The Improv Troupe is one of the many performing arts groups based in Lexington High School. Entering the 2024-2025 school year, the Improv Troupe is hard at work, figuring out their plans for the year and preparing for upcoming shows.
Although improv and drama both involve acting with a cast, improv at LHS is a more close-knit community. The Improv Troupe is currently composed of eight members from all grade levels, hosting monthly performances that last up to 90 minutes.
“Improv is more student-run [than drama]. Our advisor helps us out a little bit, but we have shows more often, whereas the play and the musical are directed by teachers and run by teachers,” Luke Denoncourt, a sophomore member of the Improv Troupe, said.
While drama and most performing arts groups at LHS often practice and rehearse their programs for months before their show date, the whole idea of the Improv Troupe lies in its spontaneous nature.
“The idea of improv is it’s never been done before, and it’ll never be done again. So, you get a suggestion of something to start the scene, and then you do a scene based on the rules of the game, or just based on the suggestion, but you’re fully making it up on the spot,” Matthew Linden, the advisor of the Improv Troupe, said.
Nonetheless, there is order to the apparent chaos. During their weekly meetings, members of the club practice skills used in their shows through a variety of games, which are divided into short-form and long-form. The ground rules for acting are laid out in short-form games, while more elaborate rules are put into play as the group continues acting in long-form games.
Every year brings new faces to the club, and while the new students are welcomed, there are difficulties that need to be addressed..
“Each year, the group is different, and we gotta find a new dynamic,” Linden said.
Even though their first show was canceled due to a timing conflict with Yom Kippur, the Improv Troupe continues to make steady progress, with their next show coming up at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the Black Box.
While the theme and specifics of the show have yet to be announced, the LHS Improv Troupe has already put in a lot of effort to prepare themselves for the upcoming show.
“It’s an hour and a half of getting up in front of your peers and making a fool of yourself. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially not when there’s an expectation for you to be funny,” Linden said.
