Improv Olympics: A Friendly Competition

Every year, Aragon’s improv team faces off against Hillsdale’s in the Improv Olympics. Judges score each team based off of audience reactions and quality of the sketches. This year, Hillsdale won the Friday competition and Aragon won the Saturday. The event took place between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
Improv shows are a combination of a traditional stage show and a competition. Sophomore and improv team member Maggie Cayanan attended the Olympics last year and joined the team after watching the show.
“The overall environment of the show was really fun and you could clearly tell that all the performers were enjoying themselves,” Cayanan said. “Although the show is a competition you could tell that it was all in good fun. The two teams weren’t going to let competition get in the way of a good time.”
Attendees usually include people that the performers are already familiar with.
“We try to get anybody we know to come,” junior improv team member Elliot Humphries said. “We usually have a pretty good turnout of like other Aragon students but it’s mostly friends.”
The Olympics can be competitive based on that year’s theme.
“Last year we decided to do away with serious competition and actually make judges part of the show, and bring in professional improvisers from outside of the show to add another level in entertainment,” said senior Ryan Oshinsky. “I think that was a really good choice [and it] was one of the better Improv Olympics we’ve done in a while.”
The competition’s theme changes every year, making each show unique.
“It’s always been the Aragon and Hillsdale teams, facing off against each other,” said improv coach and Aragon alumni Eavan Huth. “But I do think from year to year that there’s sort of a different flavor that sort of each group of students brings to the table. Little traditions that kind of come and go, have their fun place in the moment that they exist.”
The main difference between improv and a stage show is mostly the amount of audience interaction.
“Most of the time, the topic or theme of the scene is gathered from the audience’s suggestions and then the dialogue and actions for the scene are made up on the spot,” Cayanan said. “And sometimes audience members are brought up and are physically part of the scene.”
This year the improv team did a variety of skits, one of which was a skit that included interpretive dance.
“[The skit] was about a dancer who wanted to make his father proud by continuing his legacy after a career ending injury.” junior improv team member Nathan Wu said.
At the end of the day, victory isn’t the team’s main priority.
“Really, the ultimate goal isn’t necessarily to crush the other team — it’s to put on a really good performance,” Huth said. “[The purpose] really support our own teams, and just to see what comes from this kind of competition and have a good time doing it.”