Improv Nation is the only club at San Francisco State that brings audiences laughter using the unique mix of comedy and theater known as improv.
According to club president Kevin Apolis, Improv Nation is centered around the idea that anyone can learn to perform improv, regardless of experience or background. Apolis, a senior at SF State, joined the club three years ago after watching them perform at the Welcome Days talent show.
“They had a great chemistry on stage and they were really funny. I wanted to see what it was like to actually do improv,” he said.
The show “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” brought improv into the mainstream, which works by giving comedians a certain scene or subject to perform without any rehearsal. Since improv comedians have no time to rehearse beforehand, they are required to have creativity, strong public speaking skills and confidence in order to succeed.
But what sets Improv Nation apart from other comedy troupes is the equal representation of men and woman in the club.
“There is this notion that there isn’t a lot of women in comedy and that’s especially true in the improv scene,” Apolis said.
The gender gap in the comedy industry can be seen all around us and is not exclusive to improv alone. Men are the dominant force in the mainstream comedy industry, with most of the late-night comedians and comedy actors being male. During its 39th season premiere, the popular comedy show Saturday Night Live introduced the six new comedians to be featured for the rest of the season. Noël Wells, a comedian most known for her comedy skits on YouTube, is the only female in the group.
Unlike stand-up or comedy sketches, improv requires all members to work together to create a scene, rather than relying on the skills of one or two comedians.
“In terms of comedy, I definitely think there could definitely be more diversity. This is an age of comedy where we focus a lot on comedians rather than subjects and jokes,” Apolis said. He explains that most people watch stand-up and movies based on the main actor or comedian, rather than focusing on the content.
When sophomore AJ Beck first joined Improv Nation, she found it difficult to contribute to the scenes since she was very shy.
“Never in my life had I ever thought about doing comedy,” she said.
One of the things that helped her come out of her shell was the encouragement she received from Improv Nation’s former president, Molly Sanchez.
According to Beck, Sanchez focused on helping new members overcome their shyness as well as getting more females involved in the group.
“One big thing that she would always say was that improv was a very male-dominated area,” Beck said.
For Beck, women play an important role in comedy.
“I don’t like viewing it as ‘There needs to be more women’ all the time, but women really do bring an entirely different aspect that men don’t have. Seeing as women are a huge part of the audience, having a woman up there…it’s a huge connection,” she said.
Marisa Hadley, a junior at SF State, is in charge of recruitment for Improv Nation. In recent years, the group has dressed up in costumes during Welcome Days to attract members.
“Improv Nation has done wonders for my confidence and public speaking ability. I wasn’t exactly a very shy person in high school, but I certainly tried to just blend into the crowd, which works out fine until you’re forced out of that high school bubble,” Hadley said.
She adds that she would like to see a greater variety of women getting recognition in the comedy industry besides the big-name stars like Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman or Tina Fey.
“I would love to see more of a variety of women gain recognition, or simple visibility, for their work.”