Haven Huth & Lauren Dahl
Special to In Motion
Every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. people come in from all walks of life join together for a couple hours of fun together at the Improv Club, one of the many co-curricular activities available to students at Daytona State College.
Advised by theater arts professor Samantha Stern, the Improv Club had its roots almost 16 years ago with Random Acts of Insanity, founded by former DSC students. Today, that improvisational comedy troupe is still going strong and performing regularly. Most recently, it performed on Aug. 16 at Thank You Five performing arts theater located at 4606 S. Clyde Morris Blvd. in Port Orange.
Back on campus, students such as Chloe Rusak and Gamliel Arroyo are cutting their comedy teeth at the Improv Club, which staged a successful show back in April at the Gillespy Theatre at the News-Journal Center. Students from the club and the “Creative Improvisation: Innovation for Theatre and the Real World” course performed various skits as part of their final project of the semester. Theatre Director Samantha Stern lent her own comedic chops as the gracious, and witty, host for the evening.
Although dates have not yet been set at press time, there will be more performances coming up this academic year as well, to showcase DSC’s considerable pool of comedic talent.
“I started last semester with acting one and talking to Professor Stern, and also going to SAC Comedy Lab in Orlando, a professional improv theater troupe,” explains Rusak. “I started watching it and I fell in love. I was like, ‘oh my god I want to do this. I want to get better at this.’ When you watch it you think ‘I could do that, I could be up there.’ Then you get to the class and it is the hardest thing in the world.”
At last count, DSC had more than 60 clubs on campus, not counting the athletic teams. Even so, the Improv Club stands out for its members’ dedication to learning their craft and helping others do so as well.
“It was hard in the beginning, like it always is, but I realized how much it helped and from the class that’s how I learned about the club,” says Arroyo. “Now even though I’m not in the class anymore I’m and alumni so I come in and help out with the class.”
For information on the Improv Club contact Samantha Stern at 386-506-1903. The club’s stated purpose is “To provide creative performance and play opportunities to DSC students. Improv promotes confidence, creative thinking, and working with others which are all important skills in the professional realm.”