Last Thursday, Dr. Easterling’s Dramatic Performance class incited laughs from even the coldest of hearts during their renown “Improv Night.” The students accepted short descriptions of scenarios from the audience and acted them out in a tasteful, hilarious way. However, preparing for the masterfully done performance was not all fun and games.

Dramatic Performance teacher and Improv Night Director, Dr. Thomas Easterling, says that students practiced using old improvisation prompts and critiqued each other’s performances. Even this was not the worst of the preparations, though.

“The class also put in weeks of sweat equity as they patched and painted the stage, cleaned enough drywall dust and sawdust off the floor to choke a horse and helped fine tune some of the sound and light installations. Actually getting to perform was a holiday compared to all that,” Easterling said.

While comedy is one of the most challenging facets of theatrical performances to do well, MSMS senior Keegan Lindsey embraces this challenge head on with the utmost skill. He claims his skill from his source of on-stage comfort.

“When it’s time to perform you start to ask yourself questions like: ‘Is this going to be good?’ ‘Am I good enough?’ and ‘Will my reputation survive tonight?’ I was personally fairly calm because I knew the answer to all three questions was: No,” Lindsey explained.

The audience members were astounded by the performance as well.

Fellow MSMS junior, Mary Hayden Patterson, said that “It was my first time watching an improv show and I found it to be extremely entertaining and incredibly fun!” Patterson continues to say that the MSMS Improv show is a hit for everyone, regardless of theatrical experience.

On stage or off, the MSMS Improv Night appears to have been a thrill for everyone.