Established in 2019, Texas Tech's improv troupe is rebranding. BFA musical theatre student, Thomas Schnaible, a member of Humor Us! said the new “post-Covid” world played a role in changing the name.
“I think most of us were feeling like the previous name did not reflect who we were and the image we wanted everyone to know us for,” said Schnaible.
It took a few weeks after multiple votes for the team to decide on the new name. It's a refresher because the previous name, Sentient Nuts, was created and placed before current students' time at Texas Tech University.
Students who are interested in joining Humor Us!—and they are always looking for new members—should be on the lookout for announcements on the School of Theatre & Dance social media pages. According to Maddie Hiatt, a graduate student in the Performance & Pedagogy program, the troupe takes a collaborative leadership approach to foster a strong team.
“A new person to this group can expect a comfortable arena for training and learning,” she explains. “We help new players build trust with each other, practice listening skills, learn the foundational elements of storytelling, and of course, how to say ‘Yes, and...'”
For those wondering if you need a background in improv, the answer is no. But new students joining the group will be coached by some wonderful people who have 30 years of improv experience shared collectively, and they should be prepared to grow their improv skills with fun games and long-form improvisation scenes.
“A new audience member would experience a group of weirdos having some fun and hopefully
making them laugh,” said Mike Logan. “A new member of the troupe would find a welcoming
and learning-based environment where, regardless of their experience level, they can
jump right in and develop a skill set that is increasingly important in this industry.”
Hiatt encourages even the shy people to take a chance on improv: “Improv is scary! So vulnerable! But you know what? It is a fun challenge, putting yourself in a position where you have to be wildly brave and trust the people you're on stage with.”
Both undergraduate and graduate students can be members of this group.
Schnaible wants to make clear that all are welcome to join: “To anyone interested in joining Humor Us! who are worried about it being too hard or scary: come and play! You do improv every day in your life with every person you talk to! It is all about finding the fun and expressing yourself.”
Want to get more information or see a show? Humor Us! will be performing on April 5th at the Frontier Festival Post-Show at 9:30 p.m. in The CH Foundation The Legacy of Christine DeVitt Black Box Theatre. There is no cost to attend, and tickets are not required. Don't miss it!