On Sunday, Mustang Improv performed stand up at Still Not Friday at the Two Brothers Roundhouse. Since January, the crew has worked hard rehearsing stand up comedy routines after being presented with the chance to perform at the Still Not Friday show. Still Not Friday is a show at the Two Brothers Roundhouse that allows for comedians to perform stand up comedy. With the help of Matt Drufke, the producer of Still Not Friday, the improvisers prepared for this new experience.

From the get-go, there was new hurdles to face. Usual improv shows consist of suggestions from the audience to help direct a scene. This time around, the comedy is all on the individual performers. “The one thing about improvisational comedy is that it is spontaneous,” Mustang Improv sponsor Rebecca Walker said.

The first step to a stand up routine is the material. “The students have written scripts,” Walker said. Since stand up consists of original work, the participants wrote their own scripture to perform under five minutes. After a finished first draft, the revisions start. “They started reworking their jokes for months, and they kept going back to revise setups and punchlines,” Walker said. Luckily for Mustang Improv, Drufke helped all the students each step of the way with guidance and suggestions on their material.

Gallery • 14 Photos

Kennedy Homan

The Improv Team huddling together pre show.

Of all the tips given to the students, the one that stuck the most was the suggestion to base their material on real life events. “I thought [standup] was easier for me as I went with my own stories,” Senior Improviser, Dhrtvan Sherman said. Not only did personal stories guide most student’s stand up routines, it also helped create a connection with their work. Improvisers also took subjects they had strong emotions towards to flesh out their five minute piece, such as Olivia Wegner and her hatred towards spiders. “I wrote joke after joke from my experiences which grew and grew when I found more things to say,” sophomore Improviser Olivia Wegner said.

Within the days leading up to Still Not Friday, many workshops brought the team together to prep them for Sunday’s show. “Everyone in the crew helped me perfect my routine,” sophomore Improviser, Aliya Bennett said. With all the training and support, Mustang Improv was ready to perform stand up.

On Sunday, all nine students performed their routines in front of a full house. With Claire Baffes and Paige Green working tech, the show ran without any problems behind the scenes. From the moment Evan Lemberger opened to the Dhrtvan Sherman closing, the house cheered with laughter. The surprise of Rebecca Walker taking on her own routine also left the audience gasping for air. The Metea Improv Club made the most of their first stand up routine, and had the audience wanting more.

There is one more chance to see this year’s improv students perform on May 10 at 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theater in A129.