polls and engage the audience in their creative process.
Random Acts consists of a talented ensemble of ten members who work together to give what they hope to be unforgettable performances. Just recently, on Thursday, Aug. 30, they held open auditions with the intention of appointing three new members to join their cast.
“So, I would say, we’re gonna get three new members…One of our main goals is to make them feel welcome on the team, kind of show them around [and] get them more comfortable doing improv for audiences [since] their first show will actually be this week. We really throw them in quickly, but we really want to teach them how the games work [and] teach them some basic rules,” Read said. “We don’t just teach the newbies, we also want everyone to be learning every rehearsal and everyone can always grow and make their improv better.”
Random Acts has big plans for the future, and they’re excited to introduce even more well-loved themes to their audience.
When asked about what’s to come, Read replied,“It’s gonna be high class, high fashion. Fancy and everything expensive…but also everything ugly [and] weird.”
Catch Random Acts in an Alumni Comedy sketch performance at Main Street Studios on Sept. 15. Admission is free for all. Random Act meets every other Friday in Fenton Hall.