FAKE FINANCIAL NEWS
Comedy 101: A Confidence Game It was love at first sight when I discovered improv By Vonetta Logan
The Second City alums Bill Murray, John Candy, Tim Meadows and Aidy Bryant.
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IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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o this day, I still remember the first time I ever saw an improv show. It was in the basement of my dorm, freshman year at Indiana University, and a rag-tag troupe of improvisers called Pumpernickel performed in our dorm’s coffee house. One of the dudes on stage queried the quiet crowd, “Someone tell me what my job is!” An intrepid audience member yelled out, “pilot!” The performers reconfigured themselves on stage, and the guy who asked for the suggestion grabbed his scene partner by the front of his shirt. With an intense look overtaking his previously serene features, the dude bellowed, “Jesus, do you know why you’re standing before me today? I must punish you for your crimes.” The audience murmurs and he shrugs and says to his scene partner, “Answer me! I’m Pontius Pilate!”—the fifth governor of Judea who sentenced Christ to crucifixion—and everyone in the audience just lost it. I had never seen such a blatant display of rapier wit and lightning-fast comedy. I couldn’t understand how no one on stage knew what was going to happen next, yet they could turn any suggestion into art. Huh, look at that, love of improv at first sight. This issue of Luckbox is all about the highs and lows of higher ed, but to me, the most important education anyone can receive is the gift of crafting the skill of improvisation. Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations, making yourself open to the options you’ve been given and, most importantly, learning to work in harmony with others are all things I learned while training at Chicago’s famed The Second City.
Luckbox | August 2022
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7/22/22 11:27 AM
