Name: Andrew Ramirez
Major: Communication
Year: 2nd
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Hobbies/Interests: Long-distance running, video games, comedy/entertainment, board games
For those who aren’t familiar, can you describe what Improvability is and what you all do?
Improvability is UCSB’s premiere improv troupe that’s been active since around 2005. We do improvised comedy which involves taking suggestions from our audience members and incorporating them into scenes or games that have never been performed before and likely never again. In essence, it’s a group of close friends messing around together on stage each week.
When and how did you first become interested in improv?
My first experiences with improv were watching Whose Line on TV. It got me interested in that comedy form and I watched my high school’s team as well as Comedy Sportz live performances. My experiences with Improvability were what really solidified my involvement and interest in improv.
How did you get involved with Improvability?
I was mildly interested in improv when I came to college and came to watch their shows when I found the school had a team. A friend convinced me to try out and I made it into their workshop where they taught me the fundamentals and how they do improv. Since then it’s become a passion of mine and I’ve had a blast doing it.
What distinguishes Improvability from any other college stand-up troupe?
I think one thing that separates Improvability from other college improv troupes I’ve seen is that it feels like each person knows the way all the other members do their improv and it makes some scenes seem almost scripted. We all hang out together outside of shows and practices and I feel like that really helps everyone get to know each individual’s style of humor and adapt or apply it to scenes during the performances.
Where do you get inspiration for material?
Our inspiration comes directly from our audience! Since we don’t pre-plan ANY of what we are doing on any given night, we use one word audience suggestions to help guide our creativity in creating a brand new scene from scratch.
Favorite show you’ve ever performed?
I find all the shows we put on to be super fun to participate in, so I tend to have favorite scenes rather than full shows. If I had to choose, our Midlife Crisis 2.0 show last quarter was very fun for me because it was the first time I put myself out there and became the main focus of our longform (a 20-30 minute game or collection of scenes) and it marked a significant boost in my own confidence as an improvisor on stage.
Any advice for anyone looking to get into improv?
In complete honesty, just try it out! Play a couple games, goof around with friends, it’s surprisingly simple and really fun. The jokes that have made me laugh the hardest have all been from just goofing around while playing improv games. Try playing some of the games we do with your friends, or better yet, try out for the team! I had no experience before joining Improvability, so you never know what could happen.
Convince us to come see you. Say something funny.
Sorry, I’m on break right now.
Are you going to make a joke about this?
I already have.