Most students at Pepperdine hear of it but not everyone experiences it. It begins with talent and a creative mind while resulting in laughter. The Pepperdine Improv Troupe (PIT) consists of students who entertain the masses at Pepperdine by putting on a show that resembles “Whose Line is it Anyway?” The team presented itself to about 100 people on the Howard A. White Center stage Friday Feb. 21.
The reason this show attracts so much attention is because the team members can contrive skits and songs on the spot in the midst of an expectant audience. Weekly practices hone the skills that make their performances so hilarious.
“I like playing improvisation games said PIT member and senior Robyn Boyd. Performing is fun. I didn’t know what improv was at first but then I took Tracy Burns’ master class and I was intrigued by it.”
Standing in the spotlight the team receives instructions for the particular game and listens to the suggestions bellowed out by energetic audience members. The volume of the audience’s applause ranks the actors.
“When I don’t have plans on Friday night I come here [to the HAWC] to talk with friends. It’s a unique crowd and [the show] is entertaining said junior Chad Satterlee.
PIT performs once a month at Pepperdine, but also attends paid jobs outside of the university. IPIT’s excellent reputation precedes the group, both on and off campus.
One skit that caused a roar of laughter from Friday night’s crowd and scored the highest on the scale of audience applause formed from a game called Internal Songalogue.” It required one of the two groups to create a skit while simultaneously be prepared to belt out a song at any time the host requests it. This time the subject happened to be raccoons.
The storyline began with an innocent family of raccoons feasting out of a Pepperdine dumpster when they were visited by an intruder. At this point the host requested that the daughter raccoon played by junior Layla Brisco sing about wanting to be a deer “so graceful and tall.” Following that was the intruder’s song concerning his desire to “be in the circus balancing on a ball.” It quenched most of the crowd’s thirst for laughter.
“The PIT show has a …usually hilarious cast said sophomore Alex Tangkilisan. They know how to make you laugh.”
Entertainment is the team’s specialty. Though there are many varieties of acting through improvisation PIT’s style is comedic short form whereas other improv groups can practice longer forms of more serious acts.
Watching a PIT show can serve as an outlet for Pepperdine students who are looking to relax during the stressful school year. However every once in a while an act falls short of common expectations.
“I find that some of the acts areabsolutely hilarious said sophomore Brady Nordstrom. But there are others which are less funny and on some rare occasions there is that act which isn’t funny. Overall I would recommend PIT and that is because it’s really relaxed and if you let yourself get involved you will laugh – everyone wants to laugh.”
Another twist that filled the HAWC with chuckles was called “forward reverse.” One team acted out its skit when suddenly the host called out “reverse and they had to repeat everything they did backwards.
I like playing games Boyd said. I’d do it whether or not I was in PIT. I really like the group. We learn different styles of improvisation and we spend a lot of time together. It makes the experience worthwhile.”
Due to its previous success this intimate group of spontaneous actors is bound to make even the toughest crowd laugh with its rambunctious rants and random acts. These students possess a drive to entertain. It lies in their talent and ability to take on a whole new personality and conform to a momentary scene of unrehearsed side-splitting sketches.