Comedy Cult, Valley’s Improv Club led by Sponsor Zachary T Collins and current Captain Ben Demase, is set to lose quite a bit of members next year, as it bid the current senior members farewell with the senior show held on May 30th.
Seven of the twelve current members are set to graduate on the 17th, which means auditions starting early on in the 25-26 school year are crucial for keeping the troop alive.
Vice Captain and junior Clarin Gaucher, who is set to become captain next year, views the issue of membership as crucial in regards to the various changes she plans to spearhead for the coming year.
“I was the only freshman to audition and I’ve been watching the number of applicants drop every season,” Gaucher said.
Last year, the cult happily gained two members from a pool of four auditionees, the pool of auditions was even fewer for this year.
“I’m interested in promoting our team more by showcasing the aspects of Comedy Cult people often overlook,” she said.
Improv serves many benefits, aiding students with collaborative skills, self confidence and public speaking skills, as well as thinking on your feet and outside the box.
However, Gaucher highlights that current stigmas surrounding Improv are what prevent many from getting to know or immersing themselves in the activity.
“I feel that a lot of people are really against something like improv. It demands a lot of vulnerability and you’re exposed to a lot of criticism,” Gaucher said.
For junior Abby Landes, who will be Gaucher’s Vice Captain, the cult is not as strict as it used to be on teaching the foundations of improv to newer members.
“There’s some specific areas with some of the newer members that make me slightly annoyed because I had a different experience than them when I first joined,” Landes said.
Both Gaucher and Landes have agreed to implement stricter conditions to reshape the cult to be a more productive environment, whilst destigmatizing Improv to attract more members.
“We aren’t as tight as usual, which could be a good thing, but it’s also bad because we aren’t giving the new Comedy Cult members the original teaching methods,” Landes said.
“I actually think improv feels more like a sport than theatre,” Gaucher said.
Improv isn’t just about evoking the most laughter or saying the wittiest joke on the spot, a lot of it is holding a given scene together or setting it up to begin with, which is only achieved so much by raw talent alone.
“You’re not always getting the laugh or scoring the goal; you’re the one setting up the scene or making the pass,” Gaucher said. “I think we need to work on polishing our skills this year, and I’m looking to do that through more precise critique and higher standards without destroying the close knit atmosphere we already have.”
Comedy Cult will look a lot different next year, not only because a majority of the members who’ve built up the cult will have graduated, but because fresh talent will allow for a new era of the cult to take place.
“I’d really recommend Comedy Cult,” Gaucher said. “People usually worry that they aren’t theatre kids or that they have no prior experience, but what matters is your drive to learn and your passion for making others laugh.”
