The Black Sheep Improv group is a troupe on campus that began performing around seven years ago. The group began presenting in classrooms, but soon began running shows at Baker Theatre weekly. Alex Pete and Bridget Gibson, two seniors and members from the troupe jokingly describe it as “recent, but not so fresh that we don’t know what is happening.”
The pair said that the group’s goal is mostly about making people happy and putting on shows for themselves as well. The main focus is on setting weekly goals, such as agreeing more and being more positive on stage, with the most important aspect being working together well.
When asked about their favorite thing about the group, they said it is all about having fun with everyone and that the group is very communal. They love goofing around with friends who don’t care what they say or do and the best thing is making people “break” (laugh out of character) on stage.
The group has specific shows such as a musical theatre show and a performance with Blue Pencil Comedy (a comedy group at OU) in which the comedians do a five minute stand up set and Black Sheep does improv around the sets.
The women said that the group has helped them socially and personally because it serves as their main group of friends. In addition, it has helped with public speaking because being on stage is scary and they all still get nervous, but the improv helps with increasing confidence. Once they go on stage, they feel good because they all have each other’s backs. Other skills they attribute to improv are being more comfortable talking to people, being able to think quickly on the spot, and being an active listener.
Black Sheep has an audition process for those who want to get involved. It occurs at the beginning of the year or semester, and involves unscripted material and participation in two-person scenes, games, and little shows. The process is relaxed and is simply the group telling what improv is and then allowing the people who would like to audition to present themselves. Next, there are callbacks for a position, usually involving eight to nine maximum people on each troupe.
Pete and Gibson wanted to note that lot of people who graduate from OU after being involved in Black Sheep Improv have a head start to the skill, so many make it into esteemed improv groups such as the Groundlings in Los Angeles, Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City, CIC in Chicago and Improv Olympics. These groups have had past members such as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Will Ferrell. Here is to hoping the absolute best to the actors in Black Sheep Improv, maybe one day we will see them at the Grammys!