Think of the words “improvisational theater,” and you might imagine Drew Carey, the cast of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and perhaps a predictable show format. While both the aforementioned show and UT’s own Gigglepants Improv are guaranteed to make you laugh until you cry, the latter is anything but predictable. After performing to a packed audience during last Friday’s show, Gigglepants Captain Colin Bates sat down with Her Campus and revealed what makes this group so hilarious.
When did the group start and how did it get its name?
We began eight years ago – none of us are founders, but [founder] Bryan Cruz is still in Austin. There was a group called Comedy Sportz High School League in Houston. It’s a short form show that pits two teams against each other. Gigglepants copied the same format. When they got to UT, there was no improv team, so they decided to make one. Gigglepants gets its name from the founder’s old coach during Comedy Sportz – his nickname was Chris Gigglepants, and they liked him so much they named [the group] Gigglepants.
It’s all UT Students, right?
You have to be a UT student to be a member, and we hold tryouts in the fall. We have 21 members currently. We mostly have biology and RTF majors. Only two or three people are theater majors.
How did you hear about it?
When I was a freshman, I had gone through the Comedy Sportz High School League in Houston. I came here, and a couple of my friends had gone to the show and said, “Hey, there’s this thing, and there’s these two teams and it’s an improv thing,” and I was like, “What did you say? Improv? I’m gonna join.” So I went to their website and found out when they were trying out. I got in, and I’ve been in all four years.
What’s the audition process like?
We do two weeks. The first week is the first string; we look for who is fun to work with, who has good ideas and is committed and strives to have fun. It’s a big thing for someone to be able to go along with another person and not be dominant. We like people to work together. We do a first round [of auditions] and then have callbacks, and then put the callbacks in a real practice setting. We will have games for them to play with us to get ready for our shows, which are every other Friday. After that, everybody in the group votes on who they want to join.
How many people usually audition?
Probably between 30 to 40 people in the first round, and we usually take 25 people. From that we cut down to 8 to 10 people. We don’t take very many; in improv, it helps to know everyone pretty well and know how people think and how to play with people. That’s a major component. Less is better, actually. We can really focus them in, have them learn more skills, and really train them. For some people, it’s the first time they ever do improv, so we try to get them to do basics first.
Where are the shows?
They will be held in the CMA 2.320, except for the Gigglepants-Off. It’s our big show that all of our players will be in. It’s an improv form called Maestro that they do at The Hideout Theatre [in Austin]. Basically, the top improviser wins, but, of course, it’s all for fun and is about entertaining the audience. The one left standing gets the Golden Moose, and last year [winners received] a Silver Cockroach and a Bronze Mustache. Last year was our first year doing it, and we hope to do it every spring. The Gigglepants-Off will be April 20th in the FAC.
Is there something that’s different about this group compared to other improv groups in Austin?
I think the obvious thing is that we are so willing to share and jump on our other ideas, because we’re improvisers. The golden rule is “Yes, and – ”. So we always try to accept what was said or is being done and add to it. Because of that, naturally, it’s fun to work with these people, because you’re not having your ideas shot down. Even when we are goofing around or hanging out, that “Yes, and – ” continues. Someone will make a joke or do something silly, and we all jump on it. We want to have fun with it. Nobody says, “That’s dumb.” It’s more of like, “What can I add to this?” And we dive in head-first. We don’t know how anything will turn out.
What’s your favorite part?
My favorite part is just being able to have fun with nothing more than my imagination and other people’s imaginations. We don’t need TV or video games to create imaginative worlds to laugh and have fun. I think it’s really cool, in modern times, to be able to do something that’s completely original and completely off the top of our heads. You want to keep doing it. It’s rare, you know? In today’s world, everybody consumes media, and not everyone produces it. Having this creative outlet is my favorite part, as is connecting with people. It’s awesome when you’re in a scene and you know exactly what your scene partner is thinking, and y’all are both smiling because you know where it’s going. You can’t wait to get there and figure out where it’s going. It doesn’t cost any money – just ideas.
Gigglepants Improv will next perform February 10th and 24th in CMA 2.320.