CROW Improv is made up of area improvisers Brandon Cole, Pat Williams, Suzanne Schatzle, Gabriella French, Norwich Improv Artistic Director Gil Polk, Richard Riley, Bethany Opara, Jo Jo Russel, Laura Koppenheffer, Ryan Culver, Sam Wassilie, Virginia Lee, Moshe Shtrauch, Chris Storch, Richard Lasky, Sharon Soloway, Zach Meseck, and Sue McIntyre. (Photos by Michael Wheeler)

NORWICH — CROW Improv, a local group of 18 improvisers, will be putting on another “Theatresports” show on Friday, December 29 at at the Norwich VFW Post 2782, located at 61 East Main Street in Norwich.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $9 at the door for those 18 and older with ID.

Theatresports is a concept created by improv pioneer Keith Johnstone where two improv teams complete improv games and tell compelling improvised stories on stage.

CROW Improv, which stands for "character, relationship, objective, and where" – key features of an improvised performance – is made up of Chenango County area residents Brandon Cole, Pat Williams, Suzanne Schatzle, Gabriella French, Richard Riley, Bethany Opara, Jo Jo Russel, Laura Koppenheffer, Ryan Culver, Sam Wassilie, Virginia Lee, Moshe Shtrauch, Chris Storch, Richard Lasky, Sharon Soloway, Zach Meseck, Sue McIntyre, Norwich Improv Artistic Director Gil Polk.

The troupe will regale spectators with a friendly competition between two teams of four people, judged by members Zach Meseck, Sue McIntyre, and Jo Jo Russel, with Gil Polk and Brandon Cole hosting.

Audience members are encouraged to “boo” the judges, which is a traditional greeting at improv shows. They’re also encouraged to participate in the show by shouting out suggestions for the improvisers as they set up a scene.

“We’re always looking at more and more ways to get the audience involved. The audience is giving suggestions through the whole night, like where are we, and then we start the scene from there, or who we are to each other, and we start the scene from there,” Polk explained. “It’s lovely to get the audiences telling stories and then we can recreate those stories, or maybe even get an audience member on stage to do something with us, which is always a safe environment. It’s really nothing to be afraid of. It’s all fun and hopefully a really good night.”

The judges will cover three areas of improv: narrative, entertainment, and technicality. The narrative judge looks for storytelling and strong characters; the entertainment judge is scoring based on how entertaining they found the scene, which can be very subjective; and the technical judge will be looking for how well the improvisers follow the rules of each improv game.

Members of CROW Improv meet at the Guernsey Memorial Library each week to improve their acting and storytelling abilities. The workshops are open to the public as well, including improvisers of all skill levels.

The classes are held every Tuesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Polk said the first hour is best for newcomers to learn the basics and get comfortable improvising.

“I try to keep it to the basics, which the experienced improvisers love because as you grow and get more advanced. A lot of times we kind of forget the basics,” said Polk. “I highly recommend people who have never done improv because some people are a little wary or scared to come in because they think maybe they have to be an extrovert, which couldn’t be more far from the truth.”

In addition to being fun, Polk said improv has several benefits that can translate into everyday life, including increased confidence, active listening skills, collaboration, and quick thinking.

Polk said the improv workshops are a great place to develop these skills, as the environment is one of zero judgment, no rules, and no mistakes.

“You can’t make a mistake in improv and there’s no judgment. It’s a safe space,” he said, adding that mistakes are “highly encouraged.”

“We just have a beautiful mentor, this man that invented all of this, Keith Johnstone. He wants us to fail happily,” he continued. “Then when we do mess up I really, really instill in people, let’s have a good time messing up because that’s what Keith wanted, and that’s what the audience wants to see. Nobody wants to see a sore loser or people being sad. It’s all in good fun and good times.”

Polk said much of the group’s success to the community that has supported them. He credits Guernsey Memorial Library Director Connie Dalrymple for her accomodation and sharing library space for group classes, local photographer Michael Wheeler who donated his time to take professional headshots of troupe members, andVFW Post 2782 Commander Joe Santiago for allowing them to use the VFW for Theatresports.

“Anything that comes up he says, ‘I just want to support you guys in any way.’ And also the board there at the VFW, because they’ve also said the same. They want to support what we’re doing because it’s such a different thing. I can’t thank them enough,” said Polk. “Abbie and Katie, they’re clerks at the library, they’re always just so nice and just make everything running smoothly for us.”

Polk also hopes to expand more into the community in the future, with workshops and classes at local businesses, and character development classes at local schools.

More information on Norwich Improv and CROW Imrpov can be found online at NorwichImrpov.com and CrowImprov.com, as well as the CROW Improv Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Polk and troupe member Laura Koppenheffer have also started an improv podcast, which can be found on Spotify.