This year, Lakeland University will be replacing the formality of a Fall play with an improv club. Those interested will meet at the Bradley Fine Arts Building every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. to practice and the club will feature freshmen through senior students from various academic backgrounds.

Improvisational comedy, better known as improv, is comedy with no real rules and requires participants to think fast.

“Students learn to think on their feet, a skill that will be valuable in the workplace,” said Charlie Krebs, improv advisor and associate professor of theatre and communication at Lakeland University. “Now this doesn’t mean that you go jumping off cliffs spur of the moment, but you’ll be able to make quick and decisive decisions on the go.”

Students will gain confidence, learn to hold to a commitment, be able to express ideas quickly and loudly, as well as learn to bounce ideas off others and accept constructive criticism.

“I’m hoping to build this into a team,” said Krebs. “Not for it to be a formal type of club, I want it to feel like an athletic team where the students would show the same dedication and passion that teams do.”

Students interested in joining the club will be immersed into a student led organization with a governing body, as well as various jobs including set building, designing, controlling the lights and dealing with the social aspect of the club.

The expectations for the club seem optimistic and shared by the students who participated in the tryouts, held on Monday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. Members of the club hope that the club bonds well and in a fast manner. They also hope to continue attracting additional members as well as high school students to Lakeland University.

The first few weeks of the club will include getting logistics down as well as playing many games centered around helping to perfect the improvisation of the group as a unit. The meetings will look similar to the show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”

The group will be helped by a workshop being hosted by Comedy Sportz, an improv group in Milwaukee. They will help perfect the craft of the group, but the students will always have Krebs along the way to help them.

For more information, contact Krebs at [email protected].