Central improv club takes comedy seriously.
A group of Central students gathers each Sunday to play games. Not video games, chess or Twister — Members of The F Word, Central’s improvisational comedy club, play games to practice improv techniques. For instance, one member pulls a phrase out of a hat, and a group acts out the scene. Or maybe they impersonate different characters.
“Our main focus is comedy,” says Daniel Kuttler, the club’s president and a senior accounting major from Davenport. While improv can be serious, The F Word strives to be funny and make the audience laugh. They also make each other laugh, which Kuttler says is all part of the process. “You’re not going to be funny if you’re not having a lot of fun,” he says.
The F Word (the F stands for funny), started at Central in 2008. Kuttler has been involved since his freshman year and has seen the group’s shows grow in popularity. He counted about 80 people at the last show during spring 2014 semester. The group tries to do at least two shows each semester and kicked off the fall 2015 season with a show Sept. 24 in Cox-Snow recital hall.
“I can be myself around my fellow members.” — Judd Hayes
While some of the members are theatre majors, others are just interested in comedy. Judd Hayes, a senior biology major, says the group is a great place to de-stress. “I love being part of improv because I can be myself around my fellow members,” he says. “The most rewarding thing about it is being able to perform and make people on campus laugh and see just how goofy I really am.”
During their weekly practice, students study improv techniques. These include never saying no during a scene and not asking a lot of questions. Currently, The F Word has 10 members, and Kuttler says they try to keep the group at 10 to ensure everyone has a chance to participate in the games. When holding yearly auditions, members look for students who display a sense of humor and a willingness to roll with whatever type of scene is thrown at them.
How do they know if a show is successful? By the laughter. Kuttler says, “When people come up to you afterward and say, ‘You were so funny!’ — that’s really great.”
